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I CONTACTED HR (WHICH was really just one person at that point) and asked them to send whatever they had to Theodora. It irritated me that she was standing on principle and refusing to come to work immediately. But I consoled myself that next week would be there before I knew it. In the meantime, I had a lot of work to do and no one to help me do it.
Running a company was more exhausting than I had expected. I spent so much time disparaging the poor schmucks I bought companies from, it had never once occurred to me that they had their plates full. Sure, they were losers who had driven their companies into the ground, making them ripe for takeover. But I always assumed they were lazy or incompetent to boot.
I was quickly discovering that there was more to their jobs than met the eye.
The problem with letting go of the entire staff was that I had to rehire. And the problem with rehiring was that I had to train the newcomers. I had gone through one round of interviews a month ago and had a skeleton crew on board. They weren’t up to speed, though, and since they were spending so much time in training, they weren’t as productive as I wanted them to be.
I watched our revenue slide down the charts, despite all the radical changes I was making. If I could just get my hands on that art catalog, maybe there was something in there that could help. That and having someone who knew how the company operated before it was in financial trouble might have important insights into how to right the ship.
I didn’t want my first venture to be a disaster. I was determined to do whatever I could to get back into the black. So I spent a good amount of time studying. I read every book there was about leadership and management. I applied the new techniques to my staff with varying degrees of success.
I stayed up until 2 a.m. every night because on top of Retro, I had other businesses to attend to. It was a bit lonely after midnight, I had to admit. My rear end planted in my home office chair, a glass of wine in my hand, I stared at the computer screen.
I couldn’t wait for my new assistant to start. With her by my side, I could sort out all the things that were going wrong and fix them. I was convinced that she was the key to all my problems—not that I would tell her that.
I remembered her fiery temper, and the way she swished out the door after I handed her the job. Not only would she be an incredible asset to my company, but I had a feeling she would be quite distracting as well. I needed both things, and I needed them yesterday.
She was scheduled to start on Monday, and I had the previous executive assistant’s desk cleared out in preparation. I went into her office and selected a few paintings to hang on the walls. I didn’t need the catalog to do that.
Walking over to her window, I peered out at the view. It was nearly the same as mine, only slightly to the left. We didn’t have a sweeping view of the skyline, but there was a fair expanse before us. A hill dropped just beyond our building, allowing us to see across the neighboring blocks. I thought she would be pleased.
Just then, my phone rang.
I pulled it out of my pocket to check the caller ID. The screen read Mom. Curious, I swiped to answer the call, putting the device to my ear. My parents and I weren’t really close. They spent most of their time traveling since Dad retired and sold his company to me. They had a neat little fortune, in the millions, not billions, but enough to support them in comfort for the rest of their lives.
They were jet setters, flying around Europe and into Africa. I lost track of all the places they had been and didn’t really see them unless they were home for the holidays. I was surprised to get a phone call because we didn’t often stay in touch.
“Mom?” I asked.
“Hello, sweetheart,” Mom chirped. “How are you?”
“You’re back in town?” I asked, surprised.
“Oh well, you know how it is.” She brushed off my concerns. “Your father wanted to check on the house and make sure everything is okay.”
“Is everything okay?” I still didn’t understand why they’d cut their travels short.
“It’s fine,” she assured me. “We’re flying out for Rome next week. We just thought we would take a moment to relax at home.”
“Okay,” I agreed tepidly. There was something she wasn’t telling me.
“I want you to come for dinner,” she said. “We’re going to have it catered by Lucy’s.”
Lucy’s was my parents’ favorite health food restaurant. They served wraps and tofu with zoodles. Somehow, the mention of that questionable establishment made me feel better. Whatever they were up to in San Francisco, they weren’t in any real trouble.
“Sounds great,” I answered warmly. “I’ll be there at seven.”
“Make it six, honey,” Mom begged. “You know your father; he doesn’t like to wait that long.”
“Six it is,” I promised before hanging up the phone.
With such an early dinner, I would have to get going if I was going to make it on time. It was closing in on five o’clock and I wanted to change before going home. For some reason, I felt uncomfortable showing up at my parents’ house in business attire. I didn’t want them to think that I was out of their league.
