Her lips pressed together again as if she was trying to keep the words inside. “Keep your phone handy.”
“I will. I’d like to have a meeting. Now.”
“Now?” she asked.
“Yes. Now. Is there a conference room?”
“Yes, there is,” she answered.
I waited for her to pick up the phone or do something. “I’ve got things to do later.”
She wanted to say something. I could feel the tension in the room. I liked tension. I had long grown used to making people uncomfortable. It didn’t bother me a bit. I found people said more when they were tense.
“Right, let me jump right on that,” she said with sarcasm. “Generally, we try and give people a minute before we demand they jump through hoops.”
“I’ll give you ten,” I said and got to my feet.
“Yes, sir! All the troops—I mean the staff—will be in the conference room in ten minutes.”
“The conference room is where?” I asked from the doorway.
She pasted on a bright smile that was more teeth than anything else. “There’s a map hanging on the wall by the fire extinguisher. There’s a little arrow marking where you are. You can find your way from there.”
She was sassy. Sassier than I remembered. I walked out of her office and quickly located the fire extinguisher with the map. The office was a lot bigger than I remembered. George had done well and grown the business, but I was going to make it a lot bigger. I was going to take the tax firm to the next level.
I didn’t miss the stares from the employees that now looked just a little worried. No one was chatting and little Miss Social Media had put her phone away. I wandered around a bit before making my way to my office. My future office. I knocked once and waited.
“Come in,” someone called out.
I opened the door and tried not to cringe. This was going to be changing. The office looked like it was straight out of nineteen sixty. “George, it’s nice to finally meet in person,” I said.
George’s head popped up. He looked at his watch and then me. “Oh shit,” he muttered and jumped to his feet. “You must be Nash.” He extended his hand. “I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“It’s fine,” I said. There were a few boxes on the floor and another on his desk.
“I’m just doing some last-minute packing. I’ll introduce you to Saige Conway. She’s the tax director. She runs the show really. I’m just the figurehead. Correction, I was the figurehead. I guess that’s you now.”
“I’ve met Saige,” I told him.
“Oh good. She’s going to be your most valuable asset. The people here all respect her. She does a great job and runs a tight ship.”
I nodded as he spoke. “Good to know.”
“Look, Nash—Mr. Aarons—during negotiations, I was very clear about what I wanted for the company.”
This was nothing new. Owners always got cold feet after the ink was dry. “I read your statement.”
“I’m hoping you will honor your word and keep the staff,” he said in a quiet voice.
I appreciated someone who cared about their employees, but I cared about running a successful business. “I have no intention to randomly fire anyone. I’m just about to hold a meeting to talk to the staff about my expectations. If my expectations cannot be met, then I’ll need to make some changes.”
He nodded with his shoulders sagging. He knew he was defeated. “I understand,” he said. “I’ve got someone coming in an hour to help me get this stuff out of here. I guess it’s all yours.”
“Yes, it is,” I said. “Good luck with your retirement.”
I walked out of his office and ventured around the rest of the large space. It felt so massive and impersonal. It resembled a warehouse with carpet. I couldn’t imagine clients feeling comfortable in the environment. Taxes were very personal. It wasn’t generally something anyone liked to discuss with twenty people at once.
That was another change I wanted to make. I finished my self-guided tour and found myself in a break room. A rather lavish break room.
I scanned the assortment of fresh donuts and muffins sitting on the counter. I opened the fridge and found it stocked with bottled water, Diet Coke, and Sprite. I was guessing I was paying for these things.
I looked at a bowl of fresh fruit sitting on the table. Someone was trying to pretend to be healthy. It looked like a hotel continental breakfast setup. I opened