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“Good,” Ada says, which is just as well because I really have no fucking clue how it went. I’m just glad to be out of there and headed toward some alone time with Ada.
If I could get a grip, I would. But I can’t. So I don’t bother trying.
“Good to see you again,” Karlene says, her gaze as knowing as Qasim’s.
“Same to you,” I say. “Happy belated birthday, by the way.”
She seems surprised by that. “Thanks.” She glances around, then leans in toward me. “Sorry to have pulled her away. I promise she didn’t dance with any strippers this time.”
“Kar!” Ada admonishes her. Laughing, her friend moves on.
As we reach Ada’s office, I tell her, “You have good taste in friends.”
We go inside, and I notice Ada doesn’t move to close the door. I know why, but I’m still disappointed.
“Yeah,” she says slowly, making her way behind her desk, “ones that will get me fired.”
Despite her words, I’m pretty sure she’s kidding . . . until I look at her face.
“Ada? What is it?”
I sit, feeling a hell of a lot less carefree than I did a minute ago.
She drops her head into her hands, looking outside the door behind me.
“This is getting really complicated,” she says in an undertone.
“Getting? Ada, I’m pretty sure this has been complicated from the start.”
Her demeanor has completely changed from inside the boardroom. What the hell is going on here?
“What’s wrong?”
Ada opens the slip of paper Qasim gave her at the meeting. Turning it, she leans forward, handing it to me.
Report will be needed. But NBD. 2-weeker.
I look up, having no idea what this is supposed to mean.
Ada lowers her voice despite the fact we’re in an empty office.
“Qasim is the lead on toxicology. He’d be the one helping with the Phase IV study.”
I’m still lost.
“That’s him saying that, in the end, wewillneed the report. But that it’s no big deal. A two-weeker means he can have it done quickly.”
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“That’s great, right? It means there probably won’t be a delay.” Before she can answer, I feel compelled to throw in, “And do you guys seriously need an acronym for ‘no big deal’?”
I finally get a smile from her, but it fades quickly. “It’s good news for you, yes. But no delay means the only snag you’ll hit at this point is—” she swallows, looking like her pet just died, “—me.”
It takes me a second to put it all together.
I lower my voice. “So you’re worried that if we’re caught, you’ll be the reason we might not start bringing in money before the eighteen-month mark?”
Ada nods.
