Page 14 of Last First Date

WAVERLY

He was trying to kill us. That was the only explanation for his tyrannical behavior. It felt like a relentless assault on our sanity. Everyone was trying their best, but this was not sustainable. Everyone was fried.

January was traditionally a month of respite after the holiday rush. We all looked forward to January when we could kick back and breathe. November and December were total chaos. We barely managed to keep it together with a white-knuckle grip. That was with a good leader. No one was ever going to accuse Knox of being a good leader.

He had transformed the office into a battleground of overwhelming schedules and unmanageable expectations. The weight of Richard's absence loomed over us, a constant reminder that the business we had known was undergoing a drastic transformation under Knox's leadership.

The pace of events, far beyond our usual capacity, left the event managers overwhelmed and on the brink of burnout.

I slipped into the breakroom for a strong dose of caffeine. Because I was Knox's assistant, he assumed I would work the same long hours he put in. The paycheck seemed to be shrinking with every hour of overtime I put in since I was a salaried employee. There were a few people in the breakroom. Usually, there would be lively gossip about a difficult client or exciting details about an event they were planning. Now, it was tired people who looked like they were carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. The smell of over-brewed coffee hung in the air like a cheap cologne. It was good enough for me. It wasn't like I was drinking it for the taste.

I filled my mug and turned to find Kathy, one of our wedding planners, standing in the doorway, her arms crossed tightly around her waist.

"I can't do it anymore, Waverly," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy, the hallmark of many sleepless nights.

"Kathy, are you okay?"

"I've got a bridezilla on my hands. Add that to the dictator in Richard's office and I feel like I'm being torn in two."

"I'm sorry," I said with a sympathetic voice.

"Thanks," she sighed. "I'm just at my wit's end."

"When is the wedding?"

"Two weeks. I just have to hang on two more weeks. That's assuming I don't get another difficult client. If I do, I don't think I'll survive."

I hated seeing the people I thought of as a second family so stressed out. How could miserable people plan fun, exciting events?

It made me question Knox's intentions. Was he trying to drive the business into the ground, or did he simply lack an understanding of the delicate balance required for sustained success? He'd always been an executive, I assumed. He didn't know the first thing about planning a huge event with difficult clients. He didn't know the dance these people had to navigate to keep the clients happy.

"I'm sorry," I said and put my hand on her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help? I can make calls or whatever you need?"

She smiled. "Thank you, but I know you are loaded with work right now as well. You're a sweetheart for offering. I keep telling myself it's worth it. I love what I do. The pay is good. It's just a difficult transition right now. We'll make it. One day at a time, right?"

I nodded and wished I could carry some of her burden. "We'll get through."

I left the breakroom and made my way back to my desk, looking at the faces of my coworkers and seeing the strain. The joy in the office was gone. No one was laughing, no one was sharing weekend plans, and no spontaneous conversations were happening. Everyone looked like they would rather be anywhere else but where they were. I supposed the one good thing that came from everyone hating the new boss was the fact no one was talking about how sexy he was. His personality was ugly and that turned everyone off.

Returning to my desk, I stared at the pile of paperwork and Knox’s itinerary for the day. Looking at the list of meetings and tasks he'd penciled in, I felt a surge of resentment for his complete disregard for other people's boundaries. He was not just a boss. He’d become a tyrant.

I glanced over at Knox's office, seeing him hunched over his laptop, his fingers tapping furiously on the keys. Did he even realize the damage he was doing? I suspected not. He was too caught up in his misguided vision of success to see the havoc he caused.

Suddenly, a stroke of daring overcame me. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, or an overload of caffeine, or maybe it was just seeing Kathy, normally smiling and cheery, so close to breaking down. Regardless, I knew it was time for someone to say something.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself away from my desk, leaving Knox's crazy itinerary behind. Standing from my chair, I straightened my blouse and skirt, bracing myself for what could very well be my last five minutes at the office. There was no apartment good enough for me to keep working like this. The paycheck couldn't make me hold my tongue another minute when people I cared about were being mistreated.

I was ready to take one for the team.

"Knox?" I knocked on the door.

He looked up. "Waverly, good. Come in. We have some things we need to put on the schedule. I was just about to email you."

I inwardly groaned. The man loved email. I swore I got no less than a hundred emails a day from him, even though I was ten feet away. "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What?"

"Maybe it would be prudent to ease up on the bookings for a few weeks," I said. "People need time to catch their breaths from a very busy season. They're exhausted. Everyone is running on empty and I'm afraid it's going to start to negatively impact their work. It would be better to have a refreshed staff ready to make events unforgettable for the right reasons. We don't want them tired, burnt out, and making sloppy mistakes that will disappoint clients and ruin our good name."