Page 105 of All's Well that Friends Well
“It is,” I say with a nod. I can tell she knows exactly what I’m talking about, even if we’ve never discussed details, but I appreciate that she’s keeping things vague.
“Then I’m proud of you,” she says simply, straightening up. “You’ll do well. Just remember to keep everyone’s feelings in mind. Be as kind and loving as possible, regardless of what you need to say.” She pauses, tucking a bit of hairbehind her ear. “And whoever you’re speaking to, trust them to understand.”
I don’t know if they will, so I don’t respond. I just nod again.
“There’s something else,” I say, clearing my throat as though it will get rid of the unpleasant taste still in my mouth.
“Is it about how you’re going to date me soon?” she says brightly, and the way her eyes light up dispels what’s left of my lingering sourness.
“No,” I say, forcing myself not to smile. “We will not be discussing that matter further until a few other things are in place.”
“Boo,” she says with a pout, her shoulders curling in. “That’s what you said yesterday, too.”
“I’ll also say it tomorrow,” I say as my eyes drift to her lips. “So stop asking, Miss Marigold.”
“It’s just that I think you like me,” she says in a matter-of-fact voice. “And I’m technically outside your chain of command. So we could date.”
“Be that as it may, I’m not ready to have this conversation.” It’s true. If I take one step toward Juliet, I’ll want to take another, and another, and another. But until I’ve wrapped a few things up, I can’t.
Juliet’s eyes dart over my face for a second, and then she sighs. “Oh, all right,” she says, the words more genuine now. “I’ll stop asking.”
My shoulders relax. “Thank you.”
“What else do we need to discuss, in that case?” she says.
“The sales and marketing teams, and how they don’t do their jobs. I don’t want to scare them or fire them all, but…”
She grimaces but makes a little sound of agreement. “What have you done about it already?”
“I talked to them the first week I came here,” I say, reclining further. “But it didn’t have much impact.”
“No,” she says musingly, her eyes darting over me with something like amusement. “I don’t imagine it did.”
I grunt and pull off my glasses, tossing them onto my desk. “Right. So I think we should try again. They’re warming up to me now, aren’t they? So I want you to help me formulate a—a?—”
“A rousing speech?” Juliet says.
“I—sure. If you want to call it that,” I say with a shrug. “I don’t know about a speech, but I need them to do their jobs, or I’ll hire someone else. I don’t want to do that, but I will. They’re sloppy out there, undisciplined and unprofessional.” I hesitate, thinking. “What’s a nice way to say that?”
“Let me think about it,” Juliet says slowly. Her foot bobs at the ankle, her shiny silver heel catching the light as she moves. “You know, I think you just need to motivate them properly.”
“How?” I say, throwing my hands up in the air. “ASalesman of the Monthwall?”
“Salespersonof the Month,” Juliet corrects, totally seriously, “and actually yes, that wouldn’t hurt. But I was thinking more along the lines of a genuine, frank conversation. You don’t want to scare people, but they also need to understand the situation as it stands, pleasant or not.”
“I’ve been saying that since day one,” I grumble.
Juliet’s lips twitch. “Yes, but you’ve been saying it rudely.”
“It’s not my job to coddle their feelings. This is aworkplace.”
“I know. But I think we can probably find some middle ground,” she says. “In fact, I might even have an idea.”
My dinnerswith the Delaneys are monthly affairs, and always on a weekend. So the fact that I’m making the trip on a Tuesday, and less than a month after I last visited, has me feeling distinctly off-kilter. Thinking about what I need to tell them is just the cherry on top.
I’ve come to dread this drive, but this evening it’s worse than usual. My mind is busier, more lively and yet more frightened too. My hands are too tight on the steering wheel, and I think I’m going to develop a crick in my neck from how tense all my muscles are. But I can’t help it.
This is a good thing.It’s what I tell myself over and over.This is the right move.But my words aren’t convincing when I’ve spent years training my mind to drown in guilt.
