ready to replace you as CEO? Is that your point?”
Michele Broussard’s laugh was short. “No, Eden. It’s not a matter, yet, of her replacing me, but Wendi needs to have the opportunity to adapt. She’s taken a huge leap from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics and we’re very lucky to have her. All I’m saying is that you could be more helpful.”
Your precious Wendi is no good! She wanted to say. Wendi will steal from this company just like she did from her last one.
Eden’s throat constricted with the effort to keep the words from spilling out. But she knew it wouldn’t do any good to tell Michele about Wendi having left her last job under a cloud of suspicious. The elderly woman couldn’t see the truth.
“How do you want me to be more helpful? I’m not sure I understand.” Her gut burning, Eden managed to keep her voice level.
“Wendi says you’re not being open with her,” Michele said. “That you withhold information she needs to make decisions on the Passions line.”
“What decisions has she been trying to make, Michele? She handed that line back to me within a week of you assigning to her. She’s not dealing enough with the line to make any decisions.” The older woman was her boss and once a friend, but Eden couldn’t keep the snap out of her voice. Michele needed to see the truth about her protégé. “I’m doing the work because she won’t do it.”
“Wendi can’t very well do her job if you interfere,” Michele declared, her face disapproving. “I would think you’d hesitate before making an enemy of the person who may very well be running the company in five or ten years.”
Keeping her anger firmly in check, Eden couldn’t resist pursuing the topic of Wendi’s eventual promotion. “I’d like to ask you about that, Michele. I was under the impression that I was in the running for that position when you decide to retire.”
“Now, Eden,” Michele fussed with the chunky Rolex encircling her thin arm, “I don’t know exactly what I may have said to make you think—I’m just not sure—Not everyone is cut out for the demanding job of running a company this size.”
“It’s not what I think you said, it’s what you did say. Up until three months ago. Now, you don’t think I can handle the job?” Eden made herself ask, so angry she could hear the faint tremor of rage in her own voice.
“I’ve come to realize that you’re a terrific personnel manager and you have had real moments of flare for research and development. I know how much you love this industry.” The older woman refused to meet her eyes. “But now, I’m not sure you’d be happy outside of those roles, Eden. I’m sorry, but I have to do what I think best for the company—“
Eden felt the thunder in her ears rise to a deafening level. She really had no choice. Michele had pushed her into this damned corner. All the ugly plays that kept surfacing in her head, she had to go through with them.
“—that’s why I brought Wendi in. I think you two could really compliment each other. She has a knack for leadership.”
A knack for avoiding work! And ripping off companies! Eden wanted to yell.
“I realize this is probably a disappointment to you now,” her boss went on. “But one day you’ll realize how unhappy you’d have been working outside of your area of expertise.”
“So,” Eden said, her voice diamond hard, “it’s my job to get Wendi—the woman who’s better equipped to run the company than I am—up to speed?”
“Wendi just needs you to stop making things more difficult,” Michele huffed. “She’s a very bright, energetic person.”
“I wasn’t aware that I was making her life difficult,” Eden responded, her tone barely civil. She’d tried and tried, but it seemed as if Michele was reinforcing the wisdom of her decision.
“I know.” Michele’s plastic smile stretched her face. “That’s why I asked you to come in today, so I could give
Michele Broussard’s laugh was short. “No, Eden. It’s not a matter, yet, of her replacing me, but Wendi needs to have the opportunity to adapt. She’s taken a huge leap from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics and we’re very lucky to have her. All I’m saying is that you could be more helpful.”
Your precious Wendi is no good! She wanted to say. Wendi will steal from this company just like she did from her last one.
Eden’s throat constricted with the effort to keep the words from spilling out. But she knew it wouldn’t do any good to tell Michele about Wendi having left her last job under a cloud of suspicious. The elderly woman couldn’t see the truth.
“How do you want me to be more helpful? I’m not sure I understand.” Her gut burning, Eden managed to keep her voice level.
“Wendi says you’re not being open with her,” Michele said. “That you withhold information she needs to make decisions on the Passions line.”
“What decisions has she been trying to make, Michele? She handed that line back to me within a week of you assigning to her. She’s not dealing enough with the line to make any decisions.” The older woman was her boss and once a friend, but Eden couldn’t keep the snap out of her voice. Michele needed to see the truth about her protégé. “I’m doing the work because she won’t do it.”
“Wendi can’t very well do her job if you interfere,” Michele declared, her face disapproving. “I would think you’d hesitate before making an enemy of the person who may very well be running the company in five or ten years.”
Keeping her anger firmly in check, Eden couldn’t resist pursuing the topic of Wendi’s eventual promotion. “I’d like to ask you about that, Michele. I was under the impression that I was in the running for that position when you decide to retire.”
“Now, Eden,” Michele fussed with the chunky Rolex encircling her thin arm, “I don’t know exactly what I may have said to make you think—I’m just not sure—Not everyone is cut out for the demanding job of running a company this size.”
“It’s not what I think you said, it’s what you did say. Up until three months ago. Now, you don’t think I can handle the job?” Eden made herself ask, so angry she could hear the faint tremor of rage in her own voice.
“I’ve come to realize that you’re a terrific personnel manager and you have had real moments of flare for research and development. I know how much you love this industry.” The older woman refused to meet her eyes. “But now, I’m not sure you’d be happy outside of those roles, Eden. I’m sorry, but I have to do what I think best for the company—“
Eden felt the thunder in her ears rise to a deafening level. She really had no choice. Michele had pushed her into this damned corner. All the ugly plays that kept surfacing in her head, she had to go through with them.
“—that’s why I brought Wendi in. I think you two could really compliment each other. She has a knack for leadership.”
A knack for avoiding work! And ripping off companies! Eden wanted to yell.
“I realize this is probably a disappointment to you now,” her boss went on. “But one day you’ll realize how unhappy you’d have been working outside of your area of expertise.”
“So,” Eden said, her voice diamond hard, “it’s my job to get Wendi—the woman who’s better equipped to run the company than I am—up to speed?”
“Wendi just needs you to stop making things more difficult,” Michele huffed. “She’s a very bright, energetic person.”
“I wasn’t aware that I was making her life difficult,” Eden responded, her tone barely civil. She’d tried and tried, but it seemed as if Michele was reinforcing the wisdom of her decision.
“I know.” Michele’s plastic smile stretched her face. “That’s why I asked you to come in today, so I could give
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