Bunch of bureaucratic B.S.”
“Four of us,” Alec pointed out.
“ Because you don’t know whether you’re overspending until you know what you’ve planned to spend,” Rae said, looking at Joe. “I’ve made it as simple as possible. I’ve prefilled the spreadsheets with all the line items I normally see, and even included some ballpark figures for things like trade show expense and salaries. All I need to know is which trade shows you’re thinking of going to, how many initial hires you’ve decided on, what software programs you want everyone to have. Which I need to know anyway,” she pointed out, “so I can get them ordered and installed on all the machines just as soon as they arrive. Before your new staff starts showing up. But yes. I do need to get some figures in there.” Her low, soft voice was still calm, the only indication of tension the barely audible click of her ballpoint under the table. “I’ll need to show some preliminary financials to the board next week.”
“You need to spend money to make money.” That was Brandon.
“She doesn’t get that. Going to be n ickel and diming us. Like being nibbled to death by ducks.” Joe again.
“I understand that you need to spend money, and so does the board,” Desiree said. “But your last venture’s financials were, frankly, a mess. The board never knew what was going on from one month to the next. They’re pretty tolerant of change, but they absolutely hate surprises. And I suspect that dealing with me’s going to be more pleasant than that scenario.”
“Dealing with you definitely has its points,” Brandon agreed, looking at her with a smile.
She gave him a cool look, and Alec heaved another inward sigh. Another gentle reminder was clearly called for. Because Joe hated her, and Brandon . . . didn’t.
“Well.” He set both palms on the shining surface of the table in a gesture of finality. “Sounds like we’re doing budgets. I’ll talk to you about it at ten, how about,” he said to Joe, “before our next interview, and to Brandon, say, eleven-thirty. And we’ll work it out.”
“And any time you know there’s going to be a variance,” Rae said, “you just need to inform me.”
“I knew it,” Joe growled. “Staff meetings. The ultimate time-suck.”
“I didn’t say staff meetings .” Rae looked at him levelly. “I said inform me. I’m two doors down from you. Stick your head in my door. Send me an email. Inform me.”
“Man,” Alec groaned when the other two men had left, and he’d put a hand out to stop Rae from leaving the room. He leaned back in his chair a t the head of the table, rocked a little in the plush leather. “You really know how to clear a room.”
“Hey,” she said. “I never even mentioned the employee manuals.”
He was the one who stuck his head in her door a few days later. She was sitting with their new clerical person, who was industriously taking notes. Veronica, Alec remembered as the thin, somewhat mousy young woman looked up at his entrance and turned a predictable shade of pink. A lot of name for a fairly plain young woman. Rae liked her, anyway, and having a good-looking woman at the front desk would be asking for trouble with all those cocky young code warriors around, legends in their own minds.
“Can I interrupt for a few minutes?” he asked. “Get you to join us in the conference room, Rae?”
“Sure,” she said. “Why don’t you go on back to the desk, start familiarizing yourself with HR Hero’s website,” she told Veronica. “Look over the hiring forms, and the employee manual section too. We need to get that in place.” She looked up at Alec with a gleam in her eye that had him laughing back at her. “Just as soon as possible, I’d say, wouldn’t you, Alec?”
“Oh, absolutely,” he agreed, stepping back to let Veronica scuttle past him, the color flaring even higher as she did, and waiting for Rae to join him.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Four of us,” Alec pointed out.
“ Because you don’t know whether you’re overspending until you know what you’ve planned to spend,” Rae said, looking at Joe. “I’ve made it as simple as possible. I’ve prefilled the spreadsheets with all the line items I normally see, and even included some ballpark figures for things like trade show expense and salaries. All I need to know is which trade shows you’re thinking of going to, how many initial hires you’ve decided on, what software programs you want everyone to have. Which I need to know anyway,” she pointed out, “so I can get them ordered and installed on all the machines just as soon as they arrive. Before your new staff starts showing up. But yes. I do need to get some figures in there.” Her low, soft voice was still calm, the only indication of tension the barely audible click of her ballpoint under the table. “I’ll need to show some preliminary financials to the board next week.”
“You need to spend money to make money.” That was Brandon.
“She doesn’t get that. Going to be n ickel and diming us. Like being nibbled to death by ducks.” Joe again.
“I understand that you need to spend money, and so does the board,” Desiree said. “But your last venture’s financials were, frankly, a mess. The board never knew what was going on from one month to the next. They’re pretty tolerant of change, but they absolutely hate surprises. And I suspect that dealing with me’s going to be more pleasant than that scenario.”
“Dealing with you definitely has its points,” Brandon agreed, looking at her with a smile.
She gave him a cool look, and Alec heaved another inward sigh. Another gentle reminder was clearly called for. Because Joe hated her, and Brandon . . . didn’t.
“Well.” He set both palms on the shining surface of the table in a gesture of finality. “Sounds like we’re doing budgets. I’ll talk to you about it at ten, how about,” he said to Joe, “before our next interview, and to Brandon, say, eleven-thirty. And we’ll work it out.”
“And any time you know there’s going to be a variance,” Rae said, “you just need to inform me.”
“I knew it,” Joe growled. “Staff meetings. The ultimate time-suck.”
“I didn’t say staff meetings .” Rae looked at him levelly. “I said inform me. I’m two doors down from you. Stick your head in my door. Send me an email. Inform me.”
“Man,” Alec groaned when the other two men had left, and he’d put a hand out to stop Rae from leaving the room. He leaned back in his chair a t the head of the table, rocked a little in the plush leather. “You really know how to clear a room.”
“Hey,” she said. “I never even mentioned the employee manuals.”
He was the one who stuck his head in her door a few days later. She was sitting with their new clerical person, who was industriously taking notes. Veronica, Alec remembered as the thin, somewhat mousy young woman looked up at his entrance and turned a predictable shade of pink. A lot of name for a fairly plain young woman. Rae liked her, anyway, and having a good-looking woman at the front desk would be asking for trouble with all those cocky young code warriors around, legends in their own minds.
“Can I interrupt for a few minutes?” he asked. “Get you to join us in the conference room, Rae?”
“Sure,” she said. “Why don’t you go on back to the desk, start familiarizing yourself with HR Hero’s website,” she told Veronica. “Look over the hiring forms, and the employee manual section too. We need to get that in place.” She looked up at Alec with a gleam in her eye that had him laughing back at her. “Just as soon as possible, I’d say, wouldn’t you, Alec?”
“Oh, absolutely,” he agreed, stepping back to let Veronica scuttle past him, the color flaring even higher as she did, and waiting for Rae to join him.
“What’s up?” she asked.
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