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HUDSON
Lacey and I have never crossed boundaries, and for appropriate reason. She is the same age as my younger sister. I’m strict with boss and employee relations. Lacey has been a phenomenal employee, very hard-working, and gets things accomplished without having to remind her every five seconds. Not typical of her generation. To see her lying in that bed like that; beaten, breaks my heart, because all I see is my little sister. Who would want to do this to her? How do the police know nothing? They need to be digging into this situation even if Lacey isn’t awake to give them a statement. Whoever did this could be out there preying on other women. Right now, Lacey needs to fight and return to us. And with all my being, I know she will.
Her sister, Laurel, is a curious tale. Her long, chestnut hair reaches down to the small of her back in waves. Don’t even get me started on her body. I gnaw on my lip, thinking about her.
Yes, I know. I shouldn’t even be thinking about her sister right now. Somehow, it’s not that simple. Remember your rule. There’s one. Don’t sleep with clients, employees, or their family members.
My rule is absolute and has kept me out of drama and complexities. Yet, observing her at the hospital compels me to crave to push my rule right out the window. Maybe it’s just my body telling me it’s time to get laid. Business has been so busy, and I haven’t gone out to meet anyone. It’s been a crap ton of late nights at the office and trying to figure out what the company’s next step should be. I should make more time for myself and my needs, but it’s up to me to keep the business going, and that has to be my priority right now.
With business soaring the way it is, if the projections continue as I plan, the company is going to need at least ten new employees by the end of the year. With my knowledge of how hard it is to find the best candidates, the search starts now to find my next batch of employees. I hire former military because we have the hardest time finding jobs. It irks me to no end. After serving our country, we shouldn’t have trouble finding someone to employ us. In fact, any employer should be dying to hire us. We aren’t like these youngsters, that bitch and complain about having to get up and go to work every day, and contemplate quitting every week. They train us to follow orders, not be a pussy, and get things done.
It seems like the workforce needs a change, and so do the kids coming into it right now. They don't want to start at the bottom and don't know how the world works. Many think just because they have a degree, they can start in the middle, and that’s not the case. Most businesses require you to start at an entry-level position, no matter your background. Hard work gets you a promotion, not privilege.
This is why I like Lacey. She has never been in the military, yet I’ve never once heard her complain about coming to work. In fact, most days, she had a smile on her face. I know she is going to do great things once she graduates, but I hope she will come back and work for me.
My knowledge of Lacey is slim, even though I run background checks on all employees before we hire them. Most of the time, I just pay attention to their criminal history, although I can find out bank account information If I want. My computer guys are efficient at their jobs. It helps in the security industry. Lacey has always been a star employee for the last two-and-a-half years. She’s always early and never argues, which is hard to find. The main reason I ended up hiring Lacey is because she is going to college to better herself. Education is important, especially in Dallas. Most jobs require a degree. Yet, I try to be the boss that overlooks certain things if they are the right fit for the job. I don’t need someone with a degree to answer my phones and take messages.
When she expressed leaving the company, I tried to talk her into staying. I even offered her a raise, more vacation time — but she didn’t budge. I’m not looking forward to having to find a new assistant and having to explain how I like things to run. Before hiring Lacey, I ended up interviewing over twenty people. None of them fit the bill of what I was looking for at the time until she walked in.
My car pulls into the parking garage, and I take the elevator to the ninth floor to our lobby. Employees are at their desks, but I don’t address them or say good morning. I’ve got a one track mind right now. After closing my door and sitting at my desk, I email the staff about Lacey.
Within an hour, I have flowers and cards surrounding my desk by the window. My employees care for one another like family. Most of us can relate to one another, and sometimes it’s nice to know the person next to you served. Sometimes, I need to talk about something, and only former military members are going to understand. We see and do things over there that we aren’t comfortable talking about to civilians. We can’t say no; we must follow direct orders whether we like them.
I try to work without distractions, but knowing she is lying in the hospital doesn’t help me concentrate. My day continues with getting swamped with emails and phone calls, but I try to stay as present as I can. But Lacey is still on the forefront of my mind. I know she is going to make it because she’s a feisty one. I remind myself about Laurel’s request to find out if anyone knows about her boyfriend. A name could help the police until Lacey wakes up.
I walk out to the foyer where most of the staff sit and ask, “Does anyone remember Lacey mentioning a boyfriend? Maybe recall a name?”
Everyone shakes their heads and retreats back to their computers.
It’s not surprising since she is more like me with keeping work and personal life separate, but it was worth a shot. Something isn’t adding up. If she had a boyfriend, he would have tried to reach out to her by now and would be worried. He hasn’t come to the hospital or called around, and that makes me leery.
When five o’clock hits, some employees help me load up the flowers in my car to take to Lacey. My whole backseat is covered, and I keep sneezing from the overall aroma of so many distinct smells inside my car. I roll down my window to alleviate some, but it doesn’t help much.
I pull into a parking spot close to the front doors and start making trips inside with the boxes, leaving them in front of the reception desk.
“Excuse me, sir. Who are these for?” she asks.
“Room 243.”
I take two of the boxes with me, and head down the corridor to her room, and when I open her door, she is sitting up in the bed, awake.
“Damn, that didn’t take long. You’re a fighter,” I say, while placing all the cards and flowers down. “These are from everyone at work.”
Lacey smiles, but doesn’t respond.
“They missing me already? I’m surprised they aren’t asking when the new assistant is going to start?”
Maybe she’s kidding or doesn’t realize how much my crew likes her. Everything runs smoother with her on board. “I haven’t even started interviews yet. Just posted the job yesterday.”
“So, who’s taking care of you?” She perks up. “Are you answering your own phone line?”
“I’m capable of answering it, yes. You act like I’m some chump from a boardroom that hasn’t done an actual day of work in years.” A smile appears on my face as I joke with her. “I’ll have you know, answering phones and fetching my coffee have been great.”
“So, why do you need a new me then? Save money and do it yourself?”
This is why I like Lacey. We can banter back and forth. I’m going to miss her. “I might just do that. Anyway, I won’t steal anymore of your time. Just wanted to check on you. Call me if you need anything.”
Leaving the hospital, I head towards my mother’s house. Normally, we have dinner every Sunday night, but she wants to have a mid-week get together now. Usually, she wants to talk to me about something that leads to me leaving early and frustrated. Typical.
