Perfect Partners

about your real career quite a lot.”
    “My former career,” she corrected neatly. “At any rate, one of the things I’m very good at is locating, analyzing, and summarizing information. I think I’ll call in one of the tent designers and…Oh, are we going to take the stairs?”
    “Yes.”
    “Fine. Well, as I was saying, I’m going to call in one of the tent designers and have him tell me exactly what he was going for in this particular model.”
    “I can tell you exactly what the designers were going for in this particular model. And I will be happy to do so as soon as we get to your office.”
    Joel shoved open the stairwell door and hauled Letty through the entrance. He hurried her up the steps to the next floor. When they reached it, he set such a swift pace down the hallway that she was forced to skip once or twice to keep up with him.
    She never once stopped talking about her plans for the manual revisions during the entire trip. Joel was ready to gag her by the time they walked through her office door.
    Arthur, apparently having located his missing contact lens, looked up. His eyes darted from Joel to Letty. When he got a good look at his new boss, his eyes widened in shock. “Ms. Thornquist, are you all right? Did something happen?”
    “A tent collapsed on me,” Letty said. “Think nothing of it. I expect that sort of thing is just one of the job hazards around here. Any messages, Arthur?”
    “Yes, ma’am. A Mr. Rosemont called and said to tell you that your new apartment is ready. You can pick up the keys today.”
    Letty smiled with obvious delight. “Wonderful. I am more than ready for a place of my own.” She started toward the inner office. “Come in, Mr. Blackstone. Let’s get to work on that manual.”
    Joel gritted his teeth. He was not accustomed to taking orders from anyone, let alone an interfering, unpredictable librarian who thought she could run Thornquist Gear. He stalked past Arthur’s desk, aware of the secretary’s barely concealed curiosity. Bigley’s expression reminded him of Cal Manford’s a few minutes earlier.
    He could see in Bigley’s eyes the same question he had seen in Manford’s: Who’s in charge around here?
    Joel knew if he did not get things back on track quickly the entire staff would begin questioning the chain of command.
    He closed Letty’s office door with a solid thud and paced across the room to the window. Letty sat down at her desk and opened the manual.
    “Let’s start at the beginning,” Letty said, turning pages swiftly.
    “Yeah, I think maybe we’d better.” Joel turned and walked back toward her desk. He planted both hands on the polished wood surface and leaned forward. “Ms. Thornquist, I don’t think you quite understand the command structure here at Thornquist Gear.”
    She raised her head and pushed her hair out of the way so that she could gaze at him with owlish concern. “I don’t?”
    “Let me spell it out for you. This is a corporation. I don’t know how things are handled in an academic library, but around here the chief executive officer is in charge.”
    “I realize that a CEO’s function is to see to the day-to-day operation of the company and make the executive decisions.”
    “Good. I’m glad you’ve got that. Now, then, it is crucial that the president of the company not undermine her CEO’s authority in the presence of others. She must appear to place her entire trust and confidence in him. Is that clear?”
    Letty began to look uneasy. “Of course. Are you trying to tell me that I’m undermining your position here at Thornquist Gear?”
    “Not yet, but it could happen if you continue to treat me like a very expensive executive assistant. I am not a gofer, Ms. Thornquist. I am the one who’s supposed to run this company.”
    “Oh, dear. I never meant to treat you like an
assistant
, for heaven’s sake.”
    He saw the appalled guilt in her eyes and barely controlled a smile of satisfaction. Much better. “People are starting to wonder who’s in charge. That question must never crop up around here. Do you understand that, Ms. Thornquist?”
    “Yes. Yes, of course.” She looked suitably subdued now.
    Joel took his hands off the desk. “This is your company,” he said gravely. “You have a right to learn as much or as little as you wish about it. But if you start casually countermanding my decisions or criticizing my actions in front of others, we’re all going to be in big trouble.