“A mistake,” Grace echoed. That description hurt more than she’d expected, even though part of her agreed. And what Alex said about being more professional was foreboding, too. Did “professionalism” mean an end to their sessions of brainstorming and working together over takeout?
“Well, that should be all,” Alex said. “Let me know if you have any questions.”
“Good luck with the testing,” Grace responded. She stood and left, quickly, before either she or Alex could say anything else.
Over the next few weeks, Grace fell into a pattern of work. After their conversation, Alex mostly went back to normal. He called on her in meetings again, asked for her help with bugs, andpraised her work, just like before. He didn’t talk to her about anything personal, and he seemed to be trying to avoid spending time alone with her, but at least their professional relationship was intact.
Grace spent more time with her colleagues, especially Autumn. She worked hard on the update. She focused on her professional life and put her personal one aside, as she’d always done.
The more time that went by like that, the more Grace hoped this would all just blow over.
And then…
The night before the launch, everyone stayed late, cleaning up last-minute details and stressing out over potential issues. Alex ordered takeout for the whole office, and it felt a little like a sleepover to Grace. The secure laptop was passed around, with everyone doing final reviews of the code, and black coffee kept everyone going until late in the night. Even Louisa, who usually went home on time, stayed to help. Finally, Grace stumbled home for a few hours before coming back to the office on launch day, ready to see how the rollout went and to help with debugging as needed.
When she arrived, though, the office was in a frenzy. The few employees who’d come in before her were wide-eyed and frantic. Dennis ran from room to room, shaking his head as he emerged from each. A bad feeling settled in Grace’s stomach, and she looked around for anyone who could provide clarity on the situation.
“You’re here.” Autumn hurried toward Grace, looking frazzled. Her blouse was untucked, and her hair was messy. “Where is it?”
“What’s happening?” Grace countered. “Where’s what?” She spread her hands wide in a gesture of confusion. “I have no idea what’s going on.”
“I think you do.” Autumn sighed, a little of her frantic energy draining. “Come on.” She led Grace down the hall to the team office, where she gestured for her to sit. “Wait right here. Don’t move.”
She returned a few minutes later with a security guard.
“Whoa,” Grace said, jumping to her feet. “What’s happening?”
“The laptop is missing,” Autumn said. “We found out when we got in this morning. And, according to the log, you were the last one to check it out.”
Grace’s eyes widened and her stomach flipped. “That may be, but we were all using it last night, and I’m sure I returned it to Alex’s office after I did.”
“Well, it isn’t there,” Autumn said sharply. “Think about it, Grace. Did you put it somewhere? Take it home? Give it to someone else?”
“No!” Grace shook her head. “I have no idea where it is. I was using it late last night, but I swear, I took it back to Alex’s office. Someone must have used it after me and forgotten to sign it out.”
“Is there anyone who can verify that?” Autumn asked.
“I’m not sure.” Grace ran a hand through her short hair. “It was all so chaotic last night with the last-minute changes, but there were lots of people there. I’m sure someone saw me.”
“Well, no one did.” Autumn sighed. “Is there any other way you can prove you returned the laptop?”
“Actually, yes,” Grace said, her spirits soaring at the sudden realization. “I filled in the sign-out document as usual. I definitely signed the laptop back in. Just check the document.”
“We have, and your name isn’t there. To be honest, I’m in a really difficult position here, Grace. I want to believe that you didn’t steal the laptop, but it is missing. And that means that the update is stalled. Are you sure you didn’t drop it? Maybe leave it somewhere? If it was an accident, we’ll understand, and we can fix it.”
“I’m sure,” Grace said. “I didn’t take it, either on purpose or by accident. Come on, Autumn. We’re friends, aren’t we? I’m sure the laptop will turn up. Maybe someone took it home by mistake.”
“Didyoutake it home by mistake?” Autumn asked. Her tone was accusatory, and Grace already knew where this was going. Autumn was frantic. She was trying to solve this immediately. And Grace was the most likely culprit, even though she was innocent.
“I didn’t. I swear.”
“Well, I’m afraid that I don’t have any other choice.” Autumn stood up. “I’m as disappointed as you are, Grace, but it looks like you don’t have any alternative explanation for what happened, and you’re unwilling or unable to return the laptop. Maybe you took it home so that you could be the hero at the last minute and win Alex’s approval. Maybe you’re selling the data to another company. Maybe you just misplaced it. I really don’t know. But I can’t let you keep working here.”
The air left Grace’s lungs in a whoosh, as swiftly as if she’d been punched in the gut.
“You’re firing me?”
“Whether you made a mistake or stole the laptop on purpose, the fact remains that it was checked out to you when it disappeared. I want to believe that you didn’t take it, but when the laptop is checked out to you, it’s your responsibility, and we’re unable to prove that you returned it safely.”
