Chapter Seven

“Crew walked out on her, huh?” Dave swiped his fingers over his chin. It was an hour after the unsuccessful crew meeting, and Ned had sought him out in the surgical recovery room at the hospital.

Ned clarified. “Actually, Shae walked out on them first.”

Dave’s hand hit the armrest of his chair. “I shoulda been there. But there wasn’t much choice. Couldn’t leave my wife.”

“Of course not. No one’s blaming you. I’m a jerk to come here and dump this news on you, but too much is at stake to let it go. I overheard several crewmembers talking about signing on with other projects rather than deal with Shae. We need to act fast to pull things back together.”

“No one’s ever walked out on Two Rivers before.”

“Shae Harriman has never been in charge of Two Rivers before.”

Dave angled his head at Ned. “With all due respect, Mr. Collier, that’s unfair.”

Ned slumped in his chair. “Call me Ned. You’re right. I knew she had little leadership experience when I continued my contract with you folks. But I didn’t realize she had virtually no experience. Today was a real shocker. She seemed more concerned about their lack of respect than the possibility of a walkout. Even when I tried to tell her she could lose her crew, her response was to call in new people rather than attempt to get her current crew back.”

Dave leaned forward, palms on thighs. “Shae takes people at face value. If they said they’re leaving, then her response would have been to replace them. Probably never occurred to her to coax them to reconsider.”

“Look, man, I like Shae. She got a terrible deal, being thrown into this job and expected to swim. As a topper, she found herself in charge of the largest project your company has ever tackled. But that project is my project, too, my money. I can’t afford to see it go down the tubes or be delayed because the boss got her feelings hurt.”

Dave narrowed his eyes. “She know you’re here?”

“No.”

Dave didn’t reply but instead stared at his hands. His silence spoke volumes.

“Okay. I hear what you haven’t said. I have no right to interfere. If I’m not happy with how things are going, I should find another general contractor.”

Dave still didn’t respond, as if he waited for more from Ned.

“I don’t want to break the contract,” Ned felt compelled to add. “I know it’s unusual for the developer to be so, uh, underfoot. But this project has been a lifeline for me as I’ve struggled to get my voice back.” As well as given me a back door to keep my costs down.

“I understand. But she won’t be happy.”

Ned hung his head. “I know. A bit presumptuous. She’ll tell you about this sooner or later, once she calms down, but I didn’t want to take a chance she’d put it off. To keep your crew, time is of the essence.”

In a resigned tone, Dave asked, “What do you want me to do?”

“Come lead the meeting tomorrow, provided your wife’s okay. Shae needs to be there, not just to watch you and see how it’s done, but also to show those guys they didn’t scare her. She really did try to answer their questions today. At first. But when they questioned her ability to head up the project, she got defensive. So tomorrow she has to show she’s gracious enough to step aside and let you run the meeting.”

“Did you discuss any of this with her?”

“Had to almost break down her locked door to get her to talk to me, but in the end, she agreed to a second meeting. Over the lunch hour. With food.”

Dave chuckled. “Food, huh? She gotta cook too?”

Ned sat back. “Might’ve gone too far with the food, although it seemed like a good idea at the time. Deals in L.A. are usually made over lunch or cocktails.” As an afterthought, he added, “After I left, I texted her the names of a couple caterers my mom uses. Thought Shae wouldn’t talk to me on the phone.”

“You seem to have it all figured out. Except the part where she sits there without opening her mouth. You really think she can do that?”

“I do, if we can convince her keeping her mouth shut is not a sign of weakness. I’ll stick close to her tomorrow and nudge her if she forgets. I invited myself to the meeting, although she’d already anticipated I’d be there.”

At length, Dave said, “She must feel so alone. Confused. I let her down. The crew more or less told her she wasn’t up to the job and threatened to desert her. Now she has to concede to a do-over.”

“She’s not too crazy about me at the moment, either,” Ned added. “But if we can help get her crew back and retain a little pride in the process, it’ll be worth her ire.”

****

Though tempted to confide in her father about her problems with the crew and get his advice about how to deal with them, Shae didn’t want to raise his stress level. Couldn’t risk it. If she was really honest with herself, she also didn’t want to lose his confidence and possibly her only opportunity to show him her stuff. Nonetheless, once she’d set the wheels in motion for the next day’s meeting, later that afternoon she found herself a participant in a father-daughter checkers match at Blackhawk Hills, the rehab facility where her dad had reluctantly agreed to be taken.

