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“What happened?”
“She quit. She’d been seeing the analyst guy for a bit—like a really short time. Just weeks. But when she ended it, he wouldn’t stop sending her suggestive messages. She’d spent six months trying to quietly handle it herself before she told me she was leaving because of it.”
“But she didn’t have to leave. You could’ve just fired him.”
“I did. But she wouldn’t stay. She said she needed a fresh environment. So I lost someone with incredible business sense and a good friend in one swoop.” He sighs and rests his chin on his hands. “And that was my fault. I was responsible for that. I persuaded her to come work for me. And I didn’t have policies in place to protect her.”
He half closes his eyes and shakes his head like he can’t believe how stupid he was. “So the AddUp thing and the Vikki thing are why I implemented a nonfraternization policy as soon as I could afford an HR department.”
“And what an extreme version of that policy it is.”
“Fuck, yes.”
These stories are both new to me. I’d always thought this was such a big deal to him because he’s a control freak who needs to feel in charge of every aspect of his business—even the staff’s private lives.
Turns out, he has actual valid reasons. So maybe he’s not such an autocrat about it after all. Even I can see how being burned twice in quick succession like that would make you batten down the hatches when it comes to office relationships.
But regardless of how much I sympathize with why he feels the need to have such draconian policies in place, I still need to clear any obstacles that could give Charlotte any reason to think that dating me could have a detrimental effect on her career prospects at Harvest.
Time to get the plan I came here with, back on track. “Well, the article I read said those measures can be demoralizing for staff.”
“Demoralizing?” He scoffs. “How? Like, ‘Not being able to bang my coworker makes me depressed?’”
“No. It’s serious.” I look up at him. “People feel like they’re being watched and like their employer’s encroaching into their personal life where they don’t belong.”
“Well, I happen to think it’s much better for morale that my staff don’t have to share an office with a dumped guy with a grudge or two people who had a fight over breakfast and brought that atmosphere to work with them.”
“It said the Big Brother culture in a workplace does the opposite of bringing out the best in people.”
“Tell me, Elliot.” He leans forward and rests his forearms on the desk, a smirk growing on his face. “What’s brought on this sudden interest in HR policies?”
“Nothing. Just read the article on the plane and thought you might be interested.”
“Anything to do with the fact you’re… oh, I don’t know… working with Charlotte?”
I laugh as if it’s a ludicrous suggestion, though I’m not the greatest actor. “Of course not.” I lean back on the sofa and rest my right ankle on my left knee, like I don’t have a care in the world.
“No.” Max drums his fingertips together like a Bond villain. “Of course not.”
“Anyway, it wouldn’t apply to that situation. Not that that was what I was thinking. Because it wasn’t. But it wouldn’t apply. Because I don’t work for you.”
“However,” Max draws out the word. “It would most definitely fall under the subclause.”
“The what?” I hold up a finger like I suddenly recall. “Oh, is that still a thing?” I casually pick a piece of fluff off my pant leg. “I thought that was just something to make Connor behave. Not something that applied to the rest of us. Or anything that would even matter anymore.”
How hard can I push this? Have I pushed too hard already? “Yeah, that can’t even matter anymore.”
“Right. Now I get it.” Max chuckles and shakes his head. “You came here to ask me to waive the subclause because you want to ask Charlotte out.”
“Nooo.” I snort and wave the suggestion away. “Just came to say hi to my brother. And the article thing happened to come up. That’s all.” Definitely no Oscars in my future.
“You never come up here just to say hi to me. You only ever come up here to speak to Charlotte, and it just so happens I’m here too because this is, you know, my office.”
I push myself up off the sofa, and it’s remarkably painless. My mind flashes back to Charlottes hands gliding up and down my spine.
“Anyway.” I clear my throat. “The whole need for that subclause is done with now.” I stuff my hands into my pockets. “There’ll never be anything like a repeat of the Connor-and-Anna thing. So we can probably just forget it.”
“The subclause wasn’t only to do with Anna. That was just the thing that made me see sense. It had always played on my mind since that bus crash Dad told us about one day.”
