Nate and I walked in silence down the hall. Neither of us uttered a word until we reached my office and he closed the door behind us.
“Looks like Building Services did a great job with your office. Did you select the furnishings?” Nate asked.
“Yes.” Surely, we didn’t amble over to my office to discuss the decor.
Nate strolled to the window, hands in his pockets. He jingled some coins or keys as he gazed onto the park below. “And of course the view . . . I love this view.” He turned and beamed at me. “How do you like your new space?”
“It’s very nice.”
“It is very nice. I want you to have whatever you need to be successful in this role. You have a tough job handling all the legal issues a company like Houghton can throw at you.” Then he cleared his voice in a “harumph-harumph” sort of way, like what he was about to say would be the most important thing since Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech. I released a deep sigh before slumping into my chair. Nate hadn’t come to my office to see anything. I could smell a lecture coming.
“I sensed a little tension in the room back there with Jonathan.”
“Well, I wasn’t happy with Jonathan. But I’m more troubled by the threat Max just made to me.”
“Max is a cantankerous old goat. Look past him. Now as for Jonathan, he brought the Libertad deal to the table. This is his baby. Of course, I want you to bring your perspective and your particular talents to this team. But first . . . first, you need to get a sense for how things work up here, how we get things done, and how we support one another. If you’re gonna be successful up here on Twenty, you’ve got to build yourself a circle of allies.”
I nodded. He was right. I’d broken the first rule of corporate politics: protect your ass with allies. “It’s just that I have zero information on the Libertad deal. I can’t get access to Michael’s emails. I just want to make sure I’m on top of all Houghton’s legal matters.”
“I can appreciate that. But people like Jonathan require a deft hand. Open confrontations with him aren’t the wisest course.”
I listened, but it pissed me off that I had to adjust my behavior to accommodate what was clearly sexist, probably racist, conduct on their part.
Nate raised an eyebrow and collected a deep breath before he spoke. “You know there’s something my daddy once told me. An old proverb. ‘When elephants fight, the only thing that suffers is the grass.’ When the folks with all the power bicker, innocent folks get hurt in the process. You all try to work things out. Just remember, I’m squarely in your corner. But I want you to work on getting others on board.” Nate sauntered back across the room and eased into one of the linen guest chairs. “You know, some folks weren’t happy with my selection of you as GC. Some folks said they didn’t know enough about you, that I’d plucked an unknown out of the Legal Department. But I know you’re smart and you get things done. So why don’t you work on making ’em see what I see in you. Okay?”
“Okay.” I gave a fragile smile. “Thanks for the support.”
“You’re family, Ellice. All of us are. You know why I treat folks around here like family?” Nate asked. “It’s ’cause this company was started by family. My granddaddy started this company with an old Ford Zephyr he drove around making deliveries down in Henry County. He built this company from nothing. And as long as I’m in charge, I’ll do everything within my power to make sure this company is viable and competitive in the marketplace. I fight every single day for this company.”
Nate shifted his gaze out at the rain thrashing against the window. “My son died when he was just sixteen. My only child. Drunk driver. His momma was never the same after.” Nate gave a long wistful sigh. “I had it all planned out. I’d bring him in here. I’d teach him everything I know, and he’d take over when I stepped down.” Nate went silent.
I stared down at my hands. It was almost like I was listening in on a secret conversation I shouldn’t be privy to.
He finally piped up. “We’re family here at Houghton. You know why I treat folks around here like family?” Nate asked. “It’s ’cause this company was started by family. My granddaddy started this company with an old Ford Zephyr he drove around making deliveries down in Henry County. He built this company from nothing. And as long as I’m in charge, I’ll do everything within my power to make sure this company is viable and competitive in the marketplace. I fight every single day for this company.”