Chapter 4
Charlotte
Tip #4: If your boss asks what it will take to keep you, respond with work-life balance and watch his brain short-circuit.
I barely made it two steps into the team office before I was assaulted by a whirlwind of blond hair and wailing.
“Charlotte! Say it isn’t so!” Lola clung to my arm like a lifeline.
Theo skidded to a stop in front of me and planted his hands on the top of his head, messing up his ashy blond crew cut. “You can’t leave us!”
I stumbled, nearly toppling over from Lola’s unexpected weight. “Whoa, careful. What’s gotten into you two?”
They spoke over each other in a cacophony of distress. I caught snippets like “Arisa said” and “Ravi told Isaac” before Lola reached out and smacked Theo in the gut, silencing him so she could be heard.
“Is it true? Are you really quitting?” Lola asked.
So much for breaking the news gently. “Well, I?—”
“You can’t!” Theo interrupted, shaking his head vigorously. “We need you. Who else will protect us from the Overlord?”
“Guys, it’s OK.” I patted Lola’s back as I worked to extricate myself from her grip on my arm. “Everything will work out. I promise.”
Lola’s eyes lit up with hope. “Does that mean you’re staying?”
I finally got her last few fingers dislodged from my coat—today Lola’s manicured nails sported dark bluish-purple nail polish with a sparkly undertone that made them look like the night sky. (She always had fantastic nails.) “No, I’m definitely still quitting,” I said.
The wailing recommenced with enthusiasm, the duo almost harmonizing.
I inched away, leaving them at the door to escape deeper into the open area office space. The familiar hum of computers and the smell of hot paper spewing out from the printer soothed me as I headed for my workstation.
“Charlotte.”
I turned to see Arisa approaching, her dark hair swaying with each precise step. Her expression was as unreadable as ever, but I detected a hint of concern in her dark eyes.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” she said, her tone carefully neutral. “Have you spoken with HR yet?”
“Just finished, actually. That’s why I’m later than usual.” I shifted my weight. My feet were already protesting the heels I’d chosen for today, but if I didn’t wear heels I looked ridiculously stubby standing next to Isaac with his tall, lean frame. (Genetics: They just weren’t fair.)
Arisa’s mouth puckered. “Did they get down on their knees and beg you to stay?”
I chuckled. “Not quite. Though I think Gerald from employee relations might have shed a tear. They did offer to increase my salary, bonus, vacation time—you name it. I think they would’ve promised me their jobs if they thought it’d keep me here.”
Arisa chuckled as we reached my workstation. I draped my coat over the back of my chair. Its wheels creaked as I nudged it out of the way.
“Charlotte.” Arisa’s voice softened, concern etching the corners of her eyes. “Did we—the team, I mean—do something to make you want to leave? Did we push too much work onto you?”
“Goodness, no.” I rested my hands on the back of my chair. “You—everyone in this office—are like family. It’s just… I realized I need to focus on my personal life for a while. And that’s not possible with the demands of Warner Print.”
“You mean with Isaac’s demands.” Arisa’s grimace was a mixture of understanding and disappointment. “I get it, I do. But I can’t help hoping Isaac might manage to change your mind.”
I sighed, remembering Isaac’s stoic face when I’d handed in my resignation. “He accepted it last night. Don’t get me wrong; he’s not happy about it, but I don’t think he’s going to fight it.”
She shook her head, her hair swinging with the motion. “He may have taken the letter, but that doesn’t mean he’s accepted you’re leaving.”
Before I could puzzle out what she meant, we were interrupted by a flash of color that was Ravi and one of his infamous ties. Today’s number was shaped like a fish, complete with sewn, glittering scales.
“Morning, ladies!” Ravi chirped, handing me my usual latte. “I just spoke with the boss. He got in early today.”
I felt my brow furrow involuntarily. I always arrived at the office before Isaac. “I guess HR kept me longer than I thought.”
Ravi waved off my concern. “Oh no. Not at all! He was here before any of us arrived.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Although I suspected Isaac’s middle name could have been “Work-Life Balance Is For The Weak,” he never arrived early… because he usually started making a few follow-up phone calls from his home office before he came in.
