@theanswerisno:
You got this and good night, Pancakes
@pancakesareelite:
I’m waiting for you to say something about how I’m your favorite person too
@theanswerisno:
Good night my B&FP2
(best and favorite player 2)
@pancakesareelite:
That’s better, night, Link
As soon as Elizabeth stepped out of our office, I launched to my feet, already knowing where I was going even though I hadn’t fully figured out what I’d be saying. A flare of adrenaline rushed through me—
I never did anything like this. I liked emails. Planned sentences.
But this was different. It wasn’t fair to punish her when I’d offered to help. Heck, I’d basically insisted. She was the one who wanted to learn and do it herself.
The defeat in her eyes and the lack of bounce in her step had me entering Anders’s office without knocking. It wasn’t like Anders ever gave me the privilege of welcoming him in.
“Carden.” He looked up from his lavish desk chair that was anything but practical. It didn’t even have wheels or proper back support.
“Elizabeth tells me that you’re unhappy that I assisted.” I walked up to his desk and threw myself into the seat across from him.
“That’s right,” Anders said, his eyebrows high as he studied me.“According to one of the other engineers, you were here with her, at her desk, working. Unless there’s another reason you’re staying behind. You don’t do it with anyone else.”
Now only one of his eyebrows remained cocked.
I swallowed the grumble wanting to escape me. “Cedric was correct in what he saw. I stayed late to supervise her. You told me to manage my intern, and that’s what I’m doing. It’s an interchange design, Anders. What did you expect from her? Last year, the interns barely did anything more than road widenings.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk before steepling his fingers. “Last year, all we had were road widenings, but things are changing, and I need engineers who will add value. I’m not paying overtime if it was spent teaching her.”
“Then how do you expect her to learn?” I balled my hands into fists underneath his desk. “You’re making no sense. One minute you’re telling me to manage her, and the next you want me to let her figure things out on her own.”
And then it struck me. This wasn’t about engineering design and Elizabeth’s progress. They wanted to see Elizabeth fail because her failure would be mine too.
My mother had warned me. But I would be damned if I let an insecure man stand between me and the promises I’d made to my family.
“I know what I said but I don’t know if Elizabeth’s got what it takes—” Anders started.
I raised a hand, stopping him. “There needs to be a transfer of knowledge; otherwise Simucon will be left with a bunch of clueless engineers when we retire.” Clenching my jaw, I continued. “Elizabeth has shown improvement and a willingness to learn. Plus, technically, her design is sound.” The fire in my voice was foreign, but I liked it. “A good engineer knows their limitations.” I leanedforward, dropping my voice. “Otherwise, we have structural engineers who think they can design roads and vice versa.”
Anders blinked twice, his mouth opening and closing with a sharp inhale as I’m sure the memory of a multiyear, multimillion-dollar court case came to mind.
“This isn’t a school assignment,” I said. “I needed her to know and understand what she was doing, and now she does.”
Anders considered me, swallowing once before regaining composure. His eyes narrowed, but my emotions were running high and rational thought had all but left me for dead as I stared him down.
“Has she gained any site experience?” he asked.
I shook my head. If Elizabeth was going to struggle in any aspect of civil engineering, it would be the site work. At least at first.
“Put her on Disselweed with you. We don’t have much more for her to do here.”
