Page 5 of The Rebel

“Really? I think the people we hire should have a better work ethic.”

“Well, that may be, but while you are very relaxed—even friendly with most employees—it seems you’re tough with your assistants. Every single one in the past year thought you had something against them.”

I scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it? I’ve noticed too. You treat everyone on your team like family. Except your assistants.” She paused for a moment, and when she spoke again, her tone was softer. “Forgive me if I’moverstepping my boundaries here, but could it be related to the incident?”

I drew in a deep breath. Five years ago, I made a cardinal mistake. I got involved with an assistant. Things turned ugly fast.

“I just don’t want my assistants to misinterpret friendliness for anything else.”

“That’s good. But you might be overdoing it.”

I was sure she was right, and that was why I couldn’t keep any administrative help.

“Can you give me an example?”

“You regularly have one-on-one lunches with everyone on your team. Yet you’ve never taken an assistant out… you know, since then. They notice these things.”

“True.”

“I could give you a million examples.” She paused, then tried a new tactic. “You know my life story. And that of my kids. We talk all the time about our families and have developed a certain rapport. Can you give me one detail about your last assistant?”

Dorothy had a point. I racked my brain and found one. “She studied mathematics.”

“Oh, Anthony. That was in her résumé. It’s not a personal detail.” She sighed. “My point is, you’re friendly and warm with the team but cold and distant with your assistants.”

“I didn’t realize,” I said honestly. “Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“It took a while for me to put two and two together. And then I figured you’d see it eventually.”

“Clearly not.”

“My only piece of advice would be to treat your assistants the same way you do everyone else. That way it won’t seem like you’re…”

“I got the message.”

“Right, right.”

“You should’ve brought this up sooner.”

“I know. But I was just as surprised by what happened back then as you were. For a long time, I thought you actually had the right attitude so as not to give anyone the wrong idea. You know, just to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.”

“Never again will I make the same mistake,” I assured her.

There was a pause, and then Dorothy said, “Look, far be it from me to encourage office romances, but we just had bad luck with Annie.”

Annie was not who I thought she was. After our one night together, she threatened to sue me for misconduct if I didn’t continue dating her. She was certifiable.

“Still, my mistake. I’ll never get involved with an employee again.”

“Good plan. Anyway, the recruiter and I will hit the ground running, and I hope to have an assistant for you by the end of the week.”

“Thanks.”

“In the meantime, I’ll step in.”

“That’s perfect,” I said. I’d compensate her with a bonus or something, as I felt bad that I’d put her in this situation.