“So this has happened before?” Charlene inquired.
“Twice this month, not that you care.”
But I do.
“I can only imagine how frustrating this has been for you. Can you please give me your full address and I’ll have someone there today to rectify that.”
“I already gave you my name. You cash my check each month but you don’t know where I live? How many of these slums do you own?”
Slum sounded like the right word. Charlene felt confident that wherever this woman lived, the Lawsons had nothing to do with it. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to share that information. If she wasn’t careful, her first day, might be her last.
Taking a deep breath she said, “I’m new. Actually, this is my first day. I want to help, but I’m going to need you to work with me. I’m sure together we can get this resolved.” Charlene was hoping she wasn’t making a promise that she couldn’t keep.
“I’ve heard a lot of promises and no one ever comes through. No one cares.”
“I care. And I don’t make promises lightly. I’m not sure what the problem is, but I can tell you that I’ll have someone there today to find out what needs to be done. Is it a simple fix or something that might take more time? We won’t know till the professionals looks at it. Can you please give me a few hours to get the answer?”
“I have no bathroom. What am I to do until then? And I won’t even tell you how horrible my apartment smells right now.”
Charlene almost gagged just thinking about it. Poor woman. “I can send a car to pick you up and bring you to a hotel for the night. Would that work for you?”
“I can’t afford a hotel,” she barked.
“We will cover that expense.” Charlene knew she’d need to pass this all by the Lawsons, but she couldn’t see why they wouldn’t agree. This is great PR work.
“Okay. But if I get a bill…”
“You won’t. I will call you and give you the information once the car and hotel are booked.”
The woman sighed. “Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
As soon as she got off the phone Charlene headed right for Charles office. She needed to update him on what she’d just done. She also needed a way to schedule and pay for this too. It was day one and she already needed an expense account.
There was a hall of executive offices, with Charles being the last in line. When she went past Seth’s, she stopped. He already knew the situation. Although he might not agree with how she was handling it, at least she didn’t need to start from the beginning. God knows he doesn’t want to hear that story twice. She turned around and opted to knock on his door.
“Come in,” he called out.
Charlene opened the door and unfortunately Seth wasn’t alone. Dylan and Charles were there too. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in a meeting.” Actually she’d forgotten because he had mentioned one earlier.
“That’s fine. Did you need me for something?” he asked.
Of course she did, why else would she be there? “We can talk later.”
“We were just about done,” Charles said. “How is your first day going?”
Not like I expected.“I’m surviving.”
“Seth was telling us that you received an unusual call. Is that what you needed to talk about?”
Great. It hadn’t even been an hour and Seth was already sharing his doubt in her ability. He might be right, but she still wanted to pitch her ideas first.
“It is. So I don’t waste your time, has he given you all details?” They nodded. “Okay, well let me give you the update. This woman has a slum lord who has made promises and never followed through. Her living conditions sound horrendous.”
“And you suggest what?” Charles asked.
“That we put her up in a hotel for the night and send over a plumber to assess the issue.” It sounded very simple to her.
Dylan cocked a brow. “Why would we want to get involved with something that obviously is none of our business?”