"Cheers!" Everyone at the table clinked their glasses together, then drank in celebration as a mariachi band played in the background. Apparently, the Mexican restaurant around the corner from the Caprock building was a favorite after-work hangout while folks waited for traffic to die down before starting their journeys home.
Claire took in the moment with glee. She'd finally scored a win in her column. It'd been two days since her upload solution had passed the test and the developers were using it regularly to test their code. The team was happy and even Rick, who remained professionally neutral with her, admitted it worked far better than their previous process. Noah, the grump, had yet to remark at all. But Rick's approval was enough for Teresa to schedule an impromptu night out at her favorite hangout.
Because of Teresa, her group of work friends had grown. Tonight, members of the extended project team and a few folks from accounting had joined them.
"Okay, okay. Quiet down everyone. I have something to say." Teresa snagged their attention. "We're here tonight to congratulate our newest member on making her mark. Some of you don't know Claire yet, but I have a feeling you will."
"Enough already. What's the big deal? What's she done and why are we happy?" Cheryl laughed, seeming less stern tonight than her normal no-nonsense approach. Although Claire's initial impression that Cheryl was unusually direct for someone in sales still held, tonight she seemed more mellow.
"The big deal is our favorite British eye candy has been a stick-in-the-mud with her since she came on board. And now, he has deigned to say something nice about her," Teresa responded.
"He did?" Claire sputtered, reaching for her napkin.
"Eye candy is right. That man is delicious," Randall said. The usually quiet man from accounting licked the rim of his daiquiri and waggled his eyebrows. He was always low key and businesslike when they interacted at work, so the over-the-top antics surprised and delighted her. She laughed and clinked her soda glass against his fruity beverage.
"Yes," Teresa continued, "I overheard Noah telling Simon he wished this process had been available last year when they were cleansing all the data. According to him, it would have shaved months off the schedule."
Claire blushed. "Why won't he say those things directly to me?"
"Really?" Cheryl asked. "He's always been great with me and my team. In fact, I specifically seek him out. He's been an enormous help in getting our inventory concerns addressed. I was relieved when we heard he'd joined the project. Pass me the fried pickles, will ya?"
Jenny, the calm business analyst from VIG, looked at her. "Now that you mention it, I've noticed it too. He's often very short with you. And sometimes a little bit challenging, like he's pushing you. Interesting."
Again Cheryl spoke up. "We're talking about Noah Raines, right? I can't even imagine. He's one of the coolest dudes I know. Smart, funny, a little flirty, but always helpful." She turned and stared at Claire, sizing her up. "He seriously has an attitude with you?"
Claire nodded. "I thought I was being overly sensitive, but other people have commented on it too. Mostly he avoids me, but when he can't, he gets all growly and gruff. I've seen the change when I walk into the room. He'll go from laughing at something someone said to abruptly focusing on reading something or leaving the meeting. I guess he just doesn't like me."
Too bad because from what she'd seen, others followed his lead. She desperately needed to get on this guy's good side.
"Who knows?" Teresa asked, interrupting her introspection. "Maybe you remind him of an ex. It doesn't matter anyway, as long as we're making progress on the project. And the faster data loads totally help. Cheryl, you'll get to see it next week when Noah's back in Houston. Y'all are helping with the testing, right?"
Claire perked up. She knew he was supposed to be reuniting with the team in October, but had forgotten the date. The others' voices faded to the background as she thought about how she could use his proximity to her advantage.
"Hey, Cheryl," Jenny said, leaning forward. "I've been meaning to ask. There seem to be a lot of women managers here. The other companies we've worked with in this industry barely have a woman in sight."
Cheryl laughed, and Claire tuned in. That wasn't how she would've described it.
"What?" Jenny asked. "Am I wrong?"
Cheryl shook her head. "Not exactly. I think it just seems that way because you're working at the project level. There are a lot of sharp women in those roles—accountants, analysts, and even admins like me. But once you get to the upper levels? It thins out fast. Jackie, Alex, and now Grace Simmons are the only women I deal with regularly at the managerial level. There's one in tax and another at the East Houston plant, but that's about it. As far as North American anyway. I can't really speak to the Eastern Hemisphere."
Claire nodded slowly. That tracked. The IT and PMO directors were both women, but the rest of the org chart she'd seen still leaned heavily male.
"Caprock's better than most," Cheryl added. "But we've still got a long way to go."
Claire was happy to hear Caprock was on the progressive side of hiring women. Having a woman as her director had definitely been a plus when she was considering the job.
Randall raised his glass. "To all the tough, smart women at Caprock!"
"Cheers!"
"Speaking of tough women," someone said. "did you hear the county judge is cracking down on government corruption?"
From there, the conversation shifted to local news. Randall mentioned the downtown rail expansion was nearly complete and how his commute would be easier in a few weeks.
Claire leaned back, letting the easy rhythm of the conversation wash over her. It had taken a month, but she finally felt like she belonged. Not a newbie fumbling through the day, but as a contributing member of the team.
Chapter 7
