Page 29 of Game Change

“Brynne,” he begins.

“I said get the hell out of my office.” I walk to my door, open it, and gesture for him to leave.

Chapter 16

Colin

So much for my uncle being here to help me through my transition. He left about an hour after lunch and said he wasn’t returning today. He has an appointment with his doctor. Now, I only have an hour left before I can leave this day behind me, which will go down as one of the worst in my life.

All was lost when she threw the food away and demanded I turn down the job. I was close to telling her why I couldn’t, but I refused to betray my uncle’s confidence. It's up to him whether to share his medical condition with others. I understand why he won’t. He doesn’t want to appear weak. I get why he wants me here, too.

I’m still not prepared to give up. Maybe she needs a little time. Maybe after working together for a while, she’ll remember what we shared and want to pick up where we left off.

Or maybe you’re a delusional idiot.

For the past three hours, I’ve been meeting with employees individually to discuss their backgrounds and the projects they are working on and answer any questions they didn’t feel comfortable asking during the meet-and-greet. No one trusts me, but that’s okay, as I plan on earning their trust in time. All the meetings went well except for the one I had with Ernestine.

“I work for Brynne,” she says after I ask her to tell me about her role here.

“Yes, but I’m getting to know everyone in the office one-on-one.”

“Brynne explained to me this morning that I work for her, not for you. She said nothing would change about my duties or who I report to.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t tell me about your role here.”

“I’m her personal assistant. I anticipate her needs and keep her happy. That’s my role in a nutshell.”

“Do you think you can tone the hostility a bit?” I finally snap. “You report to Brynne, but I’m her boss, which makes me your boss.”

She flares her nostrils and purses her lips shut. After a few more seconds, she gives me a more thorough answer about her job description. I release her soon after that, having lost the bandwidth to deal with more people today.

I’ll tackle the rest of the staff, including Brynne, tomorrow. Maybe a good night’s sleep will put her in a better mood.

As I lean back in my chair and close my eyes, I hear my office door open and shut. I open my eyes to see an angry Brynne walking toward me. I don’t bother to stand. Whatever this is, I’m not in the mood for it. I’m not the argumentative type. That’s never been my vibe. I don’t deal with toxic people, and I don’t stand for drama. That’s why things with me and Esme didn’t work out. That and her horrible personality.

Even in her anger, Brynne’s still so beautiful. If she’s trying to look scary or intimidating, she’s failed. All I want to do is grab her and kiss her.

“Let’s get one thing straight,” she says through clenched teeth. She slams her hand down on my desk and looks down at me. “Ernestine Gunner works forme. You do not have the authority to fire her. You do not have the authority to ask her so much as to hand you a paperclip. She’smyhire. You might have bulldozed your way in here, but your so-called authority only goes so far.”

I rub my hands over my face and eyes and take a deep breath to calm down. It doesn’t work. “Would you dare tell Milton not to talk or ask your personal assistant questions?”

She stands straight and takes a step back. “Last time I checked, you weren’t Milton.” Then she eyes me up and down. “But maybe you two are a lot alike.” She nods. “I guess I can see the family resemblance now. It’s in your eyes.” She points at me and frowns. “Snake eyes,” she whispers.

After finally having enough of her attitude for today, I stand. “You’re kind of mean, you know that?”

I don’t think she expected me to say that. She even takes a step back. I don’t believe she’s mean at all. I believe she’s angry. I would be, too, if I were in her shoes. Uncle Milton fucked us both over.

“And I’m supposed to be nice? Bend over backward for you?”

“Well, you did bend over for me. Remember that?” She gasps. “That was a great night. One of the best of my life.”

“Stay the hell away from Ernestine, and the next time you threaten to fire her, you’ll have to deal with me, and I won’t be as sweet as I’m being now.”

“I don’t make threats,” I say to her retreating back. “If I want to fire her, I will. I’m the boss around here. The boss of all of you, including you.” I point at her. “As your boss, your underling also reports to me.”

“Underling?”

“Underling. Bodyguard. Personal assistant. Bully. Whatever the hell you want to call her. And for the record, I was trying to converse with her like I did with all the other employees. What I won’t do is deal with her attitude and disrespect.” Having had enough, I stand there and dare her to find a counterargument.

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