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“I have an appointment with Charlotte,” I tell her.
“You must be Mr. Pennington. She told me she was expecting you. I’ll take you back to the conference room.” She pushes the security button that releases the door, and I walk through, waiting for her to guide me down the hall to the conference room. I don’t bother telling her that I know my way around or that I’m about to be her boss’s boss’s boss. “Here we are.” She smiles kindly. “I’ll let Charlotte know that you’re here.”
“Thank you, Anne,” I say, reading her name tag. She blushes and scurries off down the hallway. Instead of taking a seat in one of the many chairs, with my bag still slung over my shoulder, I move to the window and peer outside. It’s a nice warm day, the sun is shining, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one. It has to be. I get to spend the day with her.
“Good morning,” her sweet voice says from behind me.
I take my time turning to face her. “Morning, Charlie girl,” I say softly. I watch as her eyes flash with recognition, and her cheeks pinken just barely, but the color is there as she remembers the last time I called her that.
Her shoulders fall, and she closes her eyes, pulling in a calming breath. “Spencer,” she whispers.
“Shall we get started?” I interrupt her. I know that she’s going to tell me it was a mistake, and I don’t want to hear that. It wasn’t a mistake.
“Sure. I have the files here for the non-clinical staff. I thought we could work our way through the staff list that way.”
“That works for me. This should be an easy process. I really just want to know if there are any problem employees and get an idea of educational background.”
“Okay.” She nods as she sets the files on the table and takes a seat.
I walk around the table and take the seat next to hers. There’s still too much space between us, but I’ll have to make do for now.
“How do you want to do this?” she asks, turning to look at me.
“Let’s just start with the first file on the stack.”
“Okay. Well, first, we have Anne Anderson. Anne is a receptionist who works full time. She’s been here for six years. She’s a great employee and has never had any type of disciplinary action. She’s pleasant, and the parents and kids love her. She just has one of those personalities that she can charm anyone,” she says with a soft chuckle.
“The Anne that’s at the front desk today?” I ask.
“That would be her.”
I nod. “Good. Next.”
“Next, we have Brenda. She works in medical records. She’s been here for twenty-three years and only works three days a week. Two, if the workload is low. She takes care of all medical records requests for transfers in and out of the practice. No disciplinary action, and she’s a delight.”
“Good. We have a medical records department that she can work closely with.”
“Is her job safe? She truly is an asset to the practice.”
“Charlie, we don’t plan on cutting any jobs. From what I’ve seen and the financial reports tell me, it’s true all three locations run like well-oiled machines. This is just me doing my homework.” Homework that’s unnecessary, but it gives me time with her. Time with the Charlotte that’s not competing with me and throwing insults my way. Then again, I’ve not been on my best behavior either. I’m not innocent in the rivalry of our past.
“Thank you. I know we’ve talked about this, and Dr. Phillips assured me as well, but the staff at all three locations are good people. Most of them live paycheck to paycheck, and I worry for them.”
“Not for you?”
“For me too, but I know that I have my MBA to fall back on. I might have to drive out of Charleston, but I have more options than they do.”
“They respect you.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s obvious. There is no boss in the history of bosses that cares this much and doesn’t have the respect of the staff.”
She nods. “They’re family to me,” she says softly. “As you know, Audrey and I lost our parents when we were young. It was just before I started college. Aunt Miranda is the only family we have left. Even if we did have others, you spend more time with your work family than you do your real family, and I feel as though it’s important for them to feel appreciated and respected for what they do.”
Her words resonate with me. “You’re incredible,” I tell her. I also let the truth sink in. I knew they’d lost their parents, but I didn’t know when. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I tell her when I realize she dropped a pretty heavy truth bomb, gave me an insight into her life she’s never given me.
She nods. “Thank you. It was a long time ago, but I still miss them every day.”
