“He’s doing better. I honestly don’t know what else to do to help him through this stuff. It’s such a bitch to grow up. Kids are cruel.”
“Yes, they are. I think all you can do is support him.”
“I call the school every day and remind them to keep an eye on things. They probably hate me, but in my opinion, they got caught sitting down on the job. I’m going to be on them every damn day to remind them to watch the kids. If he gets popped again, I swear it’s going to end badly for everyone.”
“Rawr, mama bear ain’t playing.”
“No, she isn’t,” I said. “You know the kid that hit him only got suspended for two days.”
“Did he apologize?”
“Yes, Jace said the teacher made him, but you know how that goes. They don’t mean it and all it does is add fuel to the fire.”
“But maybe it won’t,” she said. “Maybe they got it out of their systems, and they can be friends now.”
“I hope so, but I’m not going to hold my breath.”
“Caitlyn is keeping an eye on things too,” she said. “She’s my little spy. She’ll let me know if there is any trouble.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. At this point, she is his only friend.”
“He’ll make more friends. I’m sure of it. It’s just an awkward time for him.”
I watched them do circles before pumping their little legs and speeding off. I didn’t understand why the other kids couldn’t see how awesome he was.
Chapter 22
Nash
I was pissed to be stuck at this office. It wasn’t that I wasn’t planning to work at the tax firm today, but my other office was still shut down for the day. None of my staff was in the office. Carly was trying to work from home, but it wasn’t very effective. My tenants in the building couldn’t be in their offices and they were all raising hell. It was a clusterfuck and I was helpless to fix it.
I was waiting on a call back from the plumber. They worked all damn weekend. I knew they were milking me for overtime. I was furious to find out late last night the problem was still not fixed. I didn’t know shit about plumbing, but I did know that the five guys working on the problem should have had it done by now.
I rubbed my eyes and rolled my neck back and forth. I knew it would get fixed. It would get better. I just had to get through today. It would be all good. This was just another part of owning real estate. Shit happened.
The plumbing issues were a pain in the ass, but that wasn’t it. I needed to talk to Saige today. I knew I had to do it, but I was dreading the conversation. I could only imagine what she was going to say. Davin’s words had hit home. Did she think I was using her? Was she using me? It shouldn’t have bothered me to think she was, but it did. I just wanted to pretend it was already talked about and we could go on with our days.
When my cell rang, I glanced at the name on the caller ID and practically jumped on the phone. “Hello,” I answered.
“Mr. Aarons, this is Hank with Floyd’s Plumbing.”
“Yes, Hank. I’ve been waiting for your call. Tell me you’ve got good news.”
“We’ve isolated the problem and can get it fixed. It’ll be tomorrow.”
I rolled my eyes. “Great. Tomorrow morning?”
He hesitated. “I would expect by tomorrow night.”
“Where is the problem?” I asked.
“There were several pipes that were corroded. We’re replacing all of the ones we found to be potential problems.”
He was purposely running up the bill. “I suppose there are a lot?”
“It’s extensive. You might want to hold the builder responsible. You’ve got some issues here.”
That was typical contractor speak. He wanted a nice, big job. “Thanks, I’ll take it under advisement. And what’s the bill? What is this going to cost me?”
When he told me, I almost fell out of my chair. “What the hell? Are the pipes lined with gold?”
I listened to him list out all the work he did. It was bullshit and he knew it. I ended up hanging up after letting him know what a scam it was. It pissed me off to be taken advantage of. I worked hard for my money, and when I had to pay exorbitant costs for shit I knew wasn’t that expensive, it made me very angry. People assumed because I had deep pockets, I could pay more.
I put the phone away and tapped my fingers on the desk. I needed a break. I figured now was a good time to find Saige and find out what she wanted to say to me. It was probably going to be something about the breakroom or something else.
I opened the door and the first thing I heard was conversation. I walked around the corner of one of the cubicle walls and saw three employees leaning against the wall and talking. Just talking. I was in a shitty mood and seeing that was the last thing I needed. It struck a chord within me. It was like adding gas to a spark.
“Are you guys on a break?” I asked.
The two women looked startled. “Uh, no, we were just grabbing something to drink.” They scurried away but the man stayed right where he was. He was challenging me with a stare.
“And you?” I asked.
“I’m taking a minute,” he said defiantly.
I nodded. “I see. How long exactly is this minute going to be?”
“I’ve been working all morning. I’m resting my eyes and my brain. We’re doing real work here.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you insinuating I’m not?”
“I’m insinuating you’re counting your money. We are counting other people’s money. We’re doing work that can have a huge impact on a person and their company. It requires a lot of focus. My brain needs a break.”
I noticed the other employees doing their best not to look like they were eavesdropping, but they clearly were. They were watching and waiting to see what I would do. This was not unusual. I was used to having my authority tested.
“And I’m asking you how long your brain will need that break? Is it more than the three ten-minute breaks you take during the day? Is it longer than the hour you take for lunch? Give me a ballpark figure here.”
“Until I can see straight again.”
“Do you wear glasses?” I asked. My voice was calm. That was always far more effective than shouting. They had to listen to my every word if I kept my voice low.
“No, I don’t wear glasses,” he snapped.
“What’s your name?”
“Arthur,” he said with a snideness I really didn’t like.
I nodded. “Okay, Arthur. Please tell me you are not on my clock.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t pay you to rest your brain or your eyes. Every other person here seems to manage with the breaks they are given. If you need to be accommodated, I will be happy to do that, but I will not pay you to stand around.”
Arthur shook his head. “You’ve been working us like dogs for two weeks. You took away our food and coffee and put up these ugly partitions.”
“Dogs don’t get paid,” I quipped.
“You don’t pay us enough to take this shit from you,” he snapped. “We were doing just fine before you came along and decided to make all these changes. We work just as hard, and you don’t even bother saying thank you. You just crack your whip louder.”