Page 5 of Love Redesigned
No, it was a huge deal. “Isaac, I’m not having dinner with Dani.”
“Why not? You said you wanted a chance to explain yourself. Now I’ve given you one.”
“But she doesn’t even know I’ll be there,” I said. “Does she even know I work for you? We can’t just spring that on her.”
“She knows you work for me. I told her right after I hired you that you were helping with my taxes and stuff.”
“Hiring an accountant to do your taxes is entirely different than hiring an accountant to be your full-time business manager.”
“Right,” Isaac said, his voice annoyingly even. “I told her taxes...andstuff.I didn’t tell you not to reach out and clarify your new job description, man. You could have explained things to her yourself whenever you wanted.”
Isaac made it sound so simple, but he had no idea how complicated things really were. I wanted Dani to know why I left without any explanation, without even saying goodbye. But there were some things I couldn’t explain. Not just because I didn’t want to. But because legally, Icouldn’t.
Not as long as she worked for LeFranc.
After settling with the photographer, and agreeing on a deadline to receive the proofs, we took a cab to the hotel. I still had an apartment in the city and wished we could have stayed there. It would have been more comfortable than any hotel room. But it was presently sublet to a pair of Swedish ballerinas who I didn’t think would appreciate accommodating a pair of unexpected house guests.
Before pulling away from the curb, our cab driver looked over his shoulder and immediately recognized Isaac. “Dude, are you Random I?” he said, his voice full of enthusiasm. “I love your stuff.”
Isaac nodded. “Hey, thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
The driver held up his phone. “Do you mind?”
I leaned out of the frame while Isaac leaned forward, smiling into the corner of the guy’s selfie.
“I love the weekly kindness challenge,” the driver went on. “I had somebody leave me a fifty dollar tip the other day. Hashtag Random I.”
“Hey, that’s awesome,” Isaac said. “It’s what I love to hear. Just be sure to pay it forward. That’s the whole idea, right?”
“Right on, man,” the driver said.
It wasn’t the first time random strangers had approached Isaac to tell him about ways his weekly kindness challenges had influenced their lives. The challenges had developed their own cult following; people completed them then posted and shared videos of their experiences on social media.
“You still haven’t told me why you need another meeting with Rizzo,” I said to Isaac, once the gushing fan bit from the cab driver had subsided.
He shrugged, not even looking up from his phone. “It’s not a big deal. He just wants to review the details one more time.”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t question further. At least not verbally. I was a bit territorial when it came to the charity event I’d been planning with Isaac. It was part of why he’d hired me. My primary responsibility was to make sure he managed his money in a way that would help it last, but he also hoped I could help to improve his brand and broaden his reach.
A YouTube channel is a pretty self-serving entity by default, so I admired his desire to turn his success into something more meaningful than the notoriety of his own name. Though, it was admittedly challenging to find a balance between my Harvard educated professionalism and...I didn’t even have a word to describe what Isaac was.
Still, I couldn’t criticize. He was really good at what he did. His tech news was always insightful, his comedy was sharp, and the kindness challenges were obviously making an impact. At the same time, in the last episode I’d seen Isaac film, he’d issued the weekly challenge while sitting in a bathtub full of chocolate pudding.
I respected him, yes. That didn’t mean I always understood him.
“You think I ought to let Rizzo have two teams?” Isaac asked.
“Of course not. Why should he get two?”
“He says he’s bringing twice as many viewers as the rest of us.”
“Is that what this dinner is about?”
“Cool your jets,” Isaac said. “We’re just talking about it.”
I held up my hands. “You cannot cave to his pressure. We’ve set things up well. Five YouTubers. Five teams. This isn’t about him anyway. It’s for charity. It shouldn’t be about him feeling more important than anyone else.”
“Fine, I get it. I’ll tell him no on the second team.”
