Daniel glanced from the overflowing bookshelves of Amanda's law office to the
desktop and a credenza piled high with papers. "Why doesn't Miss Goth--"
"Julie," said Amanda with a frown.
"Fine. Why doesn't Julie do your filing?"
"She does."
Daniel scanned the room again, biting his tongue.
Amanda followed his gaze. "She's learning," she clarified.
"You mean it used to be worse?"
After some hesitation, Amanda set the stack of files down on a wide window
sill behind her. "Did you stop by just to insult my staff?"
From his vantage point, it looked like Amanda had blocked the air conditioning
with her files. "How long has she worked here?"
"Two, two and a half--"
"Weeks?"
"Years."
"Oh."
"Don't 'oh' me like that. Just because Elliott Publications restricts
their administrative staff to PhD candidates--"
Daniel jumped at the opening, narrow as it was. "I wasn't comparing you
to Elliott Publications."
She arched a brown.
"I was comparing you to Regina and Hopkins."
The brow arched higher. "Who won?"
He sighed. "Amanda."
"Seriously, Daniel. How did I stack up to a cold, calculating, profit-obsessed,
inhuman firm like Regina and Hopkins?"
Whoa. Where had that come from? Daniel blinked at his ex wife.
She scooped another armload of files and glanced around. "Thought so."
From what he could see, she was randomly rearranging the mess.
"Why do you act like efficiency and profit are dirty words?" he asked.
She smacked the files down on the one vacant corner of the credenza. "Because
'efficiency' as you so carefully term it is an excuse to treat people as profit
generators."
Daniel shifted that through his brain for a second. "People are
profit generators. You hire good people, you pay them a fair salary, and they
make money for your company."
"And who decides who the good people are?"
"Amanda--"
"Who decides, Daniel?"
He paused, trying to figure out what she was asking. "The Human Resources
Department," he ventured.
Amanda pointed at the closed office door. "Julie is a good person. She
might not be the best typist or filer in the world. And she'd never make
it past the screeners at Elliott Publications, but she's a very good person."
"I believe you," said Daniel in a conciliatory tone, gesturing for
her to sit back down, while wondering when, exactly, his wife had lost her mind.
Amanda plunked into her chair. "She deserves a chance."
Daniel followed suit. "Where did you find her?" Surely it wasn't
through any of the reputable employment agencies.
"She's a former client."
"A criminal?"
Amanda threw up her hands. "An accused criminal. Jeez Daniel,
just because they arrest you, doesn't make you guilty."
"What was she accused of?"
Amanda's lips pursed for a split second. "Embezzlement."
Daniel stared at her in stunned amazement. "Embezzlement?"
"You heard me."
This time, he stood up, taking a pace across the small room. "You hired
an embezzler to run your law office?"
"I said she was accused, damn-it."
"Was she innocent?"
"There were extenuating circumstances--"
"Amanda!"
Her eyes hardened defensively. "This is really none of your business,
Daniel."
Daniel clamped his jaw. He could see how she might have that perspective.
They'd gotten off on the wrong foot here. It was his fault. He should have
orchestrated the conversation more carefully.
He sat down. Then he leaned forward. "You have a soft spot, Amanda. You
always have."
She leaned forward too, over the desk, looking directly into his eyes. "If
by a 'soft spot' you mean I look at people as more than drones, you're right."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She tapped her pen rapidly against the opposite hand. "You want to critique
my hiring practices? Let's take a quick look at yours."
"My people are the best," he defended.
"Tell me about some of your people."
"My secretary, Nancy, has a college diploma in business administration,
and she's a expert computerized office tools."
"Does she have any kids."
"I don't know."
"Is she married?"
Daniel thought about that. "I don't think so." Nancy never had a
problem with working late. If she had a husband and a family, it might bother
her more.
"Here's a pop quiz for you, Daniel. Give me the name of an employee's
spouse. Any employee's spouse."
He quickly named his daughter-in-law. "Misty."
"That's cheating."
Daniel grinned. "You did say any of them."
"You know what your problem is?"
"I'm smarter than you are?"
She threw the pen at him.
He ducked.
"You have no soul," she said.
For some reason, her words hit harder than they should have. "I guess
that is a problem," he said softly.
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