Page 55 of True Colors

“I got to know her,” I admit, and realized I was a jackass. “I misunderstood her."

“Men-derstood her,” she corrects, smirking. “That kind of judgmental nonsense is exclusive to your species.”

I raise both hands, palms out. “I accept that I was in the wrong. But….”

“But?”

“She’s not client-ready, Dot.”

Dot sighs elaborately, makes a production out of it. “What does that even mean?”

“It means impressing the client. If our presentation is shabby, then they won’t trust our numbers, our plan.”

Dot purses her lips. “She has a physiological condition, Luther. It qualifies as a disability. It’s not who she is.”

I exhale long and hard. “I know. I want to give her more visibility, Dot. I just need to be careful how and when I do it.”

Dot glares at me.

“Look, there are people who don’t present well, and we don’t put them in front of clients and important stakeholders, right?” I continue. “This is no different.”

I see disappointment flare in Dot’s eyes. “She’s a good presenter, just slow because she takes more time than others. She knows her numbers and data better than anyone else.”

“You’re preaching to the choir here, Dot.” I lean forward. “I promise I’m going to take care of her.”

Dot sobers quickly. “Okay. But keep an eye on Erin.”

I stare momentarily thrown. “What does Erin have to do with this?”

Dot sighs the sigh of a woman who has seen too much corporate nonsense. “Erin doesn’t handle competition well. She sees Anouk as a threat.”

“Anouk isn’t competing with her.”

“But Erin thinks she is.” Dot puts her hands on my desk and holds my gaze. “Luther, Erin is corrosive. Smart, useful, hardworking—but she bulldozes to get her way. She’s not senior-executive material.”

There’s some truth to that. But still….

“She’s my right hand,” I argue. “Erin does a lot for me—she’s indispensable.”

“No one is indispensable,” Dot retorts dryly. “Coach her if you want. But watch her. Especially around Anouk.”

I know Dot, and she isn’t one to just say things for the sake of it. I will need to pay closer attention to Erin as a leader to assess her abilities.

“I will.”

Dot rises, takes her phone, and slides it into her pants pocket. “A good leader builds a team that amplifies the company values, not undermines.”

I can’t shake off what Dot said about Erin—it plagues me all day. But so does the woman who I see walking up to the elevator bay, where I’m already waiting for the car.

The truth is that my head is full of her.

The way she tucks loose strands of hair behind her ear.

The way she smiles quietly when she’s pleased with her work.

The way she looks at spreadsheets is like they’re poetry.

And the way the world feels…better around her.