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CHAPTER SIX – THEO
Not Part Of The Plan
“Stop sulking,” Gramps said, pushing a glass of whiskey across the table towards me. “You couldn’t avoid it forever.”
“Why didn’t you tell me it was a condition of her going? I would have hired someone else.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you, boy. If you’d hired someone else, you’d have never accepted her resignation.”
I wrapped my fingers around the glass and stared into the amber liquid.
It looked just like her eyes.
“You could have at least warned me before the meeting,” I argued. “I felt like an idiot in there.”
He chuckled. “Good. You reacted like an idiot.”
“Grandfather, for God’s sake.”
“Why are you so pissed at me? You’re the one who acts like a fool. Besides, you should be happy about her resignation being accepted. You’ve always been against office romances, but in three months, she won’t be a part of your office anymore.”
I sighed, burying my hand in my hair. “You know I have no intention of acting on my feelings for Chloe.”
“Only because she’s your secretary.”
“No, because she hates me.”
“Then stop being a raging arse and start being nice to her,” Gramps said. “I’ve seen you in that office. You’re as cold as ice.”
“I’m nice to her. I don’t berate her as much as I do everyone else.”
He blinked at me. “I’ve failed as a father and grandfather if you think that’s being nice.”
“It’s a workplace. What else am I supposed to do?”
“Buy her coffee instead. Leave her alone outside of working hours. Take an interest in her life.”
I stared at him.
If I asked Chloe about her life, I was fairly sure she’d call a doctor to get me checked out.
“I put a plaster on her papercut today,” I offered. “I noticed even though she was trying to hide it.”
“I suppose that’s something. I think you might be emotionally stunted, though.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my emotions. I just don’t believe in mixing work and pleasure. Too many things can go wrong, and in an office like ours, it wouldn’t just affect the couple, but the whole team.”
“I know you’ve had a bad experience with inter-office dating, Theo.” Gramps sighed and leant forwards on the table. “But not everyone is—”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said quickly. “I’m also aware of our power dynamic. She’s my direct subordinate. It’s not as though we both hold the same position within the company.”
“Do you want me to promote her?”
“Gramps. Be realistic.”
He shrugged. “It’s a solution. I don’t think I can make her VP, but you’re going to be the Director of Adair… Want me to make her a manager of a team somewhere? That solves the problem, doesn’t it? Besides, it’s not like she’s unqualified. She has a degree in business management, and God only knows that being your secretary is basically managing a business in itself.”
My point just went right over his head, didn’t it?
