Page 10 of Lying to the Boss

“Perfect,” David says brightly. “I’ll get the New Hire Packet together. Is there a certain time I should take over?”

“Whenever my first meeting is.”

“Okay, Mr. Monroe. I’ll be there.” He moves to walk by me to get out the door, but I sidestep him to stop him.

“When is my first meeting, David?”

He looks up at me with a sheepish smile. “Oh, right. Sorry. Ten, sir.”

“See you at ten.” I step aside and bring my attention to Tage.

He’s dressed similarly to how he was yesterday—dark slim slacks, a pressed button-up, but there’s no tie today. But the look on his face is almost disgusted.

“Little aggressive, don’t you think?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. “I thought I was being nice.”

“I’d hate to see you angry.”

I chuckle. “Yes, I think you would. Let’s go.”

He follows me down the hall and to the office.

“This is the executive offices,” I say as we enter the large room. “This is your desk. You’ll be the first point of contact when people come in. I have a very short list of people who are allowed to go directly into my office, a list of people who will be let in directly after you call, and everyone else is told to sit and wait until I open my door to get them.”

“Do you have this list handy?”

“Not yet. But you’ll get it at some point today.”

He sets down the phone, laptop, and chargers on the desk that once belonged to Nancy. Her nameplate is still there. I pick it up and drop it into the trash. It lands with a loud thud.

“You’ll get a nameplate, and when IT comes, they will set up the desktop for you. David will go over your day-to-day duties later.”

We walk over to the small coffee area. Tage’s gaze moves around the same way it did in my home the other night, only there isn’t as much disappointment on his face. I don’t know what that means.

“When you come in, the first thing you’ll need to do is start the coffee,” I say, as I get the machine going. “I need a cup no later than 8:15, and I never, under any circumstances, schedule a meeting before nine. I don’t care if they threaten to leave.”

“How do you take your coffee?” he asks.

“Black.”

“Easy enough.”

“You’d think.”

He watches me as I prepare the machine, his gaze intent. He pays attention, but can he replicate it? Time will tell.

“This will be the only time you see me do this, so please ensure you’re paying attention.”

“I know how to make coffee,” he mutters.

“Yes, but this is my coffee.”

As it begins to brew the cup, I face the filing cabinets.

“We keep all of the client files here. I like them under constant supervision. There are backups in our cloud system, of course, and part of your job will be adding updates or new clients to that. I don’t trust software systems enough, so everything that is in there will be in here, and vice versa. These cabinets stay locked. The key should be in your desk, and the only other person who has one is me. You’re familiar with the stockrooms, though the one with supplies is across the hall from where you were, and anything you or I need will be there. If at any point throughout the day I am out of my office, I expect you to ensure my supplies are stocked.”

“Okay,” he says with a small nod.