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It doesn’t matter. It was ten years ago. He’s obviously moved on. All I need to focus on is my plan to get out of here.
Chapter ten
Rhence
“Look,Steve,Rhencemadeit perfectly clear what he expected of you,” Parker says, clearly demonstrating he has my back. “Even I reminded you midweek, so we don’t want to hear any more shit about it. You’re off the Zelster project, and Hiroko is taking the lead.”
Steve’s voice comes through the phone’s intercom. “Jesus, guys, I was down with the goddamned flu or Covid crap. I can bring in a doctor’s excuse if you need it.”
“That won’t be necessary, Steve, since it won’t alter my decision,” I say. “You’re off Zelster, and this discussion is over.”
“Rhence, man, come on, this is total bullshit. You know I wrote the initial source code that--”
“Mute him,” I tell Gladys. She responds instantly, and Steve’s whining cuts off.
Hiroko’s dark eyes are fixed expectantly on me. I nod that all is well and I’m formally giving him the authority to take the reins of Zelster. He gives me a curt nod of understanding.
“All right, on to the next order of business,” I say. “We need to prioritize which hotfixes are going into the latest software patch. We need to deliver it to the clients by the fifteenth, so that gives us seven days, people.” I turn to Lisa Grayson. “Deployment team leads, I hope none of you had any big plans this weekend because if you did, you’re going to need to cancel them.”
Lisa tilts her head back in mild protest. “I figured as much. Don’t worry, I already have my sleeping bag and a change of clothes in the car.”
“That’s the spirit,” I say. I can always count on Lisa to lead the troops through a major release. “Of course, it goes without saying, please plan to take a couple of days off during the week once we complete the deployment. Use your discretion.”
She gives me a salute. “By end of day, I’ll send you my deployment project plan along with personnel assignment for your approval.”
“Andthat’swhy Lisa is one of my favorite quarterbacks,” I say, tossing my foam football across the conference table to her. She easily catches it one-handed.
“Thanks, coach,” she chuckles.
“DeShawn,” I say, turning to one of my rising senior developers. “Take us through the hotfix list assigned to this release. Let’s see what we can push out to the next patch release.”
DeShawn taps at his computer and brings his screen up on the whiteboard. “I’ve taken a stab at prioritizing the fixes based on the critical path dependencies and the clients’ pain points.” He shakes his thick braids from his face as he peers up at the screen. “Naturally, I’ve placed the regulatory and SEC reporting interface integration fix at the top of the list. The testing is complete with no new issues to report, and the enhancements all appear to be working as expected.”
“Excellent, that’s a huge one,” I say as I scan down the list. “Does anyone have any concerns with item number seven moving out to next month’s release?”
Without Steve’s dissenting voice, the meeting proceeds smoothly, and we’re able to finalize the hotfix list and establish the gameplan for this week’s deployment. Which means now I can focus on the next major challenge: my Friday afternoon meeting with Rachel. My stomach immediately twists into knots.
At least she didn’t give me hell about the office space, but I have a feeling she’s simply choosing her battles.
With thirty-five minutes left before our meeting, I stand in front of the mirror in my private office bathroom. I take a deep breath and study my reflection. According to the fairer sex, I’m not too hard on the eyes. I rake my fingers through my lank hair and wonder if I should finally cut it short so it doesn’t look like I’m walking around here trying to be a rockstar. Rachel liked it this length, said it made me look edgy and sexy as hell. I chuckle to myself. She said that if she was Halle Berry’s younger sister, then I was surely Superman’s long-haired, younger brother.
I smile to myself at the memory, and I wish that…
I close my eyes and groan within. What’s the point of going down that road for the millionth time? The past is the past. I just need to carry out my plan and then get the fuck over that woman.
It’s 3:59 p.m. when Gladys pokes her head in to announce that Rachel’s here. My heart pounds in my ears and my breath is uneven. Damn it, nobody’s ever been able to rattle and shake me the way Rachel does. I’ve got to get her out of my system.
I bark a little too sharply at Gladys. “Send her in.”
“Yes, sir.”
A stern-faced Rachel strides into the room like she owns it, all the while looking as polished and lovely as ever. Her dark, wavy hair is gathered into a loose ponytail draped over her right shoulder. It’s casual Friday, so she’s wearing a pair of fitted jeans, a light blue oxford shirt, and a navy-blue sports jacket emblazoned with a red crest on the breast pocket. She’s accented the outfit with a pair of spiky designer heels that add at least three inches to her normal five-foot-six frame.
I motion to Gladys to close the door. She complies after giving Rachel a curious look. Gladys knows that short of a life-threatening emergency, she’s not to enter my office without my express permission.
Without a word, Rachel moves to the chair across from my desk.
“No,” I suddenly feel compelled to object, “let’s sit over here this time.” I say gesture toward the lounge area that has a sofa and armchair catty-corner to it. I sit in the armchair, leaving her the couch.
