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Austin, who always dressed impeccably, had outdone himself today. He wore a charcoal three-piece suit and a smile brimming with excitement. Belatedly, I remembered that he was counting down to the big beta launch of his own project. It was nice that things were swimming along for someone around here.
“For an update on MRO,” I lied smoothly, deciding the man should be able to celebrate his victory for the day without distraction. “Come sit down and tell me how everything’s gone. Kenji, you can go get started on that… other thing.”
Kenji nodded and ducked out while Austin took the seat he’d vacated.
“Today’s the big day, right?” I prompted. “You got the approval from Legal? Beta’s about to launch?”
“Yup. Everything’s on track.” Austin relaxed back, propping his ankle on his knee and his elbows on the chair arms. “Lonnie had some interesting things to say, actually, about the prelaunch response from the testing sites…”
Austin updated me on the details of our next steps, and I quickly settled into the conversation, feeling my excitement build as I thought about the far-reaching implications of what we were doing. I knew in my bones that we were on the cusp of something amazing with this project, just like the brotherhood had been when we were developing our stoplight communication system, and when the clock on my wall chimed the hour, I was shocked to find that I’d spent thirty minutes talking without feeling the time pass.
This was precisely the kind of project I wanted to be working on. The kind that stretched me and challenged me in a way that feltright.
It was the same way I felt about Rowe.
“I’m continually impressed, Austin,” I told him. “Your team has managed this well, but the real brilliance was in the idea you had in the first place and the research you did on your own.”
Austin shrugged modestly. “It feels like this launch has been a long time coming, and I couldn’t have done it without Sterling Chase. I’m treating my team to a little celebration at lunchtime to thank them. You should come. It would mean a lot to everyone.”
“Sure. I’ll try to make it down if I’m free.”
“Great! Oh.” Austin snapped his fingers. “I forgot to mention there was one tiny, silly hiccup with Legal filing the provisional utility patents. Because the patents will be solely in my name, the company has an internal review. Normally, I just sign off on this stuff and that’s good enough for them, but they’re pushing back since the patent is in my name. Can’t sign off on my own patent.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Lawyers.”
I snorted. “Figures. What do they need?”
“Documentation from earlier in my development process. The initial brainstorming notes I made. Though why they want to see my chicken-scratch scribbles on notebook paper is anyone’s guess. If you want to do me a solid…” He gave me a shameless grin. “I’m thinking a quick email from someone on the board verifying the documentation exists would probably be good enough to settle their feathers. That would save me a bunch of time combing through my files so I can focus on all the other projects I’m supposed to be managing.”
I laughed. “I would if I could, friend, but Clarissa was the one you first brought the project to, so I never saw that documentation.” I hesitated for only a second before adding, “Speaking of your workload, though… I think I’m ready to step back into the fray. In the next few weeks, I’d like to start reviewing some proposals and being part of the selection team again. I’m not sure exactly what that process will look like, but you and I work well together, so I’m sure we’ll figure something out. And hopefully, that’ll free you up a bit.”
Austin’s smile dimmed a fraction. “Sure… assuming the rest of the board agrees and the owners don’t have an issue with it. But there’s a reason they wanted you to step back in the first place, isn’t there?” He raised an eyebrow. “Or is there something you’re not telling me?”
I bit my tongue against a snappy retort that Austin didn’t deserve. He had no idea that the decision to step back had been mine. And giving up the reins had been difficult forme, even when it had been my choice. I couldn’t expect him to be immediately enthusiastic about it.
“No, you’re right. We’ll see what they say,” I agreed. “Sorry that doesn’t save you from having to find the documentation for Legal, though. Is that going to present a problem for Sterling Chase moving the project forward?”
“Of course not.” He picked at an invisible piece of lint on his pant leg. “The testing might be delayed a day or two, but no more. I swear, I copied every piece of documentation to my work system after we signed our contract, but in one of my attempts to get my files organized, I must’ve deleted them, assuming no one would ever need them. Now I need to find the original scans on my personal system. The price of organization, right?” He grinned.
I chuckled lightly, though I wondered what Kenji would say about Austin admitting he’d deleted a file that way. Our attorneys required us to keep a meticulous paper trail in case our patents were ever challenged. Everything that had ever been created, from handwritten notes to product sketches to meeting minutes, was kept in the project folder on our server. As someone who dealt with these things all the time, Austin should have known better.
“Well, don’t forget the entire Sterling Chase system is backed up regularly. If you can’t find it on your home computer, we can talk to IT and see if they can restore the files for you,” I offered.
Austin’s eyes widened, and he smacked his forehead. “Right. Of course. God, I’d forgotten about the backups. Good idea. I should be able to get all of that sorted within the next day or two, then.”
“Perfect. Frustrating to face a setback when you’re so close to the finish line, though.” My thoughts immediately turned to Rowe—becauseof course they didsince the man seemed determined to sit at the center of my brain this week. The way he’d spoken so passionately about his sister. The way his eyes had burned when he said,I couldn’t nottry, Bash.“What’s keptyoumotivated with this?” I asked Austin suddenly.
He stared at me like I’d sprouted horns. “Motivated me? Aside from wanting to do a good job for Sterling Chase? That’s always my primary motivation.”
“Not that.” My cheeks felt warm, and I wondered if Rowe’s blushes were contagious. “You could have an amazing career at Sterling Chase without ever needing to invent your own project, to jump through these hoops. So I was curious what made you dream up the concept for MRO. What’s kept you pushing, even when you faced setbacks?”
“Oh. That.” His face cleared, and he shifted in his chair. “It’s… it’s actually a very personal story. I, uh… lost a friend when I was young.”
What a fucked-up coincidence. I blinked at him in surprise for a moment before I managed to get out, “God, I’m so sorry.”
He nodded stiffly. “Thank you. My friend died due to something called commotio cordis after being struck in the chest with a ball during a baseball game. She had this heart defect the EMTs didn’t know about. If they’d had access to her medical records, they might have responded differently. Instead, she died. It was really… tough.”
The blood in my veins went cold, and my scalp prickled. There was no way that was a coincidence. It couldn’t be. Could it?
“Yes, I bet it was,” I agreed softly. “And this was in New Hampshire? Where you grew up?”
