12. Swallow My Pride

12

SWALLOW MY PRIDE

“ I don’t care that you can’t work this weekend,” Denise said to one of the staff. Laurel couldn’t see who it was with her employee’s back turned. She was just too busy listening to Denise talk down to the staff again. “You’re scheduled and if you want it off, you need to cover that shift.”

“I can’t. My mother is having surgery on Friday. I just found out this weekend. I need to go home for it. I’m off on Friday but would like to stay over if she needs help. I’ve got vacation time. I don’t understand why I can’t use it.”

It was Ariel who was speaking. She was pretty sure Ariel had only been here a year and was a good worker. Didn’t miss much or use her time unexpectedly.

“Because you need to give more notice than that,” Denise said. “You know the rules. We’ve got production to keep up on.”

Laurel walked over. “Hi,” she said. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Denise said. “I’ve got it. You don’t need to get involved in my job.”

Ariel turned to her, her eyes filled with tears. “I need Saturday off. My mother is having surgery on Friday and I need to watch her Saturday for my father. Or help him.”

“I heard that,” she said. “I’m sorry. We can work something out. Emergencies happen. Denise, is there staff from another department that can cover a shift? Most are cross-trained for this reason.”

Denise ground her teeth. “I don’t have time to find someone to do it. I’ve got to inspect the big order that is due this week and train three new staff on top of it.”

“I’ll find someone,” Ariel said. “I’m sure I can.”

“Then we are going to have overtime,” Denise said. “We have budgets we have to stick to. I could have rearranged schedules if you were going to be off.”

Laurel was ready to grind her teeth and snap but wasn’t going to. It would only make more enemies and that wasn’t what she was after.

She’d already put her foot in her mouth with Easton this weekend and didn’t get any sleep because of it.

“Ariel, please try to find someone to fill your shift. It’s only Monday. I’m sure you can in the next few days.”

“I know Courtney would take it,” Ariel said. “She needs the extra hours. She’s only part-time.”

Laurel frowned. She knew several were just hired and if Courtney was part time and had been here for a while, why wasn’t she promoted to full time?

“Go ask and then it will solve that problem,” she said.

Ariel moved away and Denise looked at her. “I don’t need you solving my problems.”

“That was a pretty easy one to solve. And since Courtney is part time there is no overtime involved. I guess the bigger question is why she wasn’t promoted to full time with the openings. Or didn’t she want it?”

“She’s not a great worker,” Denise said. “She doesn’t get things done fast enough and asks too many questions.”

“Not everyone learns at the same speed,” she said. “And asking questions is a good thing. I’d rather staff do that than think they know it and mess it up and ruin products. Employees are hard enough to find. We have to work with those we’ve got and those willing to work.”

“You’re the boss,” Denise said with a sour puss on her face and walked away.

“Yes, I am,” she said but was only talking to the air.

She turned and Lily was standing there. “Good morning,” Lily said.

“Good morning to you,” she said.

“You handled that well,” Lily said.

“I don’t think Denise feels that way. If no one can cover Ariel’s shift, I’ll be here and work it or keep an eye on things. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried in the least,” Lily said. “And it’s a wonderful feeling to know that too.”

Laurel needed that compliment more than she could admit. “Thank you for that.”

Lily angled her head. “Everything okay?”

She let out a sigh. She didn’t want to dump on her boss. “Sure,” she said. “Just didn’t sleep well.”

“Let’s go talk in your office,” Lily said.

She wasn’t going to tell the woman who hired her no.

They went to her office and she shut the door when Lily was in there. “We didn’t have a meeting today, did we?”

She’d feel like shit if she messed that up, but she had enough on her mind with Easton and what a jerk she’d been acting like.

“No,” Lily said. “I came over to get a few things for the store. They know what I need and will have it loaded into the van for me.”

“That’s good. Everything runs so seamlessly.”

“We try,” Lily said. “But we know that it doesn’t always happen. Has Denise been giving you a hard time?”

“Nothing I can’t handle. I expected it.”

“She wanted the job you’re doing,” Lily said. “She doesn’t have the patience or the personality for it. She normally isn’t as short as she was with Ariel, but she gets that way when she’s under pressure.”

“And there is a big shipment due at the end of the week.”

“Yes,” Lily said. “She won’t come apologize to you, but she’ll act like nothing happened.”

“As she has in the past,” Laurel said. “It’s fine. But I stand by what I said. There is no reason we can’t work with people when it’s hard to find staff.”

