Chapter 11
Charlotte
Tip #11: A partner—professional or romantic—who prioritizes your well-being over public perception of your company, is worth their weight in gold.
I stood in the lobby of the Warner Print Welcome Center, scanning the employees that flowed in and out as I waited for Isaac to finish his chat with the senior accounting manager a few paces away.
In honor of the small town of Fox Creek that served as Warner Print’s headquarters, the visitor lobby had a rustic forest theme to it, with wooden floors, massive windows, an artificial stream flowing around the edge, and a small thicket of real trees in the center.
Normally I enjoy listening to the happy gurgle of the stream, but I was starting to worry about the timing. Isaac and I had fifteen minutes until our next meeting, and I still needed Ravi and Arisa?—
“Charlotte! There you are!” Ravi waved as he and Arisa hurried over, popping out from behind the trees.
“Hey guys, thanks for rushing over.” I waved as I lifted the strap of my laptop bag off my shoulder. “You’re lifesavers. I can’t believe my laptop crashed in the middle of a meeting.”
“No worries at all!” Ravi beamed. “We’ll walk this over to IT, and they’ll have it right as rain in no time.”
“Thanks for handling it,” I said. “If IT has any questions, have them use the messenger app to contact me.”
We swapped laptop bags, Ravi handing me the new one before slinging the bag containing my busted machine over his shoulder. “You got it! And talk about rotten luck with the crash. You didn’t lose anything, did you?”
I impatiently flicked the tail of the fishtail braid I’d braided my hair into that morning. “Let’s hope not. We have copies of the document I was working on, but they’re old ones, so I hope the abrupt shutdown didn’t corrupt the file. Anything else?”
Arisa brushed her windswept hair out of her eyes and handed me a manila folder. “Here are those new financial reports you wanted. Hot off the printer.”
I was so relieved I could have hugged Arisa, but she wasn’t big on affection, so I settled for beaming at her. “Perfect, thank you. Isaac wanted hard copies to reference in the next meeting, but they weren’t ready yet when we left for our round of afternoon meetings.”
“It was no trouble at all,” Arisa said. “I’m glad we could help.”
Juggling the laptop bag and the folder, I checked my cell phone again. “You two are more than a help. You arrived so quickly I’ll have time to go through this report and highlight the key sections Isaac will be interested in for the meeting.”
Arisa shook her head, a rare smile tugging at her lips. “This is exactly why HR is having such a terrible time finding your replacement, Charlotte. No one else understands the way Isaac’s brain works like you do.”
I laughed. “Isaac will adjust. My replacements will need a little time to learn his quirks and anticipate his needs. I just hope HR actually brings some candidates forward to interview soon or I won’t get much time to train them before I go.”
Ravi straightened his tie—today it was rubber-ducky themed. “Worry not, my noble coworker! My buddy in HR says they’ve narrowed it down to ten very promising candidates already.”
Arisa mashed her lips together. “You’re too optimistic. When Isaac gets ahold of them he’s going to chew them up and spit them out.” She checked her cellphone. “But enough of our future misery. We should leave so you can prepare for that meeting.”
“Right, thanks again, you two,” I said warmly.
“Our pleasure. Farewell!” Ravi waved to me, as jolly as ever, then strolled back in the direction he’d come, Arisa keeping stride with him.
I turned on my heel and headed for one of the nearby high-top tables, intending to spread out and annotate the financial report while Isaac wrapped up his conversation. I dodged my way around one of the handful of fox statues sprinkled around the lobby (local town pride at its finest).
But before I reached the table, a woman called out to me. “Excuse me, I require your assistance immediately.”
I paused and turned to face her, plastering on my most professional smile.
The woman, dressed in expensive but garish clothing, had an air of impatient entitlement about her as she click-clacked her way across the lobby.
“I’m here to pick up the printed store display for the store I manage, The Mad Picnic Party, in Deerfield. I need you to load it into my car right away,” she said. “I can’t carry it—I have a weak back.”
I recognized the business name. The Mad Picnic Party—which was supposed to pay homage to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ’s Mad Hatter’s tea party—was an upscale deli famous for their charcuterie boards and custom picnic-basket lunches. (Most small businesses in the area were Warner Print clients.)
Keeping my customer service mask firmly in place, I gestured to the welcome desk. “I apologize, ma’am, but I don’t deal with client orders. Our front desk team would be happy to assist you. They can look up your order and have it brought out to you.”
The woman waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t have time for those extra steps. I’m in a hurry. Just go fetch my order. It’s a large display for the storefront. Oh—and be careful with it! If it gets at all damaged I’ll want a replacement!”
This was why I liked working with numbers and thankfully didn’t have to interact with clients very much. (I was very much like Isaac in that way.) Most Warner Print clients were nice, but there were always a few bad apples in every barrel.
“Unfortunately,” I started, “I work in finance, so I’m not able to personally handle print orders. But if you check in at the welcome desk, someone will get your display loaded up in no time.”
