Julia flinches in my periphery.
“Nobody,” I say once more and look at each and every one of them.
Julia’s head is down and focused on her notebook. Dylan glares at the door with arms crossed. I pinch the bridge of my nose. I’m doing my best but sometimes it feels like our team is too close. We’ve known each other too long and are too free to speak our minds with each other. And then the professional decorum slips. Professional. As if I have any room to talk after the boundaries I’ve crossed with Julia. I’ve been too lax, given the team too much free rein. As though reading my mind and sensing the absolute worse timing, Ken walks into the boardroom not two minutes later.
Inwardly I curse but I slap a smile on my face. The rest of the team quiets and straightens in their chairs. Ken hovers on the edge of the room listening as the last few people present. His arms and legs are crossed and he seems almost casual, the picture of business, leaning against the wall. The tension that was already there is now palpable. Nobody wants to present bad news to begin with, and now with the lab liaison watching with judgment, the room is heavy with silence. Julia has her hands under the table and I worry she is thinking about what happened at the brewery. I catch her glaring at Ken before she notices she’s being watched.
Before Julia presents her piece next, I say, “Ken thanks for joining. Have a seat.”
He shakes his head and gestures to Julia, signaling for her to go on. We share a quick look before she speaks. I’m proud of her. I have no right to be, but when she talks her voice is clear and strong and she doesn’t seem the least bit intimidated by Ken’s presence. Ken jingles the change in his pocket. It’s a tick of his I’ve noticed but only now, as he watches her closely, does it seem vaguely perverse.
Ken breaks his silence. “The customer says that you are late on two deliveries,” he says to Julia.
“That would be this month’s financials and the test tech summary. They were due yesterday,” she explains.
Neither of which were her fault, but she doesn’t blame anybody. She keeps her features cool as he continues.
“They mentioned the last tech reports were sloppy with errors,” Ken says. “They redlined the whole thing and still haven’t seen them come back yet.”
“Those are in process,” she explains.
Again, not her fault. I saw the report, and the errors were technical ones made by rushed engineers working under deadline. She couldn’t have caught those. I want to stand up and explain but I also don’t want to do the typical man-savior thing. She’s explaining herself fine. She isn’t flustered or upset. In fact, what she should be explaining is that those reports wouldn’t have even made the initial deadline if she hadn’t stayed late every day to make sure they were delivered before the end of the day.
“The Statement of Work says we need to have them turned around in three days. That’s tomorrow. That won’t be an issue, right?” Ken asks.
“Tomorrow is Saturday,” I say, unable to bite my tongue.
“Actually, the contract does specify business days. It’s in the calendar definition under Section 8.0. Three business days will be Monday. They’ll be on time to the contract.” Julia explains to the room.
Ken blinks at her before saying, “If these were delivered correctly the first time it wouldn’t be an issue.”
“They’ll be on time,” she says simply.
Julia holds Ken’s gaze.
“I’ll help,” Jared jumps in, breaking the standoff between them. “I know you gave them to me yesterday. I haven’t had a chance to look at them.”
Ken nods to Jared. “See that you help her.”
If anybody else had said that it would have been backing up the team, but something about Ken’s tone comes off condescending. It’s like he only sees her as a helpless girl who needs to be directed. I’m biting my tongue to avoid coming to her defense. I want to explain how she works her ass off for this team and has been sprinting since she was hired not that long ago.
“The team is doing everything they can,” I say.
“I’m not worried about that.” His jaw ticks. “It sounds to me like the issue isn’t that people aren’t working hard. You can work hard until you bleed, but if the technology isn’t working that’s another issue,” he says calmly.
Mytechnology. “It will work. The tests ran perfect last weekend,” I say.
“But not this week? Weren’t we starting development?”
“Development is happening. We are ordering parts.”
“For a design that is failing? The customer would not sign off on that.”
We’re volleying back and forth, the whole room watching. I risk a glance quickly around the room. They all seem to be biting their tongues. Julia is flushed now when she had been cool and calm only moments ago. She’s blaming herself; I can almost feel it.
“There comes a point in a contract where the labs have to decide if the technology is viable enough to deliver to the customer. We have passed that point, Nathaniel.”
“Ken, can we talk offline? Let the team go to lunch?”