“And that is why you were hired and no one else was promoted,” Lily said. “Sometimes you need a fresh insight. We agree with your approach. My sisters and I, we would cover a shift for someone and have in the past.”

“But there is no reason for you to do it now.”

“No,” Lily said. “We’ve got enough staff for it. And if Denise couldn’t find someone, she knows she has to fill that shift herself. It comes with the position and pay raise she received last year. She knew it.”

“But she rubs people the wrong way and if she had to ask someone to fill the slot, they might say no on principle alone,” she said.

“You catch on pretty quickly. Maybe she’ll start to take another approach and learn from you.”

“I’m not sure anyone wants to learn from me,” she said.

Lily lifted an eyebrow. “Everything okay? Outside of work? Not trying to be nosy, but we don’t want to lose people we like and are good employees either. That includes you.”

She let out a sigh. “Just me being an idiot and now have to swallow my pride.”

“Ahhh,” Lily said. “That is the hardest thing to do. But I think the more we do it, the stronger it makes us. Saying you’re sorry is never easy but helps you sleep at night.”

“I could use the sleep after last night. I’ve had enough sleepless nights over a man. I thought those days were long gone.”

“Oh,” Lily said. “Good thing it was me that ran into you and not Poppy. She would have sniffed out man issues a mile away.”

She laughed. “I’ve heard about her when it comes to that.”

“All in good fun,” Lily said. “I’ve been told I’ve got a good ear if you want to run anything by me.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m not used to unloading personal things at work.”

It was something she’d always separated in her life. But the only two other people she could talk to about this were her father or aunt and they didn’t know what was going on.

She knew for a fact they’d both tell her she was wrong.

She didn’t need someone to tell her that. She knew.

“I understand. I’m a very private person too, but my sisters tend to get it out of me.”

“That’s a nice thing to have,” she said. “I never had it.”

“I’m here if you need me,” Lily said.

Lily turned to leave and she stopped her. “Do you know Cooke Landscaping?”

“I do,” Lily said. “Abe runs it now. His father, Kurt, used to, but he passed away a few years ago. I heard Abe’s mother had an accident. She moved to Florida a few years ago.”

This was what she got for keeping to herself. She could have gotten some of that information had she just said she went on a date. Or was interested in someone.

“What about Abe’s cousin, Easton? Do you know him?”

“Yes,” Lily said. “He was in school with me and Zane. I believe he’s an attorney somewhere now. Good for him. You know my upbringing, and Easton had it hard too. He had his aunt and uncle though.”

She let out a sigh. “He’s in Stamford as a partner,” she said.

Lily grinned. “And how do you know this?”

She’d come this far. “Because I’m renting the house next to Abe’s and I thought Easton was the one who owned the business and we’ve gone on two dates.”

“And he told you who he was. You’re upset over that? Or just embarrassed you didn’t know? I don’t remember him being the type of person that would purposely deceive anyone.”

“Embarrassed,” she said. “I said a few things about my opinion of lawyers not knowing he was one. I didn’t have the best experience with my ex and his family and they own a law firm.”

“Got it,” Lily said. “It’s hard when you’ve got preconceived notions. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I had some things I wasn’t honest about in my life too. Not lying, just not volunteering. Sometimes it was because it was no one’s business. Other times, it was my choice and I didn’t think it was a big deal. People are going to judge you regardless of the facts anyway. I think it’s better to know the truth yourself and be the bigger person.”

“I’m the small person on this. I need to apologize and it’s hard. I like him. I want to go on another date.”

“Do you think he’ll be receptive to the apology?”

“I hope so,” she said. “If not, it’s all on me.”

“There is only one way to find out,” Lily said. “But that step can usually be the hardest.”

“Yep. Crow tends to stick in my throat.”

Lily laughed. “I developed a big appetite for that when I was dating Zane.”

“No one would know it looking at you two now.”

“Because when someone is willing to put the work in, things always fix themselves in the end,” Lily said.

“Good advice to have. Thanks.”

“Any time,” she said. “And I’ll keep quiet about this. Once Poppy finds out, she’ll be in here telling you the ways to seduce him to get him where you want him.”

“I don’t need help with those things. I don’t like those games, though they can be fun.”

“Then certainly can,” Lily said and then left.

Laurel pulled her phone out and sent a text to Easton to see when they could talk before she lost her nerve.