Page 82 of Love Is an Art
“Did you hire an outside company for help?” Tessa asks.
“It was mostly Roberto and me, but I consulted with an outside company because, obviously, neither of us has any design expertise. Still, we didn’t want to outsource, given our limited funds.”
I feel like my eyebrows raise, but I have to hand it to Tessa because she looks completely unfazed.
She’s good at hiding her emotions. So I won’t be able to read her.
Get your mind back in the interview. Pamela contradicting Roberto is a frickin smoking gun, and you’re thinking about Tessa. Roberto was adamant they did it themselves.
“That totally makes sense,” Tessa is saying. “And I love what you did. It has an amazing, inviting vibe but still conveys sophistication.”
Pamela smiles and leans back in her chair. “I’m pretty proud of how it came out.”
Tessa looks down at her notes. “Are there any other vendors or outside services you use, other than the outside recruiter?”
“I also consult an HR lawyer at our local law firm.”
“Of course.” Tessa nods. “That’s good to hear. On a related topic, how do you handle hotline cases?”
“They go to me—unless I’m implicated. If I’m implicated, then the call is referred to this employment law firm we’ve hired.”
“Why not send all the calls to outside counsel?”
“That would be ideal, but we’re worried about cost.”
“Have you had many? Before the investment, it looked like you only had one.”
“Yes.” Pamela winces.
“What happened there?”
Pamela tilts her head. “I interviewed the hotline caller. She alleged that Cameron was harassing her. He kept requiring her to stay late with him in the office and sometimes sit in his office to watch as he took calls. She thought he was abusing his authority and it felt inappropriate. Cameron said that he suggested that she watch him take calls as a training opportunity. He asked her to stay late because she was helping him with projects that had time-sensitive deadlines.”
“Did he ask only her to stay late? Not the other two women?” Tessa asks.
“The other two women in his department are working on their own projects. And they have families, so he didn’t ask them to stay late. They did not find his behavior harassing but said he can be very brusque. I counseled him on that. It was clear she felt uncomfortable, so then I asked him not to request her to stay late alone with him. But that situation wasn’t really tenable because they have to be able to work together. We offered her a severance package if she wanted to leave. And she took it.”
“And you haven’t hired a replacement?” Tessa asks.
“Not yet. Cameron said he could handle it. That it was easier to do it himself than train someone. He was understandably upset to be accused of harassment.”
“You told him?” Tessa asks the question in a flat manner, but it still sounds accusatory.
Pamela straightens. “Not in the beginning. But once I didn’t think it was actual harassment, yes, then I told him so he could understand how his behavior was being perceived and improve.”
Tessa asks her if she uses any other outside services, and Pamela confirms that there are no others.
Roberto knocks on the door. “Time for dinner. I’m sure it’s been a long day for you, and we want to make sure you also eat. We have made a reservation at Neuve Neuve at Casa Lamm. It’s within walking distance. We can drop your luggage off at your hotel on the way there.”
Ana comes in with another armful of documents. We agree to meet Roberto and Cameron in a few minutes in the reception area after we pack up. They leave, and Tessa flips through the folders.
“These documents relate to the office decoration and location. Let’s review them after dinner.” She puts the folders into her backpack. “It didn’t appear as though they needed to pay for any location scouting.”
The hotline call didn’t seem like the opening Tessa expected. But did we get anything with the inconsistency between what Roberto and Patricia said about the office decoration? That is a good lead.
Tessa is smart, and it’s a thrill when we’re on the same page.
This investigating together is definitely a problem.