Ravi, oblivious to my shock, barreled on. “He told me about your resignation. We’re all going to miss you terribly, Charlotte.”
I didn’t know what to do with my hands since I wasn’t working, so I awkwardly folded them together. “Yes, it’s true. I’m leaving Warner Print.”
Arisa piped up, her usually composed voice tinged with something I couldn’t quite place. “Charlotte says she wants to focus on her personal life.”
Ravi nodded sagely, stroking his impressive beard. “Ah, I see. It is important not to let your youth slip away without having some fun. We’ll be sorry to see you go and shall mourn your exit with great gusto if young Lola and Theo have anything to say about it, but I understand completely.”
In the background, Theo and Lola still carried on. Theo was draped over his desk like a Victorian maiden experiencing vapors, while Lola fanned him with a couple of Post-it notes stapled together.
I smiled at their antics. “The Kids are a handful,” I said, using the office nickname for the duo. “But thanks, Ravi, for the support. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I know it’s the right one for me.”
Ravi leaned in conspiratorially. “Any big plans after you leave us?”
I relaxed, some of my excitement escaping my control. “Actually, yes! I’m planning a trip. I’ve always wanted to travel, but I’ve never had the chance to go anywhere except for work trips. I’m going to Switzerland, but since I have a layover in Britain, I might spend a night or two there first.”
“That sounds lovely,” Arisa said, but I noticed her lips were pressed into a thin line and her fingers tapped an agitated rhythm on the side of her thigh. It was subtle, but I knew Arisa well enough to recognize when she was upset. “Did HR decide on an end date?”
“Not yet,” I said. “I’ve agreed to stay on a month and a half, but they’re pushing for two months. I’m not sure I want to commit to that long, though. I’m a little afraid that if I agree to stay longer, HR might drag their feet on finding my replacement. I can just see them trying to barter for more time.”
Arisa sighed, her disappointment palpable. “You seem a lot more resolved than I imagined, Charlotte. I wish you’d told us sooner about your plans to quit.”
I winced, feeling a pang of guilt.
Before I could respond, Ravi patted Arisa’s shoulder and said, “Come on, we should get to work. The sales team submitted their monthly expenses late, and it’s thrown accounting for a loop. We need to make sure the final numbers get fixed in Isaac’s files.”
“I’ll go check in with Isaac,” I offered, relieved for the excuse to escape the conversation. While I looked forward to my coming days of freedom, it was going to be rough leaving everyone behind, as I really valued my coworkers. “If he doesn’t need me, I’ll come help you both.”
Ravi flashed me a grateful smile. “Thanks, Charlotte. You’re a lifesaver, as always.”
As we split up, I headed toward Isaac’s office, my heart rate picking up with each step. I paused at his door, took a deep breath, and knocked before entering.
Isaac was seated at his desk, looking as impeccable and unruffled as ever in his tailored suit. Unlike the rest of our coworkers, he didn’t seem upset at all. I’d figured he’d be disappointed at my exit, but I was still confused why he’d arrived at the office before everyone else.
“Good morning, Charlotte,” he greeted me, his voice neutral.
“Good morning, Isaac.” I slowly approached his desk. The scent of his expensive cologne tickled my nose, a familiar mix of cedar and bourbon that I’d come to associate with long nights working side by side.
I cleared my throat. “I spoke with HR this morning.”
Isaac’s expression didn’t change save for a slight uptick of his eyebrow. That minuscule reaction had me bracing myself. After years of working closely with him, I’d learned to read volumes in his microexpressions.
“And?” he prompted.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “We still don’t have a definitive end date, but HR is working with me to come up with one.”
Isaac merely blinked, his face an impassive mask. This was typical Isaac. The man could probably watch paint dry without so much as a twitch. It was part of what made him such an effective CFO, but right now it was driving me nuts, as I couldn’t read him.
“I’ll be working with HR to create a list of responsibilities for whomever replaces me, as well as necessary qualifications,” I continued, my words filling the stuffy silence of his office. The tick of the antique clock on his bookshelf seemed unnaturally loud. “Actually, HR is planning for two hires to replace me.”
At this, Isaac stood, his chair rolling back with a soft whoosh . “It doesn’t matter,” he said, his voice clipped.
