12
Florence
"Boss." Gwen's serious tone pulls me out of the work in front of me. She knows better to interrupt me without cause. Normally she sticks her head in and waits to be acknowledged.
"What is it, Gwen?" I look at the time on my laptop. "We still have half an hour before our meeting."
"I need five minutes. It's important." She steps inside and closes the door. She waits patiently for me to finish the task I'm working on.
I nod. "What is it?" I ask her again, this time giving her my full attention.
"You're aware of the rumors on social media about you and Woodhouse."
"They have no merit, but yes—I'm aware," I tell her.
She presses her lips together, shifting nervously. "I overheard a conversation earlier today that concerns you. That situation."
I lean back in my chair; she has my complete attention. Gwen does not get nervous approaching me about anything, not after being my right hand for nearly fifteen years. "Sit." I motion toward the chair opposite my desk.
She shakes her head. "I overheard Woodhouse talking to Bakker. He made a comment about Bakker getting special treatment… and asked if he was sleeping with you, too."
"Too?" I repeat, confused.
She rolls her eyes. "He was implying that he's sleeping with you, Boss, and that Bakker must be getting the same perks."
"That's ridiculous." I raise an eyebrow at her. "Do you believe that?" If she does, I need to find a new assistant.
She snorts. "Of course not. I don't think any sane woman would touch Woodhouse with a ten-foot pole. And you have too much integrity to cross that line. The point is—he's trying to undermine you. With what end in mind, I don't know. Before today, I'd have guessed he wanted in your pants. Now I wonder if he wants your job."
"He would run this place into the ground," I dismiss out loud. "He's not even remotely capable." Still, it is cause for concern. "Did Bakker say anything?"
"Only that you'd worked with him to prioritize some family issues."
I nod. "He handed in his resignation. I convinced him to stay—he's by far the best person for the job."
"I know, boss. I was there, remember?" She shifts again. "I'd like your permission to go to HR with what I heard."
I blink. "You don't need my permission to speak to HR, Gwen. You know that."
She straightens her stance. "I know. I just—" She takes a deep breath. "I wanted to be one hundred percent sure it wasn't true."
I stare at her, eyes wide. "You know I'm engaged, right?"
Her eyebrows nearly dance off her forehead. "No?! You don't wear a ring..."
"Because I'm engaged to a woman," I say drily. "And rather than deal with all the drama, my fiancée and I prefer to keep things private."
"Oh." She's quiet for a long minute.
"What would you have done if it were true?" I ask, genuinely curious.
She blinks. "I don't know, Boss. I never considered it."
A knock sounds on the door.
I lower my voice. "Please report it to HR, Gwen. I've already spoken to Carole about issues with Woodhouse, but talk to whomever you're most comfortable with."
There's another knock on the door, louder this time.
"One minute," I call. I turn back to Gwen. "I've tried to keep my relationship with Josie private—mostly because it's no one's business. But she'll be coming to the charity gala with me next month. I'd like to introduce you."
"That would be my pleasure, Boss."
I motion toward the door, and she opens it. "Mr. Bakker. Come in. I was just leaving."
He hesitates, glancing nervously at me. He clears his throat. "I'd prefer she stay. I need to speak with Ms. Pietra, but I'd appreciate a witness."
I nod to her. Her presence will remove any speculation. "Come in, Jason. What can I do for you?"
Gwen closes the door behind him and takes a stance near it, silent.
Jason sits down, visibly uncomfortable. "I— Um." He glances back at Gwen then back at me. "I'm going to talk to HR, but I wanted you to hear it first."
I arch an eyebrow. "Are you planning to quit on me again?"
"No, ma'am." He takes a deep breath. "Woodhouse approached me earlier and accused me of gaining special favors from you because I left early for Finley's meet."
"To be fair," I manage to keep a straight face, "you did gain special favors. By threatening to quit on me."
He shakes his head. "He implied he was sleeping with you… and that I am too."
"He's wrong on both accounts," I say drily.
"I know that, and you know that." He opens his mouth again but closes it.
"Gwen knows about my fiancée, Jason. It's not a secret, but my love life isn't workplace conversation."
"Of course." He's quiet a moment. "I'm going to report the conversation to HR, but—I wanted you to know. There are rumors online that you're sneaking around with him."
It catches me off guard, that he's aware of that. "Again, not true." I reiterate. "You don't strike me as the type to believe everything you see on the internet."
"I don't, trust me." He chuckles. "My daughter saw it, actually. She follows Delmont PRIDE on Instagram. She showed me some of the chatter."
I frown. "Why?" Why do a bunch of kids care who I'm dating?
"Are you kidding? You're a huge role model to those kids. Everything you've accomplished—they notice."
"Why? I worked hard. I've earned everything I've accomplished."
I walk in the door two hours later, looking for Marin. She's in the kitchen making me a salad. "You're a sight for sore eyes," I mutter, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and sinking into a chair.
She raises an eyebrow, apparently amused. "Glad to be of service." She sprinkles some parmesan-romano cheese and some sunflower seeds over my salad and sets it in front of me.
"You can sit down and eat with me, you know." After Josie's fuss about her, it occurred to me that I do treat her more like staff than I should. This woman knows me inside and out and waits on me hand and foot.
She shakes her head. "I ate before I got here."
"In the future, plan enough for both of us, and sit down and eat with me," I tell her.
"Of course." She starts cleaning up the kitchen while I eat.
"Did you get a hold of Josie? We need a plan."
"Besides firing Woodhouse?" she asks. "With Gwen and Jason making separate statements to HR, you shouldn't have to deal with him for much longer."
"Apparently a lot of the chatter on social media is coming from Delmont PRIDE. I was their champion one minute, traitor the next. I don't get it."
She finally sits down across from me with a glass of ice water. "Don't downplay your accomplishments, Florence. You're the first woman in charge of an academic medical center in the country. And the only openly queer person in your position. You worked your ass off. You didn't take shit from anyone. "
"I didn't know that was public knowledge." I chew on that. "I've never hidden it… but it's not like I run around with rainbows in my hair. Why does it matter?"
"Florence." She sighs. "When you set your sights on this position, did you think about the fact that no woman had ever done it?"
I shake my head. "Why should it matter? I'm capable. Hell, I'm more capable than anyone else for this job. You don't need a penis to run a hospital. Brains, yes." I roll my eyes when she snickers. "Hell, half these old CEOs have a penis that doesn't even work. As long as their brain still functions, nobody cares if they can get it up."
"I cannot believe you just said that." She stifles her laughter.
"Simple truth." I shrug.
"It matters," she says, serious again, "because you have kids everywhere looking up to you. You give them hope. Representation matters. Even if you don't think about it, they do. The possibility of a brighter future."
I sigh. "Josie said her friend was disappointed in me. Jason said the same thing about his daughter." I pause. "Speaking of Josie—did you talk to her? We need a plan."
"She's your girlfriend."
"Fiancée," I correct.
"Fake fiancée," she reminds me, "who is making you soft."
"Don't start with that," I warn her.
"Fine." She smiles. "I called her and let her know we have a situation." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "You have a situation. When I summarized said situation, she said she'd be happy to discuss it with you." She hesitates. "But her relationship with you does not include me."
"Wait. What?" I frown. "Did she actually say that?"
"Yes, ma'am." Marin stands, reaching for my empty plate. "You should call her. She's making you dinner at her place. This is just to tide you over."