I took my Porsche home and parked it in the garage with the other two cars. Hopping out, I walked briskly into the house and changed into something a little more casual. It was a little bit past six when I arrived at my childhood home. Despite the fact that it sat vacant for most of the year, it was still a welcoming sight.
I knocked on the door, and Mom opened it, pulling me in for a hug. I felt awkward. It wasn’t that I didn’t care or that there was any lack of love between us, it was just that those long periods of absence made conversation difficult.
“Brad!” Dad called from the dining room.
“Your father’s already started on dinner,” Mom said, leading me through the house.
We found my dad at the table, an impressive selection of health food spread out before him. He stood up and came to give me a hug, standing back to pump my hand like one of his business colleagues.
“Good to see you,” I said.
“Have a seat,” Mom commanded, walking around to take her place opposite her husband.
I sat down next to my father, trying to come up with something appropriate to talk about.
“How’s business?” Dad asked.
“Fine,” I replied. “I bought a new company, Retro, and I’m trying to run it.”
“Trying?” Dad teased.
“I’m running it,” I corrected myself.
“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about,” Mom began, eyeing me over the whole wheat wraps.
I froze. This was an ambush, not a social call. I had been right to suspect that something was behind their sudden reappearance stateside. Since they were my parents, I couldn’t very well accuse them of devious tactics, but I wanted to. Without knowing how to proceed, I just kept my mouth shut. It didn’t take long for Mom to fill me in.
“We’re worried about Alec,” she said.
I groaned audibly. “I’m handling it.”
“Are you?” Dad asked, taking a bite of his mixed vegetables.
“Yes,” I insisted. “I’m keeping an eye on him.”
“He’s drinking again,” Mom said as if it were somehow my fault.
“I know,” I answered, feeling like a kid being reprimanded for failing a math test.
“We were thinking that maybe he just needs some structure in his life,” Mom continued.
I didn’t like the way this was going, but I was powerless to stop it.
“Why don’t you give him a job in your new company?” Dad suggested as if the thought had only just occurred to him.
“No,” I said firmly.
“Hear me out.” Dad pointed his fork at me. “You don’t have to give him anything important.”
“Just a place to show up from nine to five would do wonders for his self-esteem,” Mom chimed in.
“Self-esteem isn’t the problem,” I said.
“All right, son.” Dad changed tactics, a blatant negotiation strategy. “What do you think is the problem?”
“He’s immature,” I responded. “All he wants to do is party, get wasted, and sleep with whomever is available.”
“Brad!” Mom shouted as if I had said the most insensitive thing imaginable.
“Not in front of your mother,” Dad chastised me.
“It’s true.” I held my ground. “He’s a disaster. If I hire him on, he’ll ruin everything.”
“He’s your brother,” Mom objected.
“The last time I hired him, he got drunk at work, pissed off everyone, and destroyed company property.” I was fuming. They knew exactly what they were asking of me, and they did it anyway. Rescuing Alec from himself at clubs was one thing, but I was damned if I would bring him into my world.
I needed Retro to take off, not sink even further into the mud. This was my pet project, and I didn’t want it ruined by someone who couldn’t take his head out of his ass for long enough to recognize what he was doing to his life. If Alec wanted to ruin everything for himself, that was one thing. I didn’t want him anywhere near Retro.
“That was a long time ago.” Dad excused his younger son.
“It was three years ago,” I shot back.
“Watch your manners,” Mom scolded me.
“You know what?” I stood up, sick of this back and forth. “I’m going to leave. Thank you for the invite to dinner, and for the guilt trip, but I’m through.”
“Brad,” Mom started.
“No,” I cut her off. “I’m not going to hire Alec. I’ll continue to watch out for him, but putting him on the payroll is out of the question.”
“Just think about it,” Dad said, getting to his feet.
He walked me to the door as I was trying to make a dramatic exit. Damn him and his practiced negotiation tactics. I wasn’t going to think about anything. Alec was too toxic for my work environment, and that was the end of it. I wasn’t going to hire him, no matter who asked me to. Leaving my parents’ house, I was suddenly glad it was so early. I hadn’t eaten a thing, and I realized I was starving.
