"Her," Rick corrected. "She previously worked at a big tech company in California, and they're moving her to Houston. Fairly quickly too. She starts in two weeks. Which means we need to update our documentation, because she'll be reviewing it to get up to speed."
Objections arose around the table as the developers complained about having to do extra work to bring on someone new. Noah half-listened and absentmindedly spun his fork while his teammates and friends worried about their jobs. Seemed like everyone had something riding on this project.
Rick's raised voice reined in the team again and brought Noah back from his turbulent thoughts. "Look, they didn't fire VIG when they justifiably could have. And we have to perform a documentation review, anyway. We're just doing it now rather than later. Treat it like any other project issue. Assess and determine a course of action." He pulled off his wire-framed glasses and cleaned them with his shirttail. "That's all I know for now. New topic?"
The group settled down, and conversation returned to the week's progress, interspersed with the lighthearted teasing of long-established relationships. The rest of the meal passed pleasantly, and eventually everyone but Rick and Noah headed back to the hotel.
"Now that it's just us, how bad is it that we've hired our own developer?" Noah asked.
"Could be worse." Rick shrugged.
Noah cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. "C'mon now. This is me you're talking to. You don't have to wear the leadership hat anymore," Noah chided. Their friendship had deepened over the last year, to the point he'd even spent a few weekends in Canada with Rick and his expectant wife. "Peggy would say you're keeping your stress bottled up. You need to talk about it."
Rick snorted. "Because you're so good at the talking stuff?"
Noah grinned and lifted his pint in acknowledgment of the burn. "Like the meme. 'Introverts unite. Separately. In our own homes.'"
Rick's mouth twitched before he raised his eyes to the ceiling. He stretched his neck left, then right. "There will be a transition period. Introducing a new developer after we've already completed requirements gathering—especially with a team as cohesive as this one? Yeah, there's going to be some pain points. What I'm really concerned about is her role. Is she supposed to integrate in as one of the dev team? Or is she just there to spy on us and report back?"
Noah blinked. "Spy? What do you mean?" But even as he asked, the idea took root. He'd seen it before. Managers pushing to get their people embedded in other teams in order to get the inside scoop on how things were going. Spy, lackey, gossipmonger—whatever you called them, they were always in the loop. Hell, even he had a few sources at the other plants who kept him apprised of new directions Caprock was considering.
Rick winced and glanced at Noah. "Geez, I sound paranoid. I don't really mean it. It's leftover nerves from…" He sighed. "When this went down, I was worried about losing my job since I'm the lead for VIG. I still wake up worrying about it."
Noah nodded. Peggy's pregnancy was high risk, and they'd already experienced complications. Noah figured if he were traveling non-stop with a pregnant wife back home, he'd probably freak out over any bumps in the road, too. And he understood how even small hiccups might put Rick on high alert.
"Surely Vickerman never considered firing you. You're like his second in command," he said. The betrayal of Weaselgate had blindsided Rick, and he'd spent weeks beating himself up for not seeing it coming. Rick and his boss had scrutinized both Wesley's and the team's actions, searching for any red flags they might've missed. Their relationship was solid, and to Noah, the VIG boss man seemed like a pragmatic fellow—someone who wouldn't eliminate his strongest asset on a customer's whim.
Rick shrugged. "This contract is a significant job for VIG. If we lose a bunch of money, someone has to pay."
Noah clasped his friend on the shoulder. "You're too valuable for them to can you. And they already gave Wesley the Weasel the axe. C'mon, mate. Cheer up."
"You gents doing okay? Anything you need?" Noah looked up and blinked as their server's gaze lingered on him. Rick waved his hand over his half-empty glass.
"Er, no, I think we're good for now."
"Great. Just let me know if you want anything else." She winked at him and moved away slowly, as if giving him an opportunity to change his mind.
"Looks like you have company for the night, if you want it." Rick smirked, echoing the woman's words.
Noah snorted. "Don't you start too. Larry does enough assuming already." The guys at work often teased Noah for charming all the ladies at work. Dammit, Tristan. And while Larry considered himself a ladies' man, Noah often thought he'd do better if he abandoned the cheesy one-liners and just treated them with respect. Besides, despite the rumor mill, there was no way Noah would dally with a coworker. Not after last time.
Determined to cheer up his friend, Noah pushed aside his concerns about the project and how it would impact his future career. "You mentioned Peggy's plans for the nursery earlier today. What are you guys thinking?" Noah asked.
"Look, all I'm saying is, I'm not sure how we squeeze someone new into the routine we've already established. I'll take two, please." Del discarded two cards while Larry dealt him new ones. "And also, what is her skill set? I mean, how do we even know if she's a real coder? No offense to Noah or Larry, but your IT managers aren't developers. They're hardware and network people. What do they know about hiring coders?" He grunted as he arranged his cards.
Noah narrowed his eyes, unsure if Del's displeasure was for the conversation or because he didn't like his new hand. Their weekly poker game was the first chance they'd had to discuss the new hire announced two days ago. Tonight was their last time together before everyone flew back to their respective homes. They'd chosen Larry's hotel room because it was more spacious and came with a built-in kitchenette.
Poker had become a favorite pastime for the core project team. At first, it was a way to relieve the boredom of being on the road without constantly eating or drinking in their downtime. Noah was certainly grateful they'd found a healthier outlet after gaining an extra ten pounds during that initial leg of requirements gathering. It didn't hurt that he was actually good at the game and won his fair share.
"I think she's a spy." Jenny peeked at her hand. "I'm good."
Her declaration, so similar to Rick's assessment earlier this week, startled Noah. He glanced at Rick and raised an eyebrow. Did he say something to her? That would be out of character for him. Rick shook his head slightly, answering Noah's unspoken inquiry.
"Seriously?" Larry asked. "You're taking no cards?" His eyebrows knitted together. "I don't understand your strategy."
Jenny stuck her tongue out at Larry, who scoffed and continued around the table, dealing new cards as needed.
"So how do you know where she fits in the hierarchy?" Larry asked. "Is there, like, some certification level for programmers? I mean, the server guys all have different Cisco certs telling us what they know and what their seniority level is. Is there something similar that tells you how much she knows?"