Even though he won, Tim Harriman’s fist pounded the game board and sent several checker pieces onto the floor. “How much longer do I have to be cooped up here? This place is the pits.” Thankfully, his outburst didn’t have anything to do with the crew’s pending desertion. Now in his mid-fifties, with his salt and pepper hair, near six-foot height, and penetrating blue eyes, her dad was still quite handsome, when he wasn’t complaining, which seemed to be quite frequent since coming to the care center.

It was almost a relief to listen to his tirade. This was behavior she knew and understood, the most familiar thing she’d dealt with of late. She retrieved the checker pieces and set them back on the board. “What does your doctor say?”

Her father grumbled to himself as he hunched over the board.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. How’d things go today?”

She felt for her dad. He was frustrated with the restraints and inactivity imposed by this regimen. However, he seemed to be on the upswing. His complexion had returned to its normal color, not the deathly pallor she’d witnessed in the hospital. “You’re changing the subject again. What did the doctor say?”

“I’d rather hear about Collier’s project.”

“Okay, but first, was Ned Collier as hands-on with the project before your heart problems?”

He sat back, seemed to consider her question. “No more than other developers. They all think they know better than the experts they hire.” He stopped, rubbed his chin. “Now that I think about it, though, he seemed to become more intense as the project progressed. Once the actuals on the sewer system and streets and the rest of the infrastructure started coming in, his attention switched to the financing. Couldn’t believe the costs could be so high, stuff like that.”

So it wasn’t just her being in charge that had Ned concerned about costs. Although such reassurance didn’t ease her mind completely, it helped to know she wasn’t the cause.

“Why do you ask?”

She kicked herself mentally to have opened this door. But Ned’s little lecture after today’s meeting still grated. Yes, it was his project and he was footing the bill. But she was the one in charge of Two Rivers at the moment, and she had to find a way to get the point across to him soon, or both of them were in for their own breakdowns.

****

“No way am I going to slop baked beans on a plate for those guys.” Just prior to the crew meeting the following day, Dave informed Shae the two of them would also serve the free lunch they provided. “I might as well put a bone in my ponytail and wear an animal skin. Both shout Neanderthal woman. Slave. Subservient.”

“We’ll be servers, Shae.” Dave said. “Not just you and me. The rest of the office staff as well. Even Ned said he’d be happy to help. The idea is to show how much we value our crews.”

“Maybe you do. I can’t say the same after yesterday’s meeting.”

“Ah, yes. Yesterday’s meeting.” He steered her away from the food containers the caterer had just delivered. “I’m sorry you had to go through that without me.”

“Not as sorry as me, to relive it again today. With you in the lead. Am I allowed in the room?”

Dave placed a comforting hand on her arm, then, as if he remembered his place, removed it just as fast. “These aren’t bad guys. They just take a little getting used to. They need to get used to their new boss as well.”

“Ned said they had tested me. And I failed.”

“Don’t let them get to you. They have no more idea how to relate to you than you do to them. Sounds like both sides went a little out of bounds yesterday.”

She stuck out her chin. “You didn’t answer my question. Am I welcome at my own meeting?”

“Of course, you are,” Ned said from behind her as he joined them. “You’re the boss. If it helps, think of yourself as the owner of a number one basketball team. Is it the owner who calls the plays? Well, maybe. But behind the scenes. On the game floor, the owner lets the coach deal with the team.”

She actually understood his analogy. Basketball was one passion she shared with her father. She tried to recall where the owner sat during games. On the sidelines with the coach? In a skybox above the crowd? She wasn’t a skybox type of person. That would be Ned, even though these days he seemed to relish the sideline post more.

Finally, as she gestured toward the food, she asked in a begrudging tone, “Do I have to wear an apron?”

Dave bit back a smile. “Of course not. You don’t even have to slop beans, since we’re serving tacos. On the other hand, you might want to wear something to protect that pretty blue blouse.”

Her pretty blue blouse. Last night, she’d studied her closet long and hard as she debated what to wear today. Until she’d assumed the reins of this project, she’d never paid the slightest attention to what she wore. Probably because she’d grown up in a male-dominated household. After yesterday, it was important she appear comfortable and in charge. Maybe, since the guys seemed to use her being female against her, it was time to take advantage of her gender. So out came her trusty, no-nonsense navy pantsuit with the light blue blouse. And Cecily’s makeup.

In the end, despite Dave’s words of warning, everyone except Shae wore a butcher apron as the hungry crew filed past them to be served.

“Hey, Dave, glad to see you’re here today,” one guy said, as the superintendent placed two taco shells on his plate.

“I’m glad you came back, Marty,” Dave returned.

“Hamburger or chicken, Marty?” Ned asked.

“Hamburger, thanks.”

Following Dave and Ned’s lead, Shae asked, “Shredded cheese, Marty?”

Marty started to reply, but a crewmember behind him appeared to nudge him, so instead, Marty just pointed.