She narrowed her eyes. “That line might work on some people, but I know how things really operate around here. Warner Print is just a little local business when it comes down to it.”
I blinked, momentarily stunned by her obvious misconception of the company. Warner Print had an entire campus and made billions in revenue. She thought we were little?
The woman ignored my reaction and rambled on. “It doesn’t matter what department you’re in. Any Warner Print employee should be able to get my order. You’re wasting my time because you’re lazy, but I’m not going to let you wriggle out of this. Hop to it.”
Maintaining my polite tone despite her grating attitude, I explained, “While it’s true that Warner Print is here in Fox Creek, this location is actually our global headquarters. We have several thousand employees in this facility alone and a complicated infrastructure with precise protocols.” I smiled apologetically. “So as much as I’d like to help, I really must insist you follow our standard procedures and check in at the welcome desk. They’re the only ones who can kick-start the pickup process.”
The woman’s face reddened as her voice rose in pitch. “I don’t think you understand. I’m here to pick up this display in person because I need it for a sale TODAY. I made these arrangements because I can’t wait around for you people to ship it out. Just go get my order already!”
Internally, I resolved to stay calm. (Her entitled attitude might make me grind my teeth, but my actions still reflected on Warner Print. Even with my impending exit, I wasn’t gone quite yet.)
“Ma’am, all of our print orders are stored in a separate building on our campus, not here in the welcome center. The only way to get your display would be if you made prior arrangements,” I struggled to keep my customer service smile from slipping. “And as I’ve mentioned, I’m not an employee associated with our order systems, so you really will save time by talking to the front desk staff who can assist you properly.”
“This is unbelievable!” the woman shrieked, throwing up her hands.
Several curious heads turned our way, and I started wishing a sinkhole would open up underneath me.
“You are completely incompetent! Don’t you know the customer is always right? I’ll be reporting your terrible attitude to your manager.” The woman jabbed a finger at me. “In fact, I demand to speak to your superior right this instant! We’ll see what they have to say about your unwillingness to help a paying customer.”
I felt my polite facade begin to crack as I glanced around the lobby. It looked like I’d need help if I wanted to get this taken care of.
I tried to send the welcome desk staff a pleading look, but they were all staring slack-jawed in my direction, eyes wide with disbelief.
What had them looking like that?
The woman’s shrill voice continued to berate me—I think she’d moved on to complaining about my lack of decorum, but I was too distracted trying to decipher the front desk workers’ stunned expressions to be sure.
That is, I was distracted until a deep, commanding voice cut through the verbal assault from directly behind me.
“Be quiet .”
The woman’s jaw snapped shut with an audible click. I froze, recognizing that dark, intense tone. Goose bumps prickled along my arms.
Isaac stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with me, his tall frame radiating barely contained fury. Seething, icy anger seemed to radiate off him, but I instantly relaxed.
My backup had arrived.
Isaac studied the woman as if she were a cockroach and he was debating if he should fumigate the lobby or just outright squash her.
The woman fishmouthed a couple of times, but no noise escaped her throat.
Momentarily satisfied, Isaac turned to me. “Are you alright?” His voice was almost gentle sounding when he addressed me, a stark contrast to the cold rage simmering beneath the surface.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “How much of this… client interaction did you hear?”
“All of it. I believe the entire lobby was treated to her tirade.” Isaac’s steely gaze flicked to the red-faced woman. “Ma’am, I’m warning you to cease harassing my employee immediately.”
The woman puffed up indignantly, finding her nerve again. (I didn’t know if I should be impressed with her gumption or pity her clear lack of intellect.) “And just who do you think you are? Her manager? I’ll be filing a formal complaint about her unprofessional conduct! I’ll be sure to mention you too! What are your names—tell me!”
I grimaced at the woman’s ear-piercing demand. “Sorry you had to step in,” I muttered to Isaac.
Isaac entirely ignored the blustering woman, focusing on me instead. He lifted a hand as if to place it on the small of my back, hesitated, then settled for brushing my elbow in a comforting gesture. Warmth tingled through me at his touch. “You have nothing to apologize for. This woman’s behavior is unacceptable. Her inability to follow simple directions is no fault of yours, nor is her apparent lack of brain activity.”
Isaac was known for his dedication to Warner Print employees, but this felt deeper than his typical protectiveness.
He wasn’t just mad; he was furious. An angry Isaac was never a good thing—in fact Logan’s danger sense was probably kicking in from whatever corner he was currently lurking in. “I can run and get someone from the front desk to deal with her.”
The woman sputtered in outrage. “I don’t know who you think you are, but when I speak to your superior about this incident?—”
Isaac finally gave the woman his full, blistering attention. “By all means, file whatever baseless complaints you like.” He cut her off smoothly, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave. “However, you are no longer welcome on the Warner Print campus. As of this moment, we are canceling your order and terminating our business relationship with you.”
The woman gaped at Isaac, her face blotching with her anger. “You can’t do that! I’m a paying customer!”
