Page 19 of Code Block
Back in Houston
Noah stretched his neck as he strolled down the hall in the IT wing of the Houston office. His flight got in late yesterday, and his stiff muscles testified to his quality of sleep last night. Out of habit, he'd checked his email while drinking his morning coffee and found an email from Jackie, asking him to stop by first thing.
He'd known the IT director before she took the position at Caprock, back when she worked for one of their vendors. In fact, she was a motivating factor for him to pursue advancement within the company. She'd been part of the implementation team for a new piece of equipment and had led the training on the accompanying software. She'd become an unexpected mentor during that time, praising him for his intelligence and encouraging him to reach higher. He'd been happy when she'd joined Caprock and become their IT director.
A quiet laugh caught in his throat. Jackie would be horrified to know he thought of her as a big sister. She didn't subscribe to anything "touchy-feely," and she certainly didn't like to be reminded of her age. He reached her office door and gave two sharp raps before stepping into her space. The slender woman smiled and got up to greet him.
"How was your flight?" she asked as she air kissed each cheek in the European tradition.
He lightly squeezed her upper arms with affection. "Long. I truly don't fit in those bloody seats."
"Why didn't you fly business class?"
"I waited too long to book and was forced to take what was available."
"You've known about this trip for months!" Jackie stood with her fists propped on her hips, an exact replica of his mother when she scolded him.
Noah's mouth twitched. "Can we skip the mum lecture? I'm here now."
Jackie snorted and sat down, nodding to the chairs facing her desk. "Have a seat. I've got a couple of things I want to talk to you about."
She waited for Noah to settle in before continuing. "It's an exciting time for us in IT. After the reorganization, we were able to take ownership of our network and redesign our infrastructure."
Noah nodded. Under the previous owners, bureaucratic procedures had siphoned all information to the parent company, leaving Caprock working in the dark. Every department felt the strain, and the impact showed in their declining profits.
When the company reorganized a few years ago, the new owners empowered Caprock's leadership