Page 92 of Fake It For Glory

I paused for a moment, allowing my words to sink in. I could see that my team was slowly beginning to regain their confidence in me. It was a start, but I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to be the kind of leader they deserved, the kind of leader they needed.

“Thank you all! Go home. Have a drink and let’s forget about today. I hope I’ll see you all back here tomorrow.”

As I walked back into my office, a weight lifted off my shoulders. I had a renewed sense of purpose, a drive to succeed, not just for myself, but for my team. I was determined to make amends, to be better, to do better.

Hattie followed behind me. “That was good,” she said. “Very motivational.”

“Do you think it worked?” I asked. “Do you think I’m going to lose some of them?”

“Honestly, you probably will, but that’s on them. If they can’t stick by you through some of the tricky stuff, you don’t need them. You weren’t a horrible boss before. That bitch exploited a few little instances. Like she’s never said a cross word.”

“Hattie, please don’t call her a bitch,” I said quietly.

“Jensen, she hurt you,” she snapped. “Calling her a bitch is about the nicest thing I can say right now.”

“I know you’re just looking out for me. I appreciate it.”

“You know I’ve got your back.” She looked at me and sighed. “I’m going home. You should go home, too. I hate to say it, but I think tomorrow is going to be even worse. Don’t get too drunk.”

I scoffed. “At this point, I don’t know if there is too drunk. There isn’t enough whiskey in the world to numb me and make me forget this day.”

She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I know, but you’re tough. It’s better you learned who she is now than down the road. Imagine if you would have married her. She would have destroyed you and taken half of everything.”