I had to pry my eyes off her and whatever voodoo she had cast on me, and I turned to Jared who was shutting the door.
"How's the team doing?" I asked gruffly, and he chimed in with his full report on each member individually as he took his own seat.
When he got to Veda, he paused for a moment and cleared his throat. "Ms. Porter is exceptional at everything she does, Sir. I appreciate your loaning her to us for the past two days, but she really deserves an office of her own."
Jared's words strummed the tune I already heard playing since the moment I met her. Smart, elegant, well-spoken, Veda drew attention wherever she went.
"Thank you," I told him, and I noticed that Veda was still avoiding eye contact. I wasn't sure if it was because of what happened between us or if it was the way I'd handled it by avoiding the office. "Now, where are the reports?" I held out my hand and he slid a stack of manila folders into my hand.
With the distraction, I settled behind my desk and the team waited. Every single file I looked through was flawed.
Numbers were jumbled, typos on every page—except Veda's, of course, which were flawless.
It was rubbish, completely ridiculous.
These college students and near-grads were never going to make it in this company if they couldn't proofread their work, and Jared, of all people, should know better.
"Disgusting," I grumbled finally, standing up. I looked up at Ivy, one of the youngest interns and still only a sophomore at Cambridge doing remote studies. "Can you even spell? This report looks like it was typed by a fifth grader. And you," I said, turning to Garrett. "The math on this budget sheet has so many flaws. Common core didn't do you any favors, did it?"
"Sir, I—" he protested, but I was unhinged by that point.
I had never been accused—not even in my younger years in middle management—of being a pleasant man to work for, and just because I was sober today instead of three sheets to the wind didn't mean I'd changed.
"The whole lot of you needs to go back to kindergarten," I blurted out as I stood and stormed around the desk. "You could take a lesson or two from Ms. Porter. At least she spelled everything correctly. Your computers have spell check for areason, and every phone and computer comes with a built-in calculator. Use them."
Every head in this office hung in shame, including Veda's, as I cursed them all out.
Little by little, I felt my rope fraying and my pulse pounding, and when I'd had enough, I walked to the door and opened it.
"We'll do this again in three weeks and next time, let's have a grown-up conversation." Thank God I had a team of actual professionals checking all of their work before my communications went out the door. "Ms. Porter, stay. We have to talk." I kept the edge in my voice as I barked the command, because while I did need to speak to her, it was about something no boss should ever have to discuss with an employee.
And I didn’t want anyone else hearing those words to get the idea that she was being singled out or targeted.
But that was exactly what was happening.
At worst, they'd think I was going to offer her a real job or a promotion. She was the only one who'd done any decent work.
When the last of them was out, I closed the door and then the blinds and turned to where she now sat on the couch cushion instead of the arm, but her eyes were still downcast.
I'd spent all day stewing and it was time to unburden myself so I could finally get back to focusing.
And it felt like torture as I walked toward her and she didn't look up.
"Ms. Porter, we should talk about what happened…"
"Given what happened, do you think it's a good idea for me to be staying after meetings in your office?" Her fingers folded together and finally, she looked up at me.
"Fair," I said, pulling one of the armchairs from beside my desk over to sit facing her. "But I have to know…" My mouth felt too dry. I wanted a drink.
But more than that, I wanted to assure myself that I hadn't ruined my future on an impulse. "Do you feel like I crossed lines with you?"
The words came out a bit harsh, maybe a little bitter, which I didn't intend them to, but I was still feeling on edge.
"You crossed every single line, Sir." Veda looked at me straight-faced and alert, and bold as she could be. "And if you asked me to cross those lines again right now, I would."
Her words made my body respond with warmth flooding me. "Even after I had to crack down on you and chew you out?" I wasn't referring immediately to the meeting today, though part of that lecture was for all of them in the room.
Everyone needed a good butt-kicking from time to time. "You handled that well, by the way. Most of those kids can't take any bit of criticism."
