Page 52 of The Lawyer
“Right. You have your usual Monday appointments.” I move the stalemate to purely professional grounds, hoping that will ease the tension between us. I’ve not had a chance to go through all the emails and messages yet, but I hope that he has, indeed, been able to handle anything pressing.
When the terse conversation regarding work is over, I leave the office, at least hopeful that we’ve made it through one meeting together without resorting to screaming or fucking.
~
For the rest of the morning, I organise the mess that is my inbox. Papers to sign, policies that need approving and minutes of meetings that need filing and completing—all mundane jobs that keep me occupied—but I also find a request from GeraldineWatkinson, for a follow-up appointment regarding that book. Remembering how adamant Landon was about not seeing her again, I send a polite decline.
He's busy all morning with meetings, so there’s little time to be alone together again. I shouldn’t be so impatient, but at some point, we do need to have a conversation. Work isn’t the best place, but I’m too anxious to know how he feels to care. The thought makes me pull up his calendar and squeeze in a half-hour lunch tomorrow.
“Hello. I’m here to see Mr Broderick.” The author I recognise barges into my office with her bag on her arm.
“Um, excuse me. How did you get up here?” Main reception only ever lets up meetings that are scheduled on Landon’s calendar. Nothing is. Maybe someone else in the building has approved it?
“I have an appointment, regardless of your little email earlier today. It’s been cleared with Anthony Broderick, so I suggest you let me through.”
“No.” I stand and stop her from going further. “I work for Mr Broderick, and he’s said no to this. If you have a problem, I suggest you go back to Mr Broderick Senior yourself. You seem perfectly happy to toss his name around as if it’s a magic key to whomever you want to see.” I cross my arms and stand my ground.
“Why, you little trollop. You can’t talk to me like that.”
“I can, and I will. Now leave. Security!” I call, hoping someone might hear. Sadly, we don’t actually have security on this floor, but help comes from Landon’s office.
I hear the door open but don’t turn around.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, Mr Broderick. This girl seems to think she has more authority than your father. If you would be so kind as to put her right.”
“Ms Watkinson, I have no intention of sitting down with you again, and I doubt my father has sanctioned this at all without emailing me. In fact ...”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see him pull his phone from his jacket and I wait for whatever might come next, but as I turn back to look at the author, I realise she's gone.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself down from the rude, abrasive woman, I linger to hear what Landon and his father are discussing.
“What did I say to you? Did you not understand? I’m sick of you interfering, Father. I didn’t want to do this ridiculous interview in the first place. You have no right to force another ...” Landon walks back into his office, and I follow. “Well, who the hell did?” Another pause. I’m not leaving now. Something’s going on here, and I want to know what it is. “You think I’d do something like that? Why would I want that? This is all you.” He finally turns and looks towards me, moving his phone from his ear. “Get legal on the phone. I want to see her contract.”
I nod and leave, calling down to Tonya.
“Hi Tonya, I need the contract that Broderick Media has with Geraldine Watkinson. She’s the author doing a feature on the Broderick family for the fiftieth anniversary.”
“Um, okay. You know I don’t handle every single contract.”
“Well, you’re the head of legal, so if Landon wants a contract, you’re the one I call. This woman’s been interviewing all the Broderick siblings. She would have had some sort of agreement in place. Landon would have seen to it.”
I can hear the tapping of keys. “I’m sorry, there’s no contract with someone of that name.”
“What about a company name, a publisher or similar?”
“I’ll need more information to go on, Willow. We’re a media company and have hundreds of contracts. And if this was set up before he took over, maybe his father would know?”
Landon appears in front of my desk, and as I look up, he beckons for the phone, which I hand over.
“Listen, I want to know who that woman is, who hired her, paid her, and put her contract together, and I want it now. Do I make myself clear?” He slams the phone down without a response.
“Are you okay?” I offer.
“No. I’m fucking not,” he snaps before going back into his office and slamming the door.
Sitting at my desk and staring at the door, I decide to go and pay a visit to legal. What for, I'm not sure, but something is definitely not right here, and as PA to the CEO, part of my job is to make certain everything is correct as far as his work is concerned.
