with it. “I wanted to let you know that yesterday when I was leaving the office, I ran into a client and his mother. When I asked him what he was doing here so late, he said they were waiting for Vicki.” I lowered my voice, a bit paranoid that she would somehow hear me even though she was supposed to be off-site at the center right now.
Gail’s stank face was pretty epic, as if she knew when it came to Vicki, this level of mess was very likely. “Waiting for Vicki for what?”
I did not stretch it out. “She was going to drive them home.”
Oh damn. White ladies can get really red in the face when they’re pissed, and from the looks of it, Gail was furious. “No she didn’t. Please tell me she did not blatantly ignore the policies like that.”
I lifted a shoulder and tried not to look as freaked out as I felt about it, but was also relieved to see Gail seemed pissed. “Looks like she did. I am going to talk to her, but I wanted to check in with you first. I know technically I’m her boss, but she’s a challenging person to deal with.” I didn’t need to add that she also acted like she thought she couldn’t get fired and she’d probably try to come for me after I told her she’d fucked up.
“Thanks for letting me know about this, Julia. And don’t worry. I’ll deal with Vicki.” Her voice was thin with barely contained frustration. “I know I’m putting you in a terrible situation here, and I appreciate it more than you know.”
This was something I never got about Gail: she was usually someone who addressed bullshit immediately. But if she kept tiptoeing on this situation with Vicki, it was going to really bite us in the ass.
“That was Muffy Sturm.” Gail’s voice ripped me out of my stewing and for a very unwelcome reason. She sighed heavily and looked at the phone on her desk. “Apparently her brother is on a warpath about the programs. They want to come and visit on Wednesday.”
They? Who was they? Rocco had already come to see the programs on behalf of Davidson’s and the twins had visited too. “So who will be at the visit?” I mentally patted myself on the back for keeping my eye from twitching and not yelling out the question.
“It seems Duke Sturm and the CFO of the company want to also observe the work of the programs.” My heart sped up wondering if Rocco had slipped somehow. Did they suspect he was biased? Was he biased? Shit. I’d tried to keep my distance, but who the fuck knew what anyone was thinking at this point.
“We need to be beyond reproach and this situation with Vicki cannot come at a worse moment. I will do something about her, but right now we can’t really make waves.”
* * *
This was much more than just making waves—we were letting someone get away with doing something that could potentially hurt clients. And I wanted my job, but not by keeping quiet on things I knew weren’t right. “Gail.” The muscles in my neck felt like they would snap as I tried to keep my voice from shaking. “This isn’t just about rocking the boat.”
She deflated at my words, and at least I was glad to see she wasn’t taking this lightly. “I know, believe me I do. And it’s complicated with Vicki. You know how well connected she is with some of the districts.”
It was true, she was helpful when we were first developing those relationships. I just nodded, not sure how I felt about that keeping us from calling her on the carpet for her bullshit. “You know those connections are vital to us, and she would not hesitate to do something out of spite.”
She was right—Vicki was petty enough to try and get us kicked out if she got fired.
“We do need the relationships with the schools.”
“Exactly.” Her voice was tired and I could not blame her. “I’ll keep a closer eye on Vicki for the next few weeks, and once the consultants are gone, I’ll deal with her. I promise. What I do want you to prioritize is this visit. I know you plan your academies way in advance, so I’m sure everything will be great. Duke Sturm, Phil, and the consultant Rocco.” She smiled at the mention of his name and I wondered if she could tell my