“I’m not.” I don’t elaborate. Instead, I walk around her and announce myself to the person at the front desk. “I’m here to see Dr. Bader.”
Constance sprints to my side. “Why do you need to see Armie?” she demands.Good, she’s nervous.
“It’s a private matter,” I say while looking down at her panicked expression.
She swallows loudly. “Is it somethingIcan help you with?” She suddenly seems very eager to please, which has not been her vibe up to this point. She has been much more interested in what I can do to make her happy.
“I don’t think so,” I tell her.
Before Constance has a chance to try to convince me, a short man in an argyle sweater vest walks out of one of the offices. “Dr. Culpepper?” When I nod in the affirmative, he stretches out his hand and introduces himself. “Armie Bader.”
Taking his hand in a friendly grip, I tell him, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Constance steps forward and addresses Dr. Bader. “I was just explaining to Dr. Culpepper I’d be happy to help him.” She’s clearly on edge that I’ve sought out someone on the board other than herself.
“And I told Ms. Brucker,” I insert, “I really wanted to meet with you, instead.”
Dr. Bader’s gaze shifts between us before he tells Constance, “I’ve got this. But thank you for your interest.” Even though she’s been dismissed, she doesn’t move.
Dr. Bader turns around and asks me to follow him. Once we are in the office, he closes the door. Then he crosses the roomand sits down behind a large mahogany desk. “What can I do for you, Dr. Culpepper?”
“Thomas,” I tell him.
He nods his head. “Call me Armie.” He taps the top of his desk with a gold pen. “What’s on your mind, Thomas?”
I sit on one of the winged-back chairs across from him. “I understand you were friends with Dr. Monroe.”
His posture straightens noticeably. “Do you know Bill?”
“I don’t,” I tell him. “But I think he and I share a common complaint.”
Armie releases a growl in the back of his throat before saying, “Go on.”
“Constance Brucker seems to have taken a shine to me,” I tell him.
“And?”
“I don’t feel the same way about her.” After a beat, I add, “She’s making things uncomfortable.”
Armie rolls his eyes. “What is she doing?”
“She asked me to be her date to the Spring Fling, and she doesn’t want to take no for an answer.” Armie gestures for me to keep talking. I tell him, “I explained to her that I have a lady friend. After declining her offer on three separate occasions, she’s decided to put me on the night shift.” I hurriedly add, “Which she made clear she would not do when I signed my contract.”
He leans forward on his elbows. Entwining his fingers, he asks, “Is that contingency specifically noted in your contract?”
“It’s not. I don’t know why I didn’t make sure it was, I suppose I just trusted Ms. Brucker.”
Armie exhales loudly enough to express irritation. “I assume you know why Bill left.” When I nod in the affirmative, he continues, “We learned a lot about the nuances of the law during that time.”
“I imagine you did,” I tell him.
He explains, “In order to prove sexual harassment, you need to have several instances that show a pattern.” I nod again, so he concludes, “It sounds like you don’t quite have that yet.”
“Not quite, but I’m getting there.” Then I tell him, “I will not be renewing my contract if this doesn’t get cleared up. In fact, I might look into breaking it.”
Armie nods his head. “I’ll talk to the rest of the board and let them know what’s going on. We’ll issue Constance a warning.”
“Thank you.”
