“How do you feel about snacks for the road?” he asked once we finally hit the outskirts.
“Oh, I’m definitely pro-snack,” I reassured him.
“Good, because there’s this little general store up the road. I tend to stop there every time I leave town. It’s a bit of a routine of mine.”
“Then we don’t want to get in the way of that,” I said, grinning. “So, out of curiosity, what’s with the lack of scent?”
“Scent spray,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you in the car.”
He glanced at me, not even needing to voice the question out loud.
“I took a temporary scent blocker,” I admitted. “It was mandatory for the venue. They said the binding ceremony and wedding would be too much. They didn’t want us to overwhelm guests and create an unsafe environment.”
“Oh, please,” he muttered. “Remind me not to have our company holiday party there next year.”
“Speaking of the company party, that’s not the one I was invited to, was it?”
“Again, you are correct,” he said. “The higher-ups and the board love to be wined and dined, and they would’ve taken it as an insult to have it with the rest of you.”
I couldn’t really complain. We always got Christmas bonuses and plenty of vacation time. Hence why I was able to take this time off.
But thereissomething very classist about the way businesses run once they hit a certain level of success, and it was clearPack & Co.had reached it.
“Hmm,” was all I offered.
“What do you mean by ‘hmm?’” he asked. It wasn’t defensive, which was refreshing.
“Maybe I have a different perspective because I’m an employee versus someone at your level. A company is only as strong as its foundation, and that foundation isn’t the leadership. It’s all the people who put in the work to make things happen. You can set standards, but you’re not the ones filling in the blanks to make those standards a reality. You can tell us what to cover in our section, but again, we are the ones covering it. It’s just... interesting when a company treats the employees who are the backbone of its success like they aren’t worthy of the same treatment as those slinging money around and having their pockets filled.”
“I’ve tried my best to make sure my employees are well taken care of. In fact, I take a lot of nationwide standards and double them.”
“You do,” I agreed. “But I think there’s something to be said for a company that personally knows who they’re working for. How can there be loyalty when you’re this ambiguousfigurehead? Heck, I’ve been withPack & Co.for seven years, and this is the first time I’ve met you.
He frowned. Clearly, I wasn’t what he expected, and for a second I wondered if I’d overstepped. This wasn’t exactly the thing you say freely to your boss.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I shouldn’t have said that. It was over the line.”
“No, you actuallyshouldhave said that,” he admitted with a sigh. “There’s always this divide. We rely on our board, our investors, the brands that support us, that’s just a fact. But I’ve always tried to be a company that respects its employees.”
“I’m not saying you don’t, Cole. We have it better than any other company I’ve worked for. But there’s room for improvement if you’re aiming to be known for caring about your staff.”
“I’ll take that into consideration,” he said. “But we’re going to have to put a pin in this conversation.”
“I totally understand. That was a lot I threw at you and it really wasn’t my place,” I agreed.
“No, it’s definitely your place. You’re literally one of my employees… which does make it highly inappropriate that we’re doing this whole fake engagement.”
“No one will know. It’s fine.”
“Regardless,” he interrupted, flicking on his blinker. “We’re here.”
“When you called it a ‘mom and pop,’ I didn’t expect that tobeits name,” I said, eyeing the sign that read Mom & Pops. “We’re definitely not in the city anymore,” I joked as I climbed out.
The small general store looked like a log cabin with a few upgrades. Shiny glass doors, big windows, and more neon signs than I could count. Colorful Christmas lights twinkled along theeaves, circling the windows and door. A large wreath hung on the wooden wall, wrapped in ribbons and tinsel.
“I almost forgot Christmas is only a week and a half away,” I admitted, hating that I’d missed out on one of my favorite seasons.
“Are you a big Christmas person?” he asked as he joined me, holding the door open so I could go in first.
