Page 36 of The Law of Attraction
“Hmmm?” he answered through a mouthful of corn puffs.
“Tell me the truth. Do you think we’re going to be able to finish this integration by Saturday?”
He shifted in his seat, rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. “We’ll have to work a little smarter is all. Put in a few long nights. It’s doable.”
“Is it?”
He glanced over at her, then back at the road. “Yes.” His fingers tightened on the wheel. “We should make it to the hotel by ten. So we check in, get a good night’s sleep, and start bright and early in the morning. It’s not like we would have gotten all that much done today even if we’d arrived on time, so at most we’ve only missed a few productive hours. We can make it up later in the week if we have to.”
He sounded so sure of himself. She envied him his ability to be so confident in the face of the unknown.
“Hey, maybe we’ll get there and it’ll turn out to be a simple job,” he said. “Maybe their systems will be up-to-date and compliant.”
“You really think that’s likely?” she asked.
“I think it’s possible, and it’s not worth worrying about it until we’re actually there.”
“Right.”
He glanced at her again, and his eyes seemed to soften. “Trust me, it’s going to be fine. I’ve done dozens of these integrations.”
“And of all of those, how many times have you missed the deadline?”
“Only once.”
“So it does happen sometimes.”
“Rarely.”
“But if the first and only time I’m given the assignment we fail, you know they’re going to blame me, right?”
He shook his head, frowning at the rainy highway ahead of them. “That’s not true. You can’t control the airlines, or the fact that the lawyers dragged their feet for weeks, or the condition of the plant’s systems when we get there.”
She wondered if he was really that naive, or if he was just trying to make her feel better. But then she remembered he wouldn’t do that. He’d never lie just to make someone feel better.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s actually my fault,” she said. “Someone’s always got to take the blame, and you can bet it’s not going to be legal or the C-levels who overcommitted to the board. Maybe they won’t come right out and say it, but it’ll be implied that I wasn’t up to the task. It’ll be a black mark against me. A reason not to give me more responsibility in the future.”
The rain was falling even harder now, and Adam’s frown deepened as he increased the speed of the windshield wipers. “Listen, I won’t let them do that, okay?”
“You can’t control who they blame.”
“Sure I can, if I say it was my fault. I’ll take the blame if I have to.”
She blinked at him. “You wouldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because. Why would you?” Why would anyone do something like that for her? Especially him.
He shrugged, like it was nothing to throw himself on his sword for her sake. “I’m the one with more experience here, and I’m the one who committed us to this timeline—over your objections. Therefore, it’s my responsibility, and I’ll make sure they know that.”
A lump formed in her throat. “Adam—”
“Look, it’s not going to hurt me any. One missed deadline after all the wins I’ve pulled off for them isn’t going to matter.”
“Still.”
“Still what?”
