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“I just don’t like double standards.”
He nodded, not meeting my gaze. I had already noticed that eye contact with him came rarely.
“That’s fair enough. I was a bit harsh that first day, wasn’t I?”
“You could say that.”
“Can we chalk it up to transition pains?”
“I’m not holding anything against you,” I replied, hoping my tone came across as teasing and not bitter. “I appreciate you apologizing. I just saw an opportunity and couldn’t resist.”
“I can appreciate that.”
We sat in silence for a few awkward moments. Nathan did not seem like a small-talk kind of guy.
“I have the new project plan proposal,” I offered. “I thought some more about the deadlines, spoke with the team, and I think I came up with something that will work.”
I clocked his surprised expression and tried not to let it irritate me. Was it so shocking that I came prepared? He didn’t seem to think much of me for whatever reason.
“I thought you were against this deadline.”
“I was against rushing everyone into finishing a half-assed product. This plan involves hiring a small team of contractors to QA as we go and help out with some of the more mundane tasks.”
“That’ll increase the budget.”
“It will be a drop in the bucket in the long run. Besides, this is the only way I can see us feasibly finishing on time. I’ve already made a call to a recruiting company we’ve used in the past. They gave me the names of a few freelancers looking for temporary work.”
He nodded as he reviewed the document I had forwarded him.
“Seems thorough.”
“I promise you, it is.” I cursed the edge in my voice. Being a woman in tech had formed a rather sizable chip on my shoulder. People underestimated me, and Nathan's attitude had me on high alert. He hadn’t said anything offensive but a tone could imply a lot.
He glanced up at me before averting his gaze.
“I appreciate you getting this done so quickly without me even having to ask.”
“It’s my job.”
“Of course.”
I waited for him to ask me additional questions about the project. To poke at every little detail. To prod at my work and make the smallest suggestion even when it wouldn’t make an impact.
Instead, he sat there, reading it in full.
“Anything you want to discuss?” I asked.
“No,” he said without looking up. “I can expect you to set up all these meetings and inform the team?”
“Um, yes.”
“I’ll give you the rest of this time back then. I don’t think there’s anything to discuss further.”
“Oh, really? You’re sure?”
His intense stare made me grateful he didn’t meet my eyes often. “I don’t say things I’m not sure of. Is there any part of your proposal you’re questioning?”
“No,” I said hurriedly.
