Clayton went into a soliloquy. “I expect total professionalism. Everyone must be here at eight on the dot. Lunch is one hour, no more. If you need personal time, then you will either take a personal day, provided you’ve earned it, or you will be docked for every hour you are not on site.” She paused. “Am I making myself clear?”
“Oh, yes,” Izzie said calmly. What she wanted to say was “abundantly,” but that would have gotten her fired during her first hour on the job.
“You have a per diem of twenty-five dollars a day for meals. You will use your I.D. key card at the restaurants. If you do not utilize the per diem, you will not get the cash. Therefore, if you want to leave the premises during your lunch hour, the cost will be your own responsibility. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Cars are to be parked in the rear lot, which is where you will enter and exit from. No more using the lobby as your main access unless you are walking to one of the restaurants, or unless I instruct you otherwise.”
Clayton continued, “We work until four-thirty Monday through Friday. You will get a one-week vacation, and one personal day after six months on the job. After one year, you will be eligible for two weeks’ vacation and two personal days.”
Izzie was nodding. She prayed she would only be there for less than a week. Otherwise, she may want to strangle this miserable woman. Izzie had little patience for women who gave women a bad name. This one fit the bill. She stifled a laugh, thinking that Clayton was Florida’s version of Nurse Ratched. Another woman giving women a bad name. And why do they always take it out on each other? Shouldn’t they direct their wrath, disappointment, and annoyances to the source?We may have come a long way, but not far enough. And if some men had their way, we’d get pushed back into the Dark Ages. Izzie continued to smile in spite of how irritating this woman was. It had little to do with how she spoke to Izzie. It was more of her general aura: unpleasant.
Clayton handed Izzie a flash drive. “It is your authorization key. You insert it into the drive, and then you will have access to the appropriate files. It is designated for this unique computer. It will not work on any others in the offices. Do you have any questions?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Fine. Then you can start on last night’s dinner expenses.” Clayton shut the door behind her as she walked out.
Izzie didn’t dare take her phone out of her bag. She didn’t know the range of the big red eye above her head. That was going to be the first thing Charles and Fergus were going to have to figure out. She would never be able to hack into the system if there was someone watching over her shoulder. She resigned herself to getting the mundane work done until she could get past the CCTV. Before she knew it, there was another knock on her door. It was Regina.
“Ready?”
Izzie checked the time. “Wow. It’s twelve-thirty already?”
“Time flies when you’re having fun.” Regina chuckled. “Come on. We have two choices for lunch. The Grill or Italian.”
“Let’s do The Grill today. I’m in the mood for a burger.”
The two women exited in the rear of the building, then followed the sidewalk to the large courtyard, where the restaurants faced outward. Regina explained, “This is so the residents don’t have to go through the main lobby.” She nodded to an area surrounded by lush vegetation. “That’s where the residents park their carts.”
“Interesting place,” Izzie noted.
There were narrow main roads that weaved around the duplex buildings, and there were also cart pathways and crossing areas.
“Yes, it is. I mean it’s okay for me for now. The pay and bonuses are great, and you can’t beat the food.”
“What do you have in mind for your future? Career goals?” Izzie followed Regina to the door of the restaurant. “I don’t mean to be nosy. Simply curious. Things change so quickly, I think it can be hard to focus on one thing when a new industry appears.” Izzie chuckled.
“You got that right.” Regina opened the door and greeted the hostess, “Hi, Marie. This is our new hire, Izzie Flanders.”
“Nice to meet you. Welcome to The Grill.”
“Thanks. Nice to be here.”
Marie walked them to a table. The place was airy, unlike the offices where Regina and Izzie worked. “Enjoy your lunch.”
“Wow. It’s nice to be in a space where I’m not smashing my knuckles on the wall every time I stretch.”
Regina giggled. “What did you do before this?”
“I worked for an architectural firm. The owner sold the business, and the new owners wanted to employ their unemployable relatives,” Izzie said, and snickered. She rather liked her just-made-up story.
Regina stifled a cackle. “Doesn’t that seem to be the way?”
“Yep. No one seems to blink when it comes to nepotism.”
“For real.” Regina leaned in closer. “I heard that Edith is related to someone in upper management. I have no idea who it is, because they keep that under wraps.”
