Page 11 of Dear Grumpy Boss

I spent the first part of my day reading through employee manuals, stopping every few minutes to meet new coworkers. I memorized a few of their names, but there were so many new faces, all young, fresh, outdoorsy, they blended together.

When I wasn’t reading, I was watching the inner workings of the office out of the corner of my eye. Richthink had been quiet, people staying huddled in their cubes most of the day. Here, people laughed freely. They stopped by each other’s desks, spoke, shared computer screens. It was early, but the striking differences made me optimistic about my future here.

Halfway through the day, just as my stomach started to growl, two people approached my desk. I looked up and blinked. A tall, lanky man stood beside a short, button-nosed woman I recognized as the receptionist from earlier. Together, they were strikingly similar to Lani and Brandon.

“Hey, newbie. We’re going down to the cafeteria for lunch. Want to join?” The man’s accent was half British, half Colorado.

The woman nodded, her curls bouncing. “Please come with us. I’m prepared to gossip about all our coworkers, if that’s incentive to you.”

With a laugh, I grabbed my purse from where I’d stashed it in my desk. I’d been braced to eat lunch on my own, but this was a much better offer. “That’s definitely incentive.”

In the elevator down to the first floor, I turned to the Lani and Brandon lookalikes. “I’m really sorry, but I have no idea what your names are. It’s just…I met so many people—”

The man turned toward the back wall, attempting to hide his snicker. Lani Two stuck out her hand. We shook.

“I’m Rebecca. That wanker is Simon. Lived in the States since he was seven and still clinging hard to that accent.”

Simon, in an Andes pullover and khaki pants, smoothed a hand down his chest. “Don’t spill all my secrets, cricket. We’re trying to charm the newbie so we’re not stuck with just each other at lunch every day.”

He winked at me in a way that let me know we were batting for the same team. I was beginning to suspect he and Rebecca really were the Colorado Lani and Brandon.

“Everyone calls me Lise, by the way. I dropped theEback in high school.”

Rebecca bobbed her head. “Efficient. I like it.”

The cafeteria, like the rest of Andes headquarters, was open and bright, with windows from floor to ceiling. I nabbed a veggie burger and sweet potato fries then found a seat with Rebecca and Simon.

Rebecca launched right in. “Okay, basics. I’m married to Sam, high school sweetheart. Simon is single and ready to mingle…with men, in case you were wondering. The best bathroom is on the third floor. The best snacks are in the fifth-floor common area—you just have to avoid Matilda, fifth’s receptionist. If she sees you, you’ll be stuck talking to her for a solid hour. Ummm…what else?”

She tapped her fingers against her temple. “Oh! You can get Andes clothes at cost from the company store.” She gestured to her fitted hoodie and utility skirt. “Before I worked here, I wouldn’t have been caught dead dressing like this, but in all honesty, it’s incredibly comfortable.”

Simon tore his roll apart and dipped a piece in his soup. “Yup. Everyone wears Andes around here. I know we all look like Lemmings, but I swear, once you’ve been here a little while, you’llwantto look like Outdoor Barbie.”

Rebecca agreed. “It’s something in the air.”

Weston had started Andes in college. He’d invented a filler for coats that was thin, more environmentally sound than down or cotton, yet trapped heat inside and kept cold out better than anything on the market. Over the last decade, Andes had expanded from coats to an outdoor lifestyle brand with standalone stores all over the world. Even the US winter Olympic team wore Andes. Weston had created something huge, all from an idea he’d had when he was twenty.

Aside from the coat he’d given me when I was still in high school—that I hadn’t worn—I’d never owned a piece of Andes clothing. I wasn’t planning to start now.

I tugged at the collar of my blazer. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to give up business casual. It’s too ingrained in me.”

Rebecca tipped her kombucha toward me. “I’ll be waiting with an ‘I told you so’ the first time you come to work in a puffer vest.”

My nose scrunched. “No. There is absolutely no way I’m adding puff to myself. That won’t be happening. I’ve already got enough going on.”

That made them both laugh, but it was true. I’d spent my adult years honing my style. I could do casual, but hoodies and sweats made me look like I’d spent all day on the couch and didn’t give a damn about myself. Then again, Andes hoodies were a lot more sleek than the ones I’d owned in the past…

I stopped my train of thought. Had I already been infected by the brainwashing air pumping in through the vents?

“Okay, okay. Enough about clothes.” Simon patted his mouth with his napkin. “Let’s discuss the real tea—you. Where are you from? Why are you so cute? What did you do before you joined us?”

Rebecca smacked his arm. “We’re supposed to be dishing about Andesthenprying into Lise’s personal life. You’re going out of order.”

He rolled his eyes. “All right, fine. Here are the basics: most people are team players. If they’re not, they learn pretty quickly Weston Aldrich doesn’t play that game. There was this guy who joined the creative team last year, Dave from Canada—”

Rebecca groaned. “Oh, Dave from Canada, why did you have to give your homeland a bad name?”

“Right? Canadians are supposed to be friendly, then there was Dave. He was a squirrelly fellow, but we’re naive little lambs drinking the Andes water, so of course we trusted him. After a brainstorming session with the visual team, Dave trotted up to Weston’s office and presented the team’s ideas as his.”

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