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Her expression implied the “duh.”
“Of course. There’s milk, half-and-half, and two flavors. I’m partial to the coconut vanilla, but there’s also hazelnut. You should try it.”
“I prefer my coffee black.” And made at home.
“Ooh, do I smell coffee?” The voice belonged to Mark, my accounting guy. He stepped into the kitchen followed by Steve, who did our purchasing. “This is terrific.”
I stalked off, not at all happy about this distraction. If people wanted coffee, they could bring it from home or go out and pay for an overpriced cup. I didn’t need to fund their habits.
Calling up my brother once I returned to my office, I was about to give him a piece of my mind when he preempted me.
“Uh-oh, are you on the warpath about the free coffee or the new mugs?”
How the hell did he know? “Are you watching me on camera?”
He chuckled. “Nope, but Addy texted to say McGrumps isn’t happy. Prepare yourself for his storm of displeasure.”
I hated the way Nic and Addy had bonded over the last couple weeks. Especially when their bond seemed to be all about how to manage me. “We don’t need the distraction at work. Not to mention it’s eating into profits to provide free shit like this.”
“It’s helping morale. Hell, you could even argue caffeine is good for productivity. Providing free coffee is not unlike allowing free use of the gym you have next door. They’re called job perks for a reason.”
“I don’t like it,” I muttered, feeling like an ass, but I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t great about change or distractions or sexy women with sunshine smiles.
“The good news is you don’t have to like it. You hired me to worry about these details. I think it’s nice we hired someone who’s so enthusiastic about making improvements to the office. Given how business is going, it’s not like it’s a financial hardship.”
No, it wasn’t. I hadn’t started the business for the profit aspect, but the company was doing well and growing like gangbusters.
“Fine. But if I start seeing people spend more time in the kitchen than they do on the job, I’m reevaluating this decision.”
“Uh-huh.” I could practically hear his eye roll over the phone.
As I hung up, I wondered who was truly in charge here.
ChapterSeven
ADDISON
Ididn’t have siblings, so it was hard for me to judge, but I didn’t think I’d ever met two brothers less alike. Nic was laid-back, overly enthusiastic about all of my ideas, and gave me free rein to make changes to the office. He was charming, friendly, and head over heels for his girlfriend, Kelsey.
Leo was closed off, blunt, and grouchiness personified. But he was professional, and everyone who worked for him respected the hell out of him. They also didn’t take his brusque behavior personally, which I suppose was the beauty of a mostly male office. That kind of detachment was something I needed to learn.
Nic had warned me to expect Leo’s displeasure about the coffee and the new mugs but had also reassured me of his brother eventually coming around. His exact words were, “Don’t sweat his gruff exterior.”
I wouldn’t, yet I had to fight my disappointment when all the guys gathered around, excited about the coffee and tea options, while the boss stomped off in anger. Didn’t he realize how important things like this were for office morale? How essential it was to know your employer invested a little something in making things more comfortable at work?
Ugh. I wouldn’t waste energy trying to make the irritable giant happy. I had all the appreciation I needed in the people crowded around to try the new coffee.
During my first two weeks, I’d made other improvements as well. I’d teamed up with the HR manager to revamp the on-boarding process for new hires. Now we would give new employees tours, introductions to other personnel, and they’d be assigned a mentor to help them learn the ropes. We’d also ordered iPads and loaded up new software to keep track of appointments, invoices, and the location of our crews.
Next week I’d coordinate with the tech guy on the website to create a client intake form which would email to me. It was a great way to gather information so the sales staff could return calls. It felt good to be a part of growing the company in the right direction, not to mention all of this was keeping me busy.
Today I intended to organize the supply closet, which currently consisted of a few pencils, some pads of paper, and rolls of tape. I was going about my morning task when the sound of footsteps made me glance up.
“Hey, Addy, got a minute?” It was Craig, one of the more attractive supervisors, with a baby face and Southern accent.
“Yes. Sure.”
He shuffled his feet. “Any chance I could get your cousin Malorie’s phone number? Was thinking I could give her a call and ask her out.”
