Chapter 20 Handle It On My Own
HANDLE IT ON MY OWN
“Ethan, wait up,” Darin said when he was leaving his meeting on Friday morning.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Can you come to my office?”
“Of course.” Though he was still technically above Darin on the corporate ladder, he’d always respect the senior staff who had worked for his father for decades.
Not to mention, the thin bloodline.
“It’s taken care of what happened the other day. Just wanted to let you know. It won’t happen again and the staff has been warned to prioritize all correspondence from Nora.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know?”
“Nope.”
“Earlier in the week one of the staff sent a report to Nora with the wrong dates that were requested. When she asked for the right report the next morning, Heather not only ignored it, which caused Nora to come down personally to find someone to do it, but gave her a hard time over not catching it herself.”
He wondered why Nora hadn’t told him that. That she wasn’t at fault. Or not completely.
“I wasn’t aware of it, but I appreciate the staff knowing Nora is my assistant and if she’s requesting something, they honor if it’s marked urgent. Do you know if it was?”
“It was. Jared went through and tracked the email chain on Heather’s end. He might have known none of it if Heather wasn’t so vocal when Nora was there and then after. I believe Heather is one of the few who wanted to apply for your position, but Blair had told her no.”
“If she works and acts like that, there is a reason,” he said, letting out a laugh.
“Exactly. She’s on thin ice, and Jared is managing it. Just wanted to let you know personally. It shouldn’t happen again.”
“Thanks,” he said, then walked back to his office.
He popped his head into Nora’s and saw her on the phone. She looked up and held her finger up. “Can I place you on hold for a brief second? Can I help you, Ethan?”
“Sorry. When you’re off the phone, come see me.”
She nodded and went back to her call. He went into his office and took a seat, then realized he couldn’t and got back up to see if his father was at his desk.
Not that he’d tell his father what was going on personally with him and Nora, but it’d been so long since he’d had someone new under him in such a close capacity that he wouldn’t mind some advice.
“Got a minute?”
“Always,” his father said.
He shut the door. “Did you hear about what happened with someone in finance and Nora?”
“No. Is there a problem?”
He filled his father in. “She didn’t say a word to me. Took responsibility for it being wrong, had it fixed the next day, most likely staying late, but I wasn’t here.”
They limited their communication during the week and after hours.
He didn’t want to get into the habit of always reaching out when they’d agreed to the weekends being for them.
It was bad enough he missed out on time with her Friday when she slipped out without him noticing. Again.
His plan was to drive her back to his place to stay the night.
Instead, he didn’t see her until Saturday morning, then she stayed most of Sunday and that night he’d gone to the island and returned Tuesday morning on the first flight over with his father and brother.
“Glad she fixed it so quickly. Things happen.”
“They do. I’m more concerned about the way it was handled. Do you think Jared stepping in is going to make it worse for Nora? And do I even tell her?”
“I’d tell her,” his father said. “Just so she knows. I’m willing to bet Norris will find out and he could say something. Better coming from you.”
“That’s what I thought. It’s not a big deal, but someone turned it into one.”
“Then act like it’s not one and move on. She has to earn their respect on her own, not you forcing it. It sounds more like jealousy.”
“You’re probably right. Thanks.”
He left his father’s office and saw Nora walking back toward hers, then seeing him in the hall and turning back to his.
“I didn’t see you in here.”
He shut the door behind him and gestured to the chairs on the side. No reason to get her nervous and make this formal with him behind his desk. Especially if she got worked up over what went down.
“I was talking to my father. Why didn’t you tell me you were sent the wrong information when I said the report was wrong?”
She frowned. “Because it was my fault for not catching that it was the wrong information.”
She had a point. “You still could have said something.”
“That would be me making excuses for my mistake. I own them. Not everyone owns theirs, but it’s not a problem. I fixed it. I learned from it. How did you find out?”
She was acting like it wasn’t a big deal and he wasn’t so sure why he was.
Yeah, he knew. He wanted nothing to discourage her. To make her not want to stick at this job.
To not be around for him to see daily.
“Remember Jared from the deli last week?”
“Yes.”
“He’s Heather’s boss. It made its way up to Darin.”
She groaned and put her head back on the chair. “Just what I need. People thinking I can’t handle it on my own.”
“That’s why you didn’t say anything?”
“I told you it’s not a big deal. I have to learn my way around things. I thought I handled it well. Guess I didn’t if it got back to people.”
“Tell me how you handled it.”
He listened when he heard her side of it, which was some of what Darin had mentioned. That she stood her ground and was professional through it all.
“Good for you.”
“I thought so, but obviously not. You didn’t tell me how you found out. Or what happened after I left. Did that person say I was a bitch or something?”
“I think Heather was making such a commotion that Jared heard and came out, and others who overheard everything filled him in. You did everything right, even marking the email urgent.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because senior management can check their staff’s email for several reasons. No one is playing big brother, but there are times someone is out and another person has to step in and see what might need to be done.”
“I’ll remember that, though I’m always professional in anything I put in writing.”
“Just so you know, Heather wanted your job.”
“She did?”
“Yes. One of a few who wanted to apply and Blair said no. Or didn’t pass it on. Not sure either way, but I trusted her judgment. I still do.”
“That explains more of it, but it also tells me I have to be more aware too. That we have to be.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means all the times I’m in here with the door shut.”
He laughed. “Nora. Blair was always in here with the door shut. Not every time, but more than half. The same as with you. No one is going to think anything of it.”
“Don’t be so sure,” she mumbled.
“Has anyone said anything? Even if they do, it’s not changing. I’m not changing.”
“No one has said anything to me,” she said. “But I’ve worked places before where it only takes one person to start something false and the place is going up in flames with the wrong knowledge.”
“Well,” he said, “this isn’t false.”
“All the more reason to be careful,” she argued. “Whether people think we were dating before and you gave me a job or I got the job after, both are horrible scenarios.”
“Horrible?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow. “You didn’t think anything was so horrible last weekend.”
“It’s Friday, watch the conversation.”
“In a few hours we’ll be out of here. This time am I going to see you or do I have to wait until tomorrow?”
“Did you want to see me tonight? You haven’t said. We haven’t talked about it.”
“I’m talking about it now.”
“During working hours.”
He laughed. “Are you going to be a stickler for these things?”
“When my reputation is on the line, yes,” she argued.
“You think mine’s not?”
“You’re the boss. No one is going to give you a hard time.”
“To copy you, don’t be so sure.”
“Please,” she said, waving her hand. “Now you’re just pulling my leg.”
He reached forward and grabbed her ankle and gave her a tiny tug. She had a dress on today. Just a light pink cotton one that was loose on her. Not showing the body he knew was so toned under it.
On her feet was a pair of flats. Ones she changed into when she arrived.
He paid attention to all those things.
“You like when I do that,” he said.
She wiggled her ankle to get it out of his grasp.
“Wait until later,” she said primly. “Just like me. Is there anything else you need? Right now?”
“No,” he said, smiling. “Don’t suppose we can walk home together?”
“What, are we in high school?”
He laughed. “I like it when you show that side of you. The one I thought was always there that first night. You need to do more of it.”
She dipped her head. “It just comes naturally with you. Probably not a good thing. That’s how we’ll get in trouble.”
He didn’t think it was a bad thing, but best not to start that argument because he’d just end up kissing her to shut her up.
Then he’d want to mess her up.
Most knocked before they entered, all but his father. So yeah, knowing his dad was close by, it was best to end this now.