Sophia: That’s an HR problem. Which they’ve been dealing with for the past few years by compensating the employees who quit because of him or by moving them to a different department. Again, I’m not working for him.
Henry: You are my eyes and ears in the company. Why haven’t you told me that? He’s my freaking vice president of operations. I can’t have someone like that in my company. I can’t have an issue this big. Fix it.
Sophia: That’s above my paygrade. You fire him and then, if I’m in a good mood, I’ll take over his place.
Henry: YOU ARE MOVING TO BAKER’S CREEK!
Sophia: No, I quit.
Henry: You can’t afford to quit, Sophia. We both know that’s impossible.
I stare at my phone and then at my computer where his damn email sits. This fucking asshole. I swear I’m going to find a way to get rid of his hold on me. If it weren’t for my need to take care of my parents, I’d actually quit.
Sophia: Fine, we can run the company from Baker’s Creek if you let me set up a team. And fire Morrell. I’ll email you all the documentation, and you can even start a lawsuit against him. Plus, I have more conditions. I need to travel at least twice a month to see my family.
While I wait for his answer, I email him all the information that I’ve been gathering on Morrell. I’m so angry at this turn of events. I work so fucking hard to make sure his employees are happy, that the company runs smoothly, and…
…and he puts that disgusting man in charge over me.
What else do I need to show him so he can realize that I should be one of his vice presidents?
He should’ve promoted me long ago.
I’ve applied to four positions within the company in the past year, and he has turned me down all four times and hired people less knowledgeable and capable. His fucking excuse is that he needs me. I. Don’t. Need. Him.
“Is everything okay?” Tabby, my assistant asks.
“You can’t let him be our boss,” Gina says.
“I’m working on it,” I assure them with a firm voice.
“If you leave…can they transfer us to another department?” Tabby asks.
“You’ll be fine,” I tell them and don’t add that I’m not quitting. More like I can’t quit. It’s not like I sold my soul to my boss, but it’s pretty close.
Henry: You can’t be traveling that often to New York.
Sophia: I need to see my parents. My family needs me.
Henry: You do enough for them.
Sophia: I need them too. Do you understand that my parents are my life?
Henry: Are your parents the problem? You won’t move because of them.
Sophia: That’s a big part.
Henry: I’ll take care of them. Have security escort Morrell out of the building and the next time we have an issue like him, let me know before it becomes a big deal. You’re lucky I don’t fire you too.
Sophia: Fire me, please. Even better, I quit.
Henry: Get me the report, and I’ll see you tomorrow. I have to figure out what to do with your parents.
What is he going to do? Kill my parents?
Henry
As I read the email Sophia sent me, I call security and order them to escort Morrell out of the building. Then, I call him and fire him. His behavior within the company is reason enough to let him go, but the way he talked to Sophia is unforgivable. Before I can call human resources, Hayes enters the kitchen area.
“Are you done growling?” Hayes asks. I glare at him. “What happened?”
Let me see, my vice president of operations should’ve been fired at least three years ago. My assistant is fucking with my head, and my plan to move her to Baker’s Creek with me has more holes than Swiss cheese.
I shake my head because I’m not in the mood to talk to him—or anyone for that matter. Until I remember he is a fucking doctor, and I need his expertise.
“If I need medical equipment, how long will it take for it to arrive?”
He blinks a couple of times and walks to the fridge to grab the jug of orange juice. “Any equipment?”
“Don’t be fucking obtuse. I’m not in the mood to deal with you.”
“You are never in the mood, and I need specifics to tell you how long it is going to take me to get you the equipment.”
I scratch my head and shrug. “Well, obviously I don’t know.”
“Obviously,” he repeats in a mocking tone but then, he continues sounding more like the professional I know he is, “It all depends on what we need. Most of the equipment we bought for the practice arrived one or two weeks after we ordered it. Now, the equipment I’m ordering to help Mills with his knee is going to take longer.”
He sighs. “It all depends on what you need, but you can always rush it. Do you mind me asking why you need medical equipment?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Pierce asks, entering the kitchen. “We can hear you all the way to the barn. You’re scaring the chickens.”
I arch an eyebrow and cross my arms. “Really, the chickens are fucking complaining about me? They are animals. It’s not like they contribute to the house.”
Hayes laughs, “They pay for their share. I mean, who else is giving you fresh eggs every day?”
“Organic, fresh eggs,” Pierce reiterates, and both laugh at me.
“Assholes,” I grunt.
“You!” Blaire enters the kitchen. “You are the major asshole, Henry Lloyd Merkel Aldridge. Did you wake up today feeling like you haven’t pulled enough shit on the people around you?”
Hayes glares at me and asks, “What did you do?”
The guy is ready to punch me because he swears I must have eaten the last chocolate croissant that he saved for his fiancée or squashed a bug during my morning run. God forbid we upset her. Like she can’t defend herself. I’m sure that if I do something to her, she’ll be kicking my ass before anyone finds out that I was rude or whatever. Which is why she’s about to kick my ass.
“Well, instead of promoting Sophia, he’s making her move to Baker’s Creek with us,” she says and pokes my chest. “Fix it, now.”
“Why the fuck would I promote her?” I ask horrified. “How many times do I need to repeat that we need to set some ground rules in this house? Here’s a new one—I don’t tell you how to treat your patients, and you don’t tell me how to run my company.”
“Unless you mess with the wrong woman,” she warns me.
“Is that why you need a hospital bed?” Hayes asks hiding his fucking grin. “Because Sophia is coming to kill you and in case she misses, you might need Blaire and I to save you.”
“Listen, I only know that her mother requires a lot of medical care, and I need to make sure we have everything at her disposal in Baker’s Creek,” I explain to them.
“You are moving her mother not even knowing if she’s allowed to travel?” Hayes asks with shock reflected in his face.
“What happened to her mom?” Blaire gives me that concerned look that says, I need to save my friend.
I find this refreshing. She doesn’t know about Sophia’s mom. Which means my theory that Sophia keeps her family apart from her daily life is true.