Vachal worked closely with Cain. They became friends. When he was profiled by Ebony magazine in April 1988, she was featured in the spread, chatting with Cain from her desk.

She was close with other young women in the office, especially the assistants to Cain and the rest of the Godfather’s brass. They frequently huddled over lunch and coffee, discussing, among other things, their bosses, including the company’s gregarious chief executive.

And never once, she says, did a woman raise an eyebrow about Cain’s conduct. In fact, in an interview with National Review Online, Vachal says that during her entire career at Godfather’s Pizza, she never heard about any improper conduct, harassment, or inappropriate behavior by Cain, even in the form of water-cooler gossip. “Believe me, receptionists know everything,” she says. “They see everything.”…

As she sees it, Cain was likely misinterpreted by the women who received settlements. At Godfather’s Pizza, within the executive suite, he was always a professional, she says. But he did enjoy complimenting staffers, be it on their work or on their sharp outfits.

“He had a very teasing attitude,” Vachal recalls. “He reminded me of my father and me. We’re both little rascals; we love to tease people.”