“I assure you, I can.” Isaac’s eyes flashed behind his glasses, his jaw set in a hard line. “Warner Print has no obligation to tolerate abusive behavior toward our employees. Now, remove yourself from the premises before I have security escort you out.”
“Well, I never!” The woman drew herself up to her inconsiderable height. “You incompetent peons clearly have no idea how to run a business. When I post about this online, you’ll regret treating me this way!” She scowled at me. “Especially you, you useless little?—”
Whatever scathing insult she was about to hurl my way died on her tongue as Isaac stepped forward, placing his tall frame between me and the irate woman. The very air seemed to crackle with the force of his anger.
“Choose your next words very carefully,” he said, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down my spine. “I don’t tolerate anyone speaking badly of Charlotte.”
I put a hand on his arm, trying to defuse the situation before Isaac completely exploded. His muscles were taut as a bowstring under my fingers. “Isaac, we have that meeting….”
“ It can wait ,” he bit out, not taking his eyes off the woman. “I’m not finished here.”
The woman opened her mouth, no doubt to spew more vitriol, but Isaac cut her off with a sharp gesture.
“Your behavior today has been nothing short of appalling,” he said coldly. “Your lack of basic respect and decency reflects very poorly on you and your establishment. Rest assured, the entire Fox Creek business community will hear about your conduct. I hope for your sake that you learn to treat people with more courtesy in the future, though I suspect that may be asking too much of someone with your obvious deficiencies in character and intelligence.”
The woman sputtered incoherently, her face now an alarming shade of purple. Isaac glanced over his shoulder. As if summoned by magic, a burly security guard appeared at his elbow.
“Please see this… person to her vehicle,” Isaac said dismissively. “She is no longer welcome on the Warner Print campus.”
“Right away, Mr. Warner.” The guard took the woman firmly by the arm and began steering her toward the exit. She struggled and screeched something about lawyers, but the guard ignored her, marching her out with grim professionalism.
As they crossed the lobby, I let out a breath that had been single handedly holding me up.
Isaac turned to me, the ice in his eyes melting into concern. “Are you alright?”
“Like I said, I’m fine,” I assured him, trying for a casual tone to lighten the mood. “Although you might want to rethink breaking off business relationships—she was just a manager, not the owner of the business or the actual client.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Isaac said. “Anyone who hires someone who treats you like that deserves the consequences of their ineptness.”
I reflexively clutched my laptop bag. “If you say so. I’ll send an email to Miguel so he can read Samuel into the incident and start planning.”
“What do you mean?”
“This could potentially hit Warner Print’s reputation since, as a company, we’ve emphasized that we care about our clients—no matter how large or small.”
Isaac shrugged, unbothered. “She deserved it.”
“Yes, she acted rude and entitled,” I agreed. “But because she’s the rude and entitled type, it’s almost guaranteed she’s going to complain online or post a bad review. It’s better for Samuel—and the public relations department—to be warned ahead of time.
“Warner Print’s reputation can weather a little bad press,” Isaac said, surprisingly unbothered. “Our work speaks for itself. And frankly, I don’t care if the whole world knows I won’t tolerate anyone treating you poorly.”
Even as a soon-to-be ex-employee, I was touched by Isaac’s words and the fierceness with which he defended me. “Thanks, Isaac.” A smile tugged at my lips. “It’s nice to know you care about your coworkers so much.”
“Of course I do,” he said. His gray eyes seemed to darken as he added, “But my anger over what happened to you goes far beyond mere coworker concern.”
His gaze held mine, intense and unwavering. The way he looked at me, it was as if he was trying to communicate something, and just like the night he’d visited my home, I couldn’t fathom what he was trying to hint at.
“I see,” I said, which was my stock answer whenever I didn’t, in fact, see but didn’t want to tell Isaac he wasn’t making any sense.
But just as I knew Isaac, Isaac knew me and must have recognized what my response meant.
He hesitated for a moment before reaching out to lightly touch the back of my hand, the pads of his fingers lingering a beat too long to be a friendly touch. “I want you to know that I’ve always got your back, Charlotte. No matter what.”
The softness of the gesture and the sincerity in his voice left me feeling pleasantly disoriented, but before I could fully process it, I glanced down at my phone and saw the time.
“We should probably get going to that meeting,” I suggested, taking a step back from Isaac’s warm presence.
“Right,” he agreed, nodding. We began walking together, and then, in a deceptively casual tone, he asked, “So, what business was that charming woman with again?”
“Mad Picnic Party,” I replied, still mulling over our earlier conversation. “It’s in Deerfield.”
“Ah.” He nodded, and I couldn’t help but feel suspicious about his sudden interest.
I glanced up at him, trying to gauge his blasé expression. “Why do you ask?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Just curious.”
I wasn’t entirely convinced, but with the meeting fast approaching, I didn’t have time to question him further. Yet as we walked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted, though what exactly it was, I couldn’t quite put my finger on.