Page 147 of Let It Breathe
Jenna grimaced and forced her attention back to the CEO.
“It looks like the nurses are getting serious about striking,” he said, waving the papers at her. “We have to avoid this.”
“We have to avoid the ugly verbal battles around the bargaining table,” she said, trying not to let her gaze drop to the dog-eared novel in the briefcase. “That’s not helping.”
“I wouldn’t call it ‘ugly,’ exactly.” The CEO gave her a thoughtful look. “Let’s not take things out of context.”
Jenna gritted her teeth. “Brett Lombard told you to shove the proposal up your ass, and you retorted that his mama got there first. In what context would that be a form of respectful discourse?”
He frowned. “Fine, it wasn’t our best moment of communication. Moving on—” he paused, flipping through the paperwork. “We’ve had complaints from the cafeteria staff about some of our purchasing decisions. Take organic produce, for instance. Apparently five percent of domestically grown romaine lettuce carries salmonella and shigella.”
“Okay,” Jenna said, frowning down at her salad. “So we’ll have them buy produce from another vendor.”
“The union is pointing to this as an indication of unsafe practices and unsanitary working conditions. They say if we don’t negotiate different contracts for?—”
A knock at the door snapped Jenna’s attention to the front of her office. She looked up to see her elderly aunt peering into the room.
“Oh, dear,” Aunt Gertie said, reaching up to smooth her cotton-white perm. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, sweetie. I thought you’d be on your lunch break.”
The CEO stood up and beamed. “Gertrude. So good to see you again. How’s the hip?”
“Wonderful, Jon, thank you for asking.”
“I know those medical bills were a challenge. If there’s anything I can do?—”
“Oh, that’s so sweet of you,” Gert interrupted, reaching out to pat the CEO’s arm. “But don’t you worry. I found a way to manage and everything’s just wonderful. I actually just finished my physical therapy and stopped by to ask Jenna a question, but I’ll skedaddle and let you finish your meeting.”
“Nonsense,” the CEO said. “I shouldn’t be interrupting her lunch anyway. We can finish another time.”
He reached for his briefcase, and Jenna watched as Aunt Gertie’s gaze fell to the cover of the novel. Gert’s eyebrows lifted, and Jenna felt her stomach clench as a satisfied little smile crossed Aunt Gertie’s face.
The CEO saw it, too, and offered up an awkward chuckle. “Yeah, I know. The wife stuck it in there this morning and told me I should read it. Apparently it’s a big runaway summer hit.”
“Erotic romance is certainly popular these days,” Gertie said, nodding pleasantly. “Are you enjoying it?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
“Delightful!” Gertie said, folding her hands together and flashing a cherubic smile. “Give Sharon my regards, will you?”
“Absolutely.” The CEO shoved the papers back in his briefcase, and Jenna felt a flood of relief. He tucked the briefcase under one arm and turned back to her. “I’ll catch up with you later. By the way, have you met the new HR manager?”
“No, not yet,” Jenna said. “I didn’t even realize you’d made the final hiring decision.”
“I’ll introduce you next week. She’s bringing in a mediator to work with the bargaining team. One of those woo-woo types specializing in positive communication and labor relations. There’s a meeting Monday.”
“I’ll have Sally add it to my calendar.”
John nodded, then turned and sauntered from the room. Jenna smiled at Gertie and gestured to the empty chair. “Have a seat.”
“I don’t want to bother you, sweetie. I was just in the neighborhood.”
“Trust me, you’re the most welcome sight I’ve had all day. Well, next to your fennel root tart,” she added, popping the lid off another Tupperware container. “This looks incredible.”
“I made the crust from scratch last night.”
“It looks fabulous. Thank you so much for lunch, Aunt Gertie.”
“My pleasure, dear.”
