Page 27 of True Colors

What the fuck?

Erin takes her customary place at my right, as always, because she runs my meetings.

“So, she’s going to be on the team?” she asks me.

Anouk’s looking straight at us right then. Erin is whispering, but her voice is not carrying. I don’t think Anouk can hear us. I hope she can’t.

“Yes.” I turn back to look at Erin.

“You sure about that?” She gives me a pointed look.

“Yes.”

“You can’t allow her to present and⁠—”

“Let’s cross that bridge when we get there,” I cut her off, not wanting to get into it now.

Erin runs through the agenda, and the ten people on the team introduce themselves.

It’s important that everyone in this room gets along for the next six to eight months; we’ll be working very closely, and the last thing I need is drama inside the project team.

“Anouk, we will need you to work with Vijay on building the base model. This project will take the highest priority. Dot knows this,” Erin orders.

Anouk smiles and nods. She’s eager, excited, even if she is a little apprehensive.

Vijay says something to her, and she…giggles?

It’s so incongruous with her usual composure that it jolts me. I’ve never heard that sound from her before, so the surprise makes sense. What doesn’t make sense—what rattles me—is the unmistakable surge of desire that follows.

“Something you want to share with the rest of the team?” Erin clips. “Anouk, Vijay?”

Erin is efficient, no doubt about it, but she’s bloodless in how she approaches business.

I know she also thinks she’s competing with Vijay for a VP position in the headquarters when I take over as CEO. I don’t mind team members being competitive as long as they aren’t mean-spirited about it. Vijay never is, but Erin can be. I have been coaching her to work through this and regulate her forcefulness, but she struggles, especially when she’s feeling insecure.

Vijay is self-assured and usually doesn’t let Erin get to him, which is why her pokes and prods don’t cause the kind of conflict they could. I make a mental note to talk to her at our next one-on-one about how she interacts with Vijay.

“We were just talking about how if this forecast behaves anything like Novagene’s procurement data. We’re going to need therapy and caffeine.”

Everyone in the room chuckles at that, me included.

Erin stiffens. “Well, let’s move on to the next agenda point.”

The light mood in the room deflates at her tone.

I sigh.

Erin is efficient, but efficiency that erodes morale isn’t a win. If she continues like this, there will come a point where I won’t be able to promote her as I rise through the company. I’ve told her this before, but she’s not able to unlearn the consultant-asshole-leadership training she imbibed in the early part of her career.

“What? You already did that?” A team member sitting to Anouk’s right squeals. “How could you already have done that?”

Vijay leans over to her laptop, eyebrows lifting. “This is…wow! And you got all the data just last night?”

She blushes. “This morning.”

“People, can we focus?” Erin stands up, palms on the desk like she’s reprimanding toddlers.

“Erin,” I warn softly.