Shae forced herself to keep her smile intact. She gave Marty a generous serving of shredded cheese, then turned to the next person in line and asked him the same.

When Pete Martin appeared, she was the first to speak. “I gave my father your regards when I saw him yesterday. He asked me to tell you and all the guys how much he appreciated your cards.”

After a long pause, Pete finally grunted, “Uh, thanks.”

Reluctant acquiescence. She added, “I asked his doctor how soon he can have visitors. He told me it would probably be another week. But as soon as visitors are allowed, we’ll let you guys know.”

Pete’s eyes widened. “Good. Thanks.”

Next to her, Ned moved closer and tapped her elbow slightly with his own. Finally, he approved of something she’d done. If she’d had more time to compose her thoughts before the meeting yesterday, she probably would have thought to check on this and brought it up herself. But that bridge had already been crossed. All she could do now was anticipate the road ahead.

Splat! A blob of taco sauce shot through the air from the plastic squeeze bottle a foot away and landed on her front. On her new blue blouse. She stared at the growing stain before she realized what had happened.

The crewmember who’d thumped the bottom of the squeeze bottle, apparently to loosen the sauce, gave her a “my bad” grin, and then said, “Oops. Sorry. The stuff came out sooner than I thought it would.”

“Those guys were just testing you,” Ned had told her yesterday. Was this another test or was it just an unfortunate accident? What would her dad do? Hell, her dad didn’t own a new blue blouse. Her reaction was up to her. She wanted to clobber the guy. Better yet, retaliate with her own shots of taco sauce aimed his direction. But she wouldn’t let herself be suckered into a mindless reaction again. Not when the whole point of this second meeting was for her to show restraint.

She grabbed a couple napkins and dabbed up as much of the sauce from her blouse as she could. Wouldn’t prevent the stain—had to suck up the fact the blouse was ruined—but she needed to get as much of the stuff off before it dripped on her pantsuit. But first she scooped up a bit of sauce with her gloved index finger and took a taste. “Not bad.” She smiled at the crewmembers still in line, gawking at the show. “But better on your tacos, I’m sure.”

She plucked the offending crewmember’s name from recent memory. “Good shot, Jimmy.” She leaned across the table toward the man and fixed a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Just to be on the safe side, let me help you with that sauce.”

Jimmy took a step back, held up one palm while he protected his plate with the other hand. “Uh, that’s okay, Ms. Harriman. I got enough.” He scuttled away.

While she still held the bottle, she turned to the next man in line. “How about you, Bob. Can I offer you some taco sauce?”

Bob shook his head and sped away as fast as Jimmy. She’d made her point, so she set down the squeeze bottle and went back to spooning out shredded cheese and lettuce as if nothing had happened.

“I’ll take a heaping helping of that cheese, Ms. Harriman,” the next man said. “That’s what makes the taco.” As soon as she’d ladled it out for him, he added, “Not the sauce.”

She looked up from the container of cheese just in time to catch his hint of a smile. Well, what do you know? Maybe she’d passed this test.

As soon as the line cleared, Ned leaned over. “Great save! I held my breath there for a moment, wondered if we were in for a food fight. But you came through like a pro.”

Dave whispered, “How’s your blouse, Shae? Did it survive the taco sauce?”

She turned away from the serving table to check. “It’s a goner, but if it regained the tiniest ounce of respect for me, it’ll be worth the loss.”

Once the crewmembers had eaten and the remains of the meal were cleared away, Dave called them to order. “Welcome back to Part Two of our orientation meeting, everyone.” Before anyone even thought to snicker or interrupt him, he went on to say, “Hope you enjoyed the meal.”

Polite applause.

“We’ll do this kind of thing more often as the project unfolds, to celebrate the conclusion of various milestones along the way.”

More applause. More enthusiasm.

“You can thank our interim boss, Shae Harriman, for the idea. Just one of the small innovations she’s introducing. With her dad’s full approval, of course.”

Everyone glanced over their shoulders at Shae seated in the back of the room. Just look gracious, Shae. Don’t correct Dave by telling them the food was Ned’s idea. What innovations? First she’d heard of them, but she’d come up with something. For now, the crew had to believe she had their best interests at heart as she introduced her own small touches. With her dad’s blessing, of course. She hated that last part, but after yesterday, the crew wouldn’t take kindly to anything with just her name on it. Plus, it was in her best interest to keep her dad informed.

Though difficult, she kept her mouth shut, remembered Ned’s coach-owner analogy.

Before Dave moved on to the main agenda, he returned to the subject of Shae one more time. “I also want to thank Jimmy, who made me look good with our new boss.” He paused, allowed everyone’s attention to drift to their fellow crewmember. “I tried to talk her into wearing an apron today without success.” The room exploded in laughter.

