The Boss Project by Vi Keeland

“Is that every day?”

“Weekdays, when the market is open.”

“Do they work weekends?”

“Usually. But not like weekdays. The analysts tend to work more than the traders on the weekends when it’s quiet. The traders might work half a day on Saturday and then take off until the following evening. They usually start back Sunday night when the international markets begin opening.”

“So twelve to thirteen hours a day, five days a week, and then five to six hours on weekends each day? Does that sound right?”

I did the math as he thought about it and nodded.

“So seventy to eighty hours a week would be the norm?”

He shrugged. “I guess.”

“And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“How many hours do you work?”

“I’m always the first one in and usually one of the last to leave.”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“That depends on what it is.”

“Are you married?”

“No.”

“Were you ever?”

Merrick shook his head. “Engaged once. Not anymore.”

“Don’t you find it difficult to maintain a relationship while working that many hours?”

“The divorce rate in this country is fifty-one percent. I think most people find maintaining a relationship difficult, and the majority of them work nine-to-fives. But to answer your question, no. It’s not impossible to have a relationship. Both parties just need to have the right expectations about how much time they’ll have available.” He leaned in. “Here’s the thing about this job—it’s all about expectations. You need to learn how to set them and meet them. The job is not easy. The time commitment is not for everyone. But it’s a choice. And if you can’t hack it? Leave. But don’t sue me on the way out because you couldn’t put in the work.”

I tapped the pen in my hand against the top of the notebook I’d closed ten minutes ago. “So you think the only people who need a little help with their stress are the people who can’t hack the job?”

“I think that’s the case the majority of the time, yes.”

I smiled. “I think we’ve found the root of the problem.”

“And I assume you’re still inferring it’s me? After what—has it been an hour you’ve been here yet?”

“You set the tone in this office. It must be difficult to live up to your standards, if not impossible. That’s bound to trickle down to the employees at every level.”

“So I should lower my standards to make this a more pleasant place to work?” He locked eyes with me. “I don’t bend. People need to reach.”

“Have you ever seen a therapist?”

Merrick sat back in his chair. “You won’t be counseling me, Ms. Vaughn.”

“Doctor Vaughn. And I thought all of the employees were mandated to have monthly sessions.”

“I’m not an employee. I’m an owner. And if you read through the board minutes, you’ll see that I made sure their mandate for therapy was very specific in not including me.” He reached up to the two monitors on his desk and turned them on before checking his watch. “If you don’t have any other questions, I need to start my day.”

I nodded and stood. “Thank you for your time.” But as I reached the door, Merrick spoke again.

“Evie?”

I turned back. “Finally, he calls me Evie and not Ms. Vaughn…”

The corner of his lip twitched. “I just wanted to say that while I may be strong willed, I can admit when I’m wrong… And I am. I shouldn’t have hired you.”

My face fell.

“My goal was to hire someone incompetent to prove a point. But I can already tell you’re not.”

“I think there was a compliment buried in there somewhere, wasn’t there?”

Merrick looked like he tried not to smile, but failed as he shook his head and turned to face his monitors. “Try not to soften my troops too much on your first day.”





CHAPTER 7

Merrick



It was almost eight by the time I shut down for the day. On my way out, I took the stairs down one flight to the other floor we occupied to drop off a package in the mailroom. The hallway lights on both floors ran on motion sensors, so most of the corridors were dark by now, with the majority of the staff gone. But as I turned left, I noticed light streaming into an otherwise dark hall to my right. It looked like it might be Evie’s office, so I diverted to pass by.

She was talking on her cell, but smiled and held up one finger when I stopped.

“Dave, huh? What’s the story behind that?” she said into the phone. Evie’s smile widened as she listened. Her eyes twinkled. “Oh my God.” She covered her mouth in laughter. “That’s hysterical. And you’re right, it’s good information to keep tucked in my back pocket.” After another minute, she said, “I have to run. My boss just came into my office. But thank you for checking on me.” She laughed again before saying goodbye and tossing her cell on the desk.

“That sounded interesting,” I said.

Her smile widened. “Oh, it was interesting, alright. That was Kitty.”