“Yes.”
“But you’re a secretary right now, yes?”
I bristle a little at the word secretary, which is just such a loaded term. “I’m an executive assistant. I don’t just answer the phone and greet people. It’s a hugely-involved profession,especiallywhen you’re working with someone at Guy’s level. I not only have to keep track of everything that’s going on at the company—every account and what stage it’s at, who’s working on it, what problems they’re encountering, what each client wants and needs—but I also have to be quick on my feet—anticipating and solving problemsbeforethey happen. If I’m off my game, the entire company could suffer, which is why being out here for more than a few days could be a total disaster.” I pause for another sip of my drink, not wanting to think about what could be happening back home.
“So it must pay well, then. If you have that much responsibility.”
“It’s one of those under-appreciated roles that a person takes because it’ll lead to something better. In my case, it will lead to me being an ad executive soon,” I tell him,looking over at him. “I’m not exactly taking the normal path to the top. It’s more of a side door approach.”
“Why not go through the front door?” he asks. “Get on as a junior ad exec, then move up?”
“That was the original plan. In fact, I took three years of marketing classes in college, but then I was offered a summer internship at Prescott working with Guy. It was a huge deal.Everyonein my program applied for it, so getting it was … well, it was an honor, really. It paid nothing, but I leaped at the chance to work with a legend. And when my time was almost up, his assistant quit, and he offered me the job with the promise of teaching me the business inside and out, which is not something you’d get out of a four-year degree.”
“So you quit school?” he asks, looking surprised.
Nodding, I say, “Yup. Much to my parents’ dismay.”
“I can imagine they would’ve wanted you to finish it.”
I let out a sigh, the memory of us arguing about it still fresh in my mind. “They didn’t get it—what a massive opportunity it was, and still is. They thought it was a huge mistake.”
“What do you think?”
“I think it was a calculated risk that is definitely going to pay off. I could practically run the company myself, to be honest. In fact, there are times when Guy is out of pocket and I make some major decisions on his behalf and tell people the orders are coming from him,” I answer.
Mac stares at me for a long moment, then says, “Huh.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. It just … seems a little crazy that he’s giving you that much responsibility but not the paycheck that goes with it.”
“It’s just temporary,” I answer, irritation bubbling to the surface of my chest.
“How temporary? Because yesterday you told me he was quite possibly a psychopath.”
“That was hyperbole. He’s demanding, but only because he gives so much for his career.”
“You sure that’s why? Because it would seem to me that a person shouldn’t have to put up with that arrangement for more than a few months.”
“It’s been six years.”
His eyes pop out and he opens his mouth, but I cut him off with, “But I haven’t had that much responsibility the entire time. It’s been a gradual thing.”
“Hmph,” he says, sounding completely unimpressed.
I take another gulp of iced tea, wanting to wash away this entire conversation. “It’s fine, really. I know what I’m doing, so you don’t need to give me a big speech about knowing my worth or something. It’s not something people who aren’t in the industry can understand. I’m lucky. Honestly, I am.”
“Yeah, I definitely don’t understand. From the outside, it sounds as ifhe’sthe lucky one. That he’s got you doing what you do for far less than you should get.”
I bite my lip for a second, then say, “I can’t expect him to just hand over an exec position to someone who doesn’t have a marketing degree. He has to wait until people will respect me or he’ll be setting me up to fail. For now, my life has to be on hold and I have to put in long hours and give up things like vacations and weekends and sleeping at night, but that’s just so I can pay my dues.”
“Have you ever thought of finishing your degree at night maybe? Just to give yourself more options?”
I nod. “Yes, of course I have, but there’s never been a good time. We’re always going flat-out and my days and nights are spoken for. But it’s okay because at the end ofthe day, he’s got my back. It’ll pay off. I just have to be patient a little longer.”
He looks at me so intently, it’s as if he can see inside my brain. “Are you sure?”
Unable to handle the intensity of the moment, I turn my gaze out to the sea. “I mean, nothing is one-hundred-percent certain, but I believe it’ll happen.”
