“Good morning.”
“This is where you’ll be working.” She motions to the huge workspace/reception desk. “The drawers and cabinets lock. I think Samantha, that’s who you’re replacing, placed her personal items—her purse and what not—in this bottom drawer.” She points to a drawer to the left of the computer under the desk.
“That’s perfect. Thank you,” I say politely.
“So, as we spoke in your interview, Samantha is no longer with us. We knew she was leaving, but not as soon as she did. We thought we had time to replace her and let her train the replacement, but that baby of hers decided to try and come early, so she’s on bed rest.”
“Oh, no. That’s awful. I hope that they’re both okay.” It’s the polite thing to say, and I really do hope they are all right.
“She’s doing great. Her fiancé is driving her crazy, but you’d just have to meet Jase to understand,” she says with a wide smile. “Anyway, she’s going to be working with you virtually. She insisted since she’s just sitting around, that letting her train you remotely would keep her sane.” Gail smiles fondly. It’s obvious how much she liked Samantha.
I smile at her and nod. I’m nervous as hell. My previous job was as an administrative assistant at a law firm. I spent my day answering phones, scheduling meetings, and fetching coffee and snacks for meetings. The firm was one of the largest in Seattle, and yet they seem small compared to this building that houses Riggins Enterprises. Riggins has locations all over the United States. This is a big jump for my career. It’s also good for my bank account as it’s a significant pay raise, and I can let the worry of kicking my old boss in the balls and quitting my job fall to the wayside. He deserved it. Trust me on this one.
“As we discussed, your position will be mainly to support the CEO. However, the other four executives have their offices on this floor as well, and you will also provide support to each of them. They are not nearly as needy as the CEO as he runs the entire operation. Oh, and they’re brothers.” Gail grins.
“That’s going to be confusing calling them all Mr. Riggins,” I say with a nervous laugh.
“Oh.” Gail waves her hand in the air. “They all go by their first names. It’s a laidback yet professional environment. They all say that Mr. Riggins is their father, Stanley, not them. He started this company all on his own.” She waves again. “That’s a story for another day. I have a printout here that has a picture of each of them with their names so you can keep them straight. Samantha actually created it and sent it over. I believe her exact words were, “It’s hard as hell to keep those Riggins boys straight.”
“So, I work for all five of them, but the CEO is the one who needs the most support?” I ask to clarify, taking the folder that I assume has the images of each brother that she’s trying to hand me.
“That’s correct. Your title is Executive Administrative Assistant, and your overall job is to provide support to the executives, which also happens to be all five Riggins brothers.”
“Got it.” I think, but I’m not going to tell her that. As long as I can learn each brother’s face and their roles here, I should be fine. I’m not against a little homework to give me an edge in the position.
She smiles. “It sounds more intimidating than it is. Trust me. They’re all big teddy bears. As I said, the CEO is the one who needs the most support, and he’s the one most upset about Samantha leaving us.”
“Oh.” I’m not sure what to say to that.
“Jase is his best friend.”
I stare at her blankly. I don’t know who Jase is.
“Jase is Samantha’s fiancé. Royce is not impressed that his best friend hit on his assistant and got her pregnant, and now he’s replacing her after five years. Once he took over, it took him a while to find an assistant that he meshed with. Royce isn’t one to like change. He likes routine and hates surprises.”
Royce.
I’ve gone twenty-six years never knowing anyone with that name. I move to Nashville, and suddenly there are two in a matter of days. What are the odds? Wait... Royce said he had four brothers. No. It can’t be. Can it? I realize that Gail is watching me, waiting for a reply. “Good to know,” I say with a smile, making her laugh. I’m glad she’s unaware of my internal freak-out. Could Royce, my Royce from the plane, be my new boss?
“We are a large corporation, but family-owned and operated. Riggins Enterprises doesn’t have the feel of a large organization. Sure, we occupy this entire building, as this is the main headquarters for all of the locations.” She chuckles when she sees the look on my face.