27. Liam
Chapter twenty-seven
Liam
Getting in the car to leave for work is an act of torture.
Last night, I distracted Madison while she made tacos, and then we wrote out a formal list of rules while we ate dinner.
Then, she distracted me while I washed the dishes.
After a brief pause from productivity to make out, we sat on the couch with our coordinating reMarkable tablets in hand, each working on our own projects.
I never thought that I would enjoy such a domestic scene.
Turns out, it was the best evening that I never imagined.
But it’s made it very hard to drive away from the cocoon of domestic bliss, even for nine to ten hours. Especially after we enjoyed coffee together following my run this morning.
We also enjoyed a few rushed kisses on my way out the door, which was the final nail in the torture coffin.
I spend the seven-minute drive to the factory focusing my thoughts and reviewing my to-do list for the day. Because it’s an important one. I have clearance from my superiors to make some key personnel moves, so I need to be locked in on work, not memories of Madison’s lips.
When I walk through the door, Amanda calls out, “Good morning, Mr. Park.”
“Morning,” I reply. “Could you have Beau come to my office as soon as he can?”
Amanda nods and picks up her phone, so I continue walking to my office without stopping. About fifteen minutes later, there’s a knock at the door, and Beau appears.
“You wanted to see me?” he asks. I motion him to come in and close the door behind him. When he sits down across from me, I lean forward on the desk.
“Beau, I’m going to cut to the chase. It’s no secret that you’ve been a large part of this factory’s success.
Mr. Wilson made his best attempt to sabotage the facility, but people like you kept it from completely folding.
And you’ve been an integral part of getting things back on track these past few months,” I say.
“Things have been in a holding pattern as we waited on further investigation into how Wilson was able to get so far without anyone noticing. But I’ve been given the green light to start making some necessary moves as we look to the future. ”
Beau’s been nodding along, elbows leaning on his knees with his hands clasped.
I can’t hold back a smile as I say, “The first move I requested was to shift you into the position of floor manager.” He sits up straighter, a look of genuine surprise on his face.
“I know that all your experience has been with the machinery as head engineer, but you’ve shown that you can step up to the plate and lead the team.
If you’d like the position, it’s yours—along with the pay raise and bonus structure. ”
There’s a pause as Beau collects his emotions.
The look of gratitude and pride on his face brings me a unique sense of pleasure—so often, I’m the one coming in and dismissing employees, eliminating positions, or altering job descriptions.
It feels really good to be the one offering a promotion to someone so deserving.
“I don’t know what to say, Mr. Park,” Beau says. I give him a pointed look. “Liam,” he amends with a laugh. “I can’t tell you how honored I am. I would love to take on that responsibility.”
Standing up, I reach across the desk to shake Beau’s hand. “You deserve it,” I say. “Now, your first order of business is to choose your replacement. Which of the engineers do you think has what it takes to fill the head of machinery role?”
Beau and I spend the next hour discussing who to shift into which roles and crafting a job listing for an open engineering position. I ask him to weigh in on other personnel that might need to be moved around, noting his thoughts on my tablet.
We call in the woman he recommended as his replacement to offer her the position, and I craft an email to the company alerting everyone to the changes.
After sending it, I begin filling out the paperwork for the position changes to have ready for signatures by the end of the day.
Sheesh, I can’t wait until we can actually fill these HR and finance roles so I’m not the one doing this stuff.
As I’m printing off the official package offers for Beau and the new head engineer, Amanda steps into the office.
“Mr. Park? Could I ask you about something?” she questions.
“Sure, have a seat,” I say, motioning to the open chair across from me.
Amanda’s hands are fidgety as she begins.
“I was reading the email about some of the role changes, and it got me thinking . . . well, I guess I was just wondering if there might be any possibility of me stepping into a different role,” she says.
She rushes to add, “Not that I don’t enjoy being the receptionist, because I do.
But I was just thinking that if there are opportunities to advance into different positions, that I’d like to explore that. ”
She looks up at me when she finishes speaking, and I ask, “Do you have any training for roles outside of the receptionist position?”
Her cheeks color. “Well, no, not really.”
“Have you taken any steps to further your education or experience that would qualify you for a position with more responsibility?” I press.
Amanda’s eyes drop to her hands in her lap. “No, I haven’t. I guess I didn’t really think through this. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” She quickly stands and rushes out of the room.
Out of habit, I pick up the tennis ball from my desk and start bouncing it off the wall.
Why would she think she should just magically get a different position if she hasn’t done anything to earn it? I’m not a promotion fairy.
Leaning back in my chair, I can picture Madison’s face. I hear her voice accusing me of crossing over into jerk territory. And I know that phantom voice is right.
Rising from my desk, I walk out to the reception area. Amanda’s eyes are puffy, a sure sign of recent tears, but she tries to hide it as I approach.
“Listen, Amanda, I’m sorry I was too short and direct with you in there,” I say.
She sniffs and darts a glance up at me. “Look, I can’t make any promises about open positions.
I had to beg to get today’s changes approved.
But you could be proactive in seeking out training and building up your résumé.
There are all sorts of low-cost courses that you can take online that will train you in administrative tasks that could give you an edge to stand out for a different role.
Eventually, we’re going to need to hire some HR and finance roles, so if you have any interest in those fields, you could start working through some training courses. ”
Amanda’s eyes are hopeful, and she nods. “I do think that human resources could be really interesting. I’d really like to do something like that.”
Holding up a hand to slow her enthusiasm, I emphasize, “Like I said, no promises. But being proactive to further your education and experience is never a bad idea if you want to climb the ladder.”
“I understand,” she says, nodding with even more fervor. “I’m going to go home tonight and look for some courses. Thanks for the advice, Mr. Park.”
“Any time,” I say, tapping my knuckles on her desk. “Thanks for all your hard work, Amanda. You’ve made my job here easier.”
She beams at the praise, and I mentally note that I should make more of an effort to dole out deserved recognition.