Page 28 of A Bossy Roommate

Huxley remains silent. I notice him clenching his jaw.

“With the additional thirty days, that brings our increased sales to fifteen percent. More than enough of a margin of growth to indicate progress.” Fifteen percent isn’t more than enough, it’s spectacular. He knows that.

Huxley tears his eyes away from me to look at Bradley. “And the transition process?” he asks in a sharp voice.

“Manageable and smooth,” Bradley says without missing a beat. “Carter has done the training in person and the both of us worked with staff to ensure they were more than prepared.”

I can virtually see the gears turning in Huxley’s head as he tries to think of another angle. But I’m no stranger to his tactics and haven’t given him an inch.

“I don’t see the reason to change at all,” he finally concludes. “The way we do things now has proven to work in the past. No reason to fix what isn’t broken.”

“I don’t believe in the whole ‘we’ve always done it this way’ mentality,” I tell him. “If we’re blinded by what we know works, we’re missing a wider audience. Things aren’t the same as they were twenty years ago—hell, they’re not the same as they were five years ago. We can either adapt or fade into obscurity.”

Needless to say, the rest of the meeting goes about as well as the beginning. Eventually, Huxley has no choice but to call the rest of the sales team in to be debriefed. As I speak to them and reveal the timeline for implementing the new procedures, Huxley throws his two cents in here and there. I address all concerns without issues, unwilling to show my subordinates exactly how pissed off I’m getting at our boss.

By the time it’s all over, I want to lock myself in my office for some peace and quiet. I don’t get a chance to touch base with Bradley after. He has to step out to attend another meeting in the city. We’ll meet up later at lunch.

When I get backto the office, Eden looks up from her computer with a smile. Which promptly fades when she sees my face. “Everything okay?”

“Fine,” I say, not having the time for pleasantries. “Did you make those changes I asked for?”

“Yes, sure did. I switched Mr. Miller to tomorrow at one and called Mr. Parker to schedule him for two o’clock this afternoon.”

“Mr. Banks.”

“Pardon?”

“I told you to call Mr.Banksfor today. Mr. Parker is the one whose file you were supposed to be organizing.”

Eden’s face falls. “I’m so sorry,” she says, looking at her notes. “I must have gotten the names mixed up.”

I try not to let anger take center stage. “Listen, I don’t have time to hold your hand. If you can’t keep a simple set of instructions straight, then maybe this isn’t the job for you. Get on the phone, call Mr. Parker’s office, and tell them that you made a mistake. Fix this now, Eden.”

She nods, her face pale. “Yes, sir.”

I march off to my office. Between Huxley trying to undermine me and Eden screwing up my schedule, I’m properly annoyed. It doesn’t help that Aunt Eleanor will be arriving in four days, and on top of everything, I have to prep Eden for her visit and let her know exactly what she needs to say or do when around my aunt. It’s vital that she retains the information I give her.

I throw myself into my work, blocking everything else out until lunchtime rolls around. I get a text from Bradley, letting me know he’s on his way to Giuseppe’s. I welcome the break.

Eden smiles when I leave my office, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I fixed the issue with the schedule,” she says promptly. “Mr. Banks will be here for two o’clock.”

“Good. Don’t let it happen again. Also, how are the preparations for Thursday going?”

“Thursday eleven o’clock with Harbor View Developments in Phoenix is confirmed, and ‘everything else’ is set.” She puts a special emphasis on “everything else.”

Good. One less headache. Our Las Vegas pit stop will be perfectly masked by a meeting our potential client had planned months ago.

Eden flips a page, saying, “Friday after work would be best to sit down and go over the details for the weekend.”

“Fine, we’ll do it after work. I’m going out to lunch. Did you take a look at that Parker file?”

“I’m working on it right now.”

“See that it’s done before I get back. What about the Harbor View Developments account?”

“I’m working on it next.”

“Get up to speed on that ASAP. There’s a list with brochures and reports I need you to collect in the archive room for our meeting. Ask Jaylin for help if you can’t find anything. She was involved when we reorganized the room.”

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