4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Tage
David keeps complimenting me on how quickly I’m catching on.
He seems thoroughly impressed, like everyone else he’s had to train have been monkeys.
It’s not rocket science, which I’m sure I could figure out if I put my mind to it.
Learning has always come naturally to me, and I haven’t had to pick up a book to study a day in my life.
It’s one of the reasons I left—I knew I was worth more than what I was given.
Being an assistant—a good assistant, doesn’t require much. Mostly it takes listening, common sense, and knowing your boss.
My hearing is on point.
My common sense is off the charts. I’m very practical.
Lane Monroe may think he’s unreadable, but he’s a cookie-cutter CEO.
And there’s something about me that he likes, which works in my favor.
Because if I do slip up, he’ll look past it.
But I don’t plan on slipping up. Who the hell would slip up when there is ninety-five thousand dollars plus bonuses on the line? Not me. Nope. Definitely not me.
This isn’t my forever job; I just knew it was something I could get into easily. I’m selling myself short, but for the pay? It would be stupid to let my pride get in the way. This is just the first step of many. I have to start somewhere.
With this job, I can get on my feet and live comfortably here.
I already have three apartment viewings lined up, and since I’ve started a job sooner than I expected, I’ll get paid even sooner.
Which means if I’m offered an apartment, I don’t have to worry about begging them to wait to be paid.
I still have some money lingering in my account that I didn’t want to touch, but if I’m getting a check soon… I feel more comfortable using it.
“Are you sure you’ve never worked in this position before?” David asks again as we go through emails together.
“I’m sure,” I say.
He shakes his head in disbelief as he clicks to open one. “I’ve been here six years, and I’ve never had someone catch on so quickly.”
He’s said that ten times already, but I just smile and thank him. Because that’s what you do.
“So, what would you do with this email?”
It’s an email asking if a meeting scheduled for tomorrow at eleven can be switched to Thursday afternoon.
“First, I’d check Mr. Monroe’s schedule. If it’s clear on Thursday, I’d send back an email with an available time.”
“Not multiple open times?”
“No, it’s easier to just send one so we aren’t going back and forth all day.”
“Good move,” David says. “Okay…” He does exactly what I say, holding the time for the new meeting until it’s verified and then opens another email. “What about this one?”
This one is a request to donate something for a charity event.
“Who typically handles this? I’d assume it goes through marketing?”
“That is correct. You’ll forward it to them. Of course, you’ll get to know everyone’s name as time goes on, but I do update the list of employees every day.”
“Every day?”
“At the end of the day, I add all new employees and remove any who are no longer employed. The list is on a cloud drive, so you can always keep it open in a tab to check. Until you remember everyone, anyway.”
“Does Mr. Monroe go through any of these emails himself?” I question.
“Of course. It will take you some time to figure out what gets sent to him, to learn what he likes to handle himself, but ninety-five percent of them will be your responsibility. If there is something he needs, just flag it and put it into this folder.” He clicks on a folder labeled Monroe.
“He’s very hands-on, so you’ll see he isn’t looking at his computer all that often, so even if it’s something he should handle, if it’s urgent, let him know or handle it yourself, if you’re confident in the resolution. ”
“Yeah, he said to call him if I need anything.”
“Yes, but we’ve learned it’s easier to text. If he’s on a virtual meeting or a phone call, at least the text is quiet.”
“Makes sense.”
We spend the next thirty minutes going through emails. About halfway, he lets me take over, watching carefully until he’s satisfied that I know what I’m doing. I knew what I was doing from the beginning, but I understand that he needs to make sure I’m competent.
“Now, the most important thing is making sure you’re prepared for meetings. He hasn’t told me how he wants you to be trained for those just yet, but I’m sure it’ll be like everyone else. He likes his assistant to take notes and—”
“He said Sadie takes notes?”
“Yes, she does the meeting minutes, but he wants you to take other notes.”
“What kind?”
“Whatever you feel is important. You’ll prepare for the meeting beforehand by getting him everything he needs, which is usually just the file, since we keep everything in there.
As for notetaking, mostly it’s dates, things he’ll need to know at a later time and potentially work on. So yeah, just be prepared.”
“Got it.”
“Other than that…” He looks around, tapping his chin.
“There isn’t much. It’s all pretty straight forward, and it’ll take time for you to get to know him.
Don’t forget to take your lunch when he does, it’s easier that way.
Sometimes he likes to go out for lunch, and then you’ll get some quiet time without him.
But otherwise… you’re with him all day.”
Yep. All day.
“He said travel is involved. How often does that happen?”
David moves his head from side to side. “That depends. It’s not really consistent. There are months when he will travel every weekend, but then not travel again for six months. It all depends on what’s going on with the company and the clients we’re working with.”
“Where does he travel?” I ask.
“Usually not far. We mostly do business in the mid-west, but I have heard that he’s trying to get some business in Miami and also the East Coast, but he’s on the fence about it.”
“How come?”
“He likes running things close to home, and if we get too big, he won’t be able to run it the way he does now, and I actually think he’s pretty happy with how everything is going.”
“You like working here?” I change the subject slightly, wanting to know what I’m in for with him. David hasn’t said anything bad. Everything I’d expect him to say. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t lying.
“Very much.” He lowers his voice and adds, “He’s not your typical a-hole CEO. I mean, he has his days, and he’s particular about things, maybe a little demanding at times, but the man has money, so who wouldn’t be?”
I huff a small laugh and shake my head.
Me. That’s who.