“I’m calling to check in and make sure everything went okay yesterday.” Grant sounded cheerful. The request made sense. He did that with each new contract.
“It was fantastic.” She winced at the overinflated enthusiasm in her voice. “I meanfine. Everything went fine.”
“I’m glad to hear it. No friction at all?”
Not the kind he meant, but still enough to ignite a large pile of kindling. “Nothing more than normal. I handled it. Honestly, I’m not sure why they’re struggling.” Now she was overcompensating. Saying too much. “They even had issues with their beta last night, and Justin and Antonio personally oversaw cleanup.”Shut up, shut up, shut up.
“They don’t have any beta builds on the schedule.” Concern leaked into Grant’s voice. “That’s why you’re there—to make sure they meet that deadline.”
She knew that.Wait.Then what were they up to last night? “I must have misunderstood. Maybe it was an alpha. They were friendly with whomever they talked to. It might have been an informal test.” She bit her lip, to keep from saying anymore. Part of the reason she was onsite was because Grant was worried they were doing other things informally as well. As in keeping some of their development off the books.
“You know, I haven’t been here long enough to know their terminology. I’m sure I misunderstood. Whatever happened, I can tell they’re on top of things.”
“I suspect you’re right. It’s nothing. Have a wonderful day.” Grant disconnected.
Emily set her phone on the kitchen counter and glared at it. She didn’t throw Justin and Antonio under the bus, did she? Selling them out to Grant—even unintentionally—after one day seemed like the least likely way to earn their trust and convince them she was there for their benefit. She learned early in her first contract that everyone was happier as long as nothing went back to Grant unless it was going to impact meeting the deadline.
Chapter Eight
THE CONVERSATION WITHGrant still played in Emily’s head, as she crossed the office floor to her desk. Thinking about that was better than thinking about how things would go next time she talked to Justin. His name was enough to send flutters dancing across her skin. Each time he popped in her head, she called questions about the phone conversation to the forefront.
Had she given too much away, and sold APPropriate Designs out?If there’s nothing to give away, it doesn’t matter what I said. Her logic wasn’t as reassuring as she wanted.
As she approached her desk, she saw the lights in Antonio’s office were on. She smiled before she realized she was doing so. Sure enough, when she rounded the corner, she saw him. She set her stuff on her desk, except for one of the two cups of coffee she carried, and knocked on his open door.
“Hey.” He looked up. Even with circles under his eyes and exhaustion lining his face, he was gorgeous.
What would have happened if she met him at the bar instead of Justin? She shook the thought aside and handed him the drink. “You didn’t get to finish the coffee you ordered last night, so I brought you this.” She had no idea why she ordered a second drink this morning, but it sounded like as good a reason as any.
He took a sip, before setting the cup aside. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
“I don’t know how you take it, but I figured after the long night you probably had,extra shot of espressowas a good start. I’m kind of surprised to see you here this early.” The same thought that nagged her since yesterday whispered back. Why was she needed here? Justin and Antonio were dedicated to their jobs. Though she hadn’t been here long, a day was usually enough to see some of the chinks in a company’s operations. APPropriate Designs had hiccups, but nothing glaring.
“Sometimes I wonder why I bother going home at night.” Antonio laughed. “If I set up a cot in the gym, I could move in and stop paying my mortgage.”
“Did you get your crisis solved? Or are there any outstanding bugs I can help with? Something to dig into and get my feet wet?”