I blinked, thrown off by his blasé attitude. “It… doesn’t matter?” I echoed.
In three long strides, Isaac rounded his desk and stood toe to toe with me. My breath caught in my throat. Up close, I couldn’t help but admire how unfairly attractive he was—tall, clean-shaven, and lean with the killer combo of dark brown hair and gray eyes. It was rare for Isaac to get this close; he usually preferred a large margin for his personal space.
“I’m willing to hire two additional staff members,” he said, his voice low and intense, “if it means you’ll stay.”
I snapped to attention. “Isaac, I’m not staying. The two new hires are to replace me.”
His lips quirked up slightly at the corners—the Isaac equivalent of a full-blown smile. “Tell me what you want, Charlotte,” he said, his voice taking on a husky quality. “Name any price, any position, any benefit—whatever it takes. What will get you to stay?”
Wow, he was turning on the charm. The husky whisper, the lean in, the quiet promises—he was going all out to get me to stay. Unfortunately for Isaac, it had the opposite effect.
“Isaac Warner,” I hissed. “Stop it right now.”
Isaac somehow managed to move in closer, his breath fanning my neck as he angled his head to murmur straight into my ear. “Stop what?”
Since it was just the two of us, I let my professional veneer crack. “Stop trying to manipulate me so you can get what you want!”
It would be useless to try to bodily move Isaac—he was too tall and too lean with muscle. But his tie was very inviting in a please - use-me-to-strain-his-neck kind of way, so I grabbed it with both hands and yanked on it, getting his attention. “I told you, Isaac, that it’s over. I made my decision. You know I don’t play coy and I hate games, so my mind is made up. This is a boundary. If you insist on crossing it, I’ll leave even sooner than planned!”
The too-slick, all-charm-and-no-soul front Isaac had adopted dropped as he stared at me, unbothered by my grasp on his tie. “You’re leaving me?”
I crumpled, my anger leaving as quickly as it arrived. “I’m leaving your work-or-die, overachieving, no-personal-life style of work, yes. Which means I have to leave Warner Print, or I’ll keep my bad habits and continue being relationally stunted.” I smoothed Isaac’s tie back into place.
Isaac stared at me, his dark eyebrows furrowed.
I waited for a moment. “Are we OK?”
Isaac slightly shook his head, shaking off his look of concentration. “We’re fine. However….” He looked down at his wristwatch—the simple one with the leather strap I’d gotten him for Christmas the second year we worked together. “I have a meeting I’m going to be late for.”
I tensed. “What?” Stress instantly flooded me as I turned on my heel to face my computer. “I’m… I had no idea since I haven’t had time to check email. Should I grab anything? How much time do we have?”
“It’s fine; I wasn’t planning for you to come with me,” Isaac said. “One of Grandfather’s old clients is coming in, and Grandfather always insists one of the Warners meet him in person. There’s no sense in us both wasting our time, so I was going to have you stay here.”
“Oh. OK,” I said, slowly.
There was something about the distracted way Isaac wouldn’t meet my eyes that didn’t seem quite right.
“I’ll be back, hopefully in less than an hour.” Isaac stalked across his office, heading for the door.
“Understood, but can I… huh.” I fell quiet as Isaac disappeared into the team’s office space.
Something was definitely up. I didn’t doubt he had a meeting to get to, but Isaac was blunt bordering on rude, and he’d clammed up after our conversation.
I snarled at him, yes, but that wasn’t enough to upset him. Isaac and I had seen each other in almost every worst-case scenario.
We’d taken more red-eye flights together than I cared to remember, we’d each gotten food poisoning on more than one occasion while traveling, and we’d double-teamed social events both of us would have loved to skip. I’d even coached Isaac on ways to be friendly to Natalie back when Samuel was just dating her, and Isaac helped me when I was a stressed-out, drippy mess deep in the trenches of working on my MBA capstone project before I got my degree.
Knowing I hadn’t just committed career suicide and that there was no way Isaac was running off to HR, what was going on?
“Maybe I should call his doctors to make sure he’s getting annual checkups,” I muttered in the hushed quiet. “Or google antistress fragrances to use in the office.”
Regardless, something was up with Isaac. I just didn’t know what it was.