Dave waited for the room to grow quiet again. “Just so you know, we’ve now removed all the taco sauce from the premises.” More laughter, at Jimmy’s expense this time, as those around him nudged him to make sure he’d heard.

Dave, you showman. She released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

“Okay, let’s return to the real reason for this meeting and talk schedule and workload.” For the next twenty minutes, the group listened while Dave laid out the plans for the project. No one interrupted. No one walked out.

At first, Shae’s defensiveness got the better of her as she sat there and absorbed Dave’s words. I said all that, too. How come no one’s questioning Dave when he says it?

But then she broadened her observations and noted not only Dave’s body language, the nuances in his presentation style and the sequence in which he laid out the plans but also the group’s reaction to him. He took his time at first, started with humor. At her expense, he’d found something that put them all on common ground, and that shared experience resulted in a positive outcome.

The day before, she’d been so anxious to get started and have the meeting over with, she’d not given herself time to relax and play to her audience. Truth be told, had she not experienced the grilling, it never would have occurred to her, even now, how important it was to relax.

“That’s about the size of things. At least for the moment,” Dave concluded. “Any questions?”

The room went silent for a few beats, and then, as if the group had elected its own designated spokesperson, Pete Martin raised a hand. “Uh, Dave. We all appreciate your coming in today to go over things again. We heard about your wife. We’re glad all went well with her surgery.”

Tiny steel bars threaded their way through her veins. For all the good will they’d attempted to generate with the free meal and Dave’s presentation, the crew’s mood had returned to this. She sensed the next question before Pete Martin opened his mouth again.

“Thanks, Pete. All of you. It was fairly routine surgery, although it came on fast. My wife is doing quite well.”

“Good to hear,” Pete continued.

Shae held her breath.

“With old Tim out for the time being and you dealing with an emergency yesterday, it really drove home the point that we’re all working under jerry-rigged leadership. No disrespect to you, Ms. Harriman,” he gazed back at Shae but added, “Shae, we realize you’re just helping out your dad, but too much is at stake here for someone who’s never led a project like this to be in charge.”

“That’s what I’m here to explain—” Dave said.

Shae stood and faced her people. “No one is more aware of my supervisory and management inexperience than I am, Pete. But I do have legitimate credentials for this job. Like a civil engineering degree from Iowa State. I’m familiar with this company and all it stands for, because I’ve worked in the administrative office the past five years.”

“I, uh, didn’t realize you were an engineer,” Pete replied.

She stuck her chin out just a tad. “I really want us all to succeed.” She inhaled, exhaled, and then said, “Yesterday was a great lesson for all of us. Painful, but informative. Now that it’s out in the open, I hope we can accept the fact I’m here, at least for a while. Whenever I appear to go the wrong direction, I hope you’ll work with me to correct it.”

Speech concluded, she took her seat again. She’d really set herself up for a letdown now, even though she’d felt compelled to make the statement.

Pete bit his lip, wiggled in his seat. “I, uh…sure.”

Dave quickly cut in with, “Thanks, Shae. We all appreciate your commitment to this project.” She willed herself to appear professional and gracious. A few chairs away, Ned nodded and gave her a discreet high sign.

When Dave glanced toward the back of the room, Shae turned that way as well. A few of the office staff held trays of champagne flutes ready to move in as soon as the meeting ended. Who authorized champagne? The crew may have been treated to lunch, but they were still on work time, when alcohol was off-limits.

“Come on in, folks,” Dave called, as if not quite sure what else to say. The staff moved among the audience, distributing the drinks.

After everyone had been served, Dave took hold of a glass. “Uh, well, wasn’t expecting this, but our, uh, developer, Ned Collins, apparently wanted to add his touch to today’s meal. If the weather permits, we break ground next week.” He raised the glass. “To clear skies, a little luck, God’s good graces, and the construction of Sullivan’s Creek.”

Everyone held their glass aloft, joined in.

Toast over, champagne consumed, the group began to file out. Shae rose to shake hands with people, wish them well in the weeks to come. But those who remained either went up to congratulate Dave or stopped by Ned to thank him for the champagne.

She should be relieved, happy. They had their crew back. At least the crewmembers had been civil. Even laughed a bit. Instead, she stood there like a pillar of stone, a frozen smile belied the rage growing within. This meeting had been aimed at the crew, Dave, her, and their reconciliation. But Ned couldn’t leave well enough alone. No, the superstar, who apparently craved an audience, had been hell-bent to remind her and everyone else he was the one who paid the bills. Couldn’t let her enjoy even this tiny victory.