Page 7 of Rude Boss 2

“I’m a man of my word.”

“We’ll see. And it’s not just me you should be better to, Essex. It’s everybody who works for you. These people are hardworking employees of yours who are just trying to survive day by day. And guess what? They all have problems just like you. Do you think Shanice enjoys being yelled at all the time?”

He shrugs. “How would I know?”

“I’ll answer that for you. No, she doesn’t. She’s one scolding away from having a nervous breakdown. She looked like she was about to cry when I barged into your office.”

“So did you.”

And I was. I was so upset, tears automatically swelled in my eyes.

I say, “I was, but that’s because I was seething mad. I couldn’t believe you gave me the card back when I gave it to you out of the goodness of my heart. I really did. Explain that to me.”

“There’s nothing to explain,” he says. “I was upset. That’s all.”

“Upset with me?”

“No.”

“So, you were upset with someone else and you took it out on me?”

“That’s fair to say.”

I sigh, take my plate from the table and eat a little more. I say, “I’m sure your mother was a lovely woman, and like my mother did with me, I’m certain your mother told you to treat people the way you want to be treated.”

“Yes, she did.”

“So, just try to do that. It’s really that simple. It doesn’t require a lot of effort either.”

“You’re right.”

“I am?”

“Yes, Tessie. You are.”

He finishes his meal and sets the plate on the table.

“Tell me about your mother.”

“Like what?” he asks, completely detached. “What do you want to know?”

“How was she as a mother? Was she nurturing? Did she let you get away with stuff that your father wouldn’t have?”

“She was a good mother. She was supportive of me before I started the business. That I can say with accuracy.”

“Before…so didn’t support you after you started DePaul & Company?”

“No. Not at all. She said it changed me.”

“Hmm…did it?”

He releases an exaggerated sigh.

“I’m sorry. Am I asking too many questions?”

“No, you’re fine. It’s just having to relive this constant argument with her. I tried to tell her—people are not supposed to stay stagnant. We grow. We change. So, yes, it did change me, but she would’ve preferred that I stayed a nobody.”

“That’s kind of harsh to call yourself anobody.”

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