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“Can I get you guys anything?” Macy asked from behind him.
“I’m good,” Daniel replied.
“No thanks,” I answered.
“I’ll get you a couple waters,” she said and walked away.
Daniel looked confused as he sat down.
“She’s taking the water thing seriously,” I said by way of explanation.
“Ah,” he said. “Probably a good thing.”
“What do you have for me?”
He opened his portfolio and handed me several watchband samples. I studied each of them, dismissing one right away. “This isn’t going to work,” I said. “Not for the men’s line. It’s too feminine.”
“I agree,” Daniel said. “What do you think of the plain black leather?”
I held it up, ran my fingers over it, and tried to put myself into a customer’s shoes. I handed him the band. Macy slipped into the office, delivered two bottles of cold water, and disappeared like she had been the water fairy.
“Honestly, I think it’s a nice quality band but I don’t think it’s suited for that face you wanted it paired with,” he answered. “I think this band would be better with one of the active lines.”
I took it back and nodded. “I agree.”
I appreciated his input. I wasn’t always right. I knew that. I paid my staff a very healthy salary to disagree with me. It was a collection of ideas and opinions that made us successful. If I was the guy calling all the shots, we would have been bankrupt five years ago.
“Why don’t we save that one for next summer’s line?” he suggested. “We’ve got the team putting together some pretty cool sports watches. We’ve been working with that tech guy we brought on. That kid is a genius. The watches are going to be able to cook breakfast with as much tech as he’s putting into them.”
I grinned. “As long as we’re ahead of the competition, it works for me.”
“We’ve got him locked away in a tiny room,” he teased. “No one has a clue what we are doing. Apple is going to lose their minds when we come out with our new watch. No more generic smart watches. We are going to change the world.”
“That’s the goal.”
I spent a little longer with him nailing down the final details of the designs we would be moving forward with. After he left, I had another meeting with marketing, followed by the tech guy. Sometimes, when he spoke, I wasn’t even sure he was speaking English. I had to take his word for everything. If he said it would work, I believed him.
“Are you ready for your lunch?” Macy asked from the door.
“Am I going somewhere?”
“No,” she said, smiling. “You were scheduled for a working lunch. I ordered you a salad and a BLT.”
“You did?” I asked with surprise.
“Yes. I’ll bring it in as soon as it arrives. You have about thirty minutes free before the meeting you called this afternoon.”
“You’re a part of that meeting,” I said.
“Me?”
“Yes, it’s a staff meeting,” I said, smiling. “You’re part of the staff.”
“I suppose I am.”
After eating my lunch alone in my office, I made my way to the conference room. Macy had put out pitchers of water every few seats and had notepads and pens at every chair. I had convinced myself she was only taking the job to screw with me. I never even considered she was qualified and capable of being a damn good assistant.
I didn’t dare say it aloud, but I was beginning to think she might be a little more capable than the woman who had previously filled the position.
