Her father’s eyebrows knitted together. “That’s unprofessional. Who’s this Charlie fellow? An assistant?”
“Not by a long shot. He’s supposed to be my new supervisor. He’s the rink’s skating director.”
“Ah.” His attention returned to his puzzle book. “That’s certainly one way to make a first impression. Maybe he just forgot to attach the documents.”
“That’s what I’m hoping.”
Hitting the “reply” button, she began to type.
From:[email protected]
Dear Charlie,
Thank you for your welcome email. I’m excited to be joining the team. I think there might have been a small mistake when you sent the message, however. I didn’t receive any attachments or a start date from you. If you could please clarify those items for me, I’d appreciate it. You can also reach me at (559) 555-6700.
Thanks!
Frankie
A moment later, her inbox chimed.
“Did he reply already? The man must have lightning reflexes.” Her dad chuckled.
Frankie opened the message.
From:[email protected]
This is an automatic reply. I am out of the office and unavailable until *blank*. If there are any important issues, please reach out to the rink at *blank.*
Sincerely,
C
“It’s an out-of-office reply.” She placed a palm on her forehead. “More blanks. This is so bad.”
Her dad’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “This Charlie is firing—”
“Dad. No inappropriate jokes right now. Please.” Her cheeks warmed as she took out her phone and dialed the number Jack had called her from three days before.
Her father shrugged.
“Hi, Jack, so sorry to bother you. I just received an email from Charlie, and it looks like it’s missing some important information. I was going to try calling him, but I realized I also didn’t have his phone number.”
“Blanks,” her dad mouthed to her.
She shot him a glare. Jack’s voice came out muffled. “I’m sorry; can you repeat that one more time?”
She heard typing in the background. “According to the notes I have in the system, you’re supposed to start your coaching today. Didn’t Charlie call you about it?”
She gasped. Her blood pressure jumped ten points. “Today? I’m so sorry! I never received a call from him. I promise, I’m not normally like this. I’m usually highly organized. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry, Frankie. Miscommunications happen.” Jack’s voice was patient. She sensed he wasn’t all that surprised by Charlie, but would stay professional about the entire situation. “If you’d still like to start today, come when you’re able to. Classes start at five. You’ll need your skates and two forms of government ID. Stop by my office, and I’ll get you set up with payroll and take care of any other loose ends. After that, I’ll have Leslie take care of you. Charlie just left for the day.”
“Perfect. I’m on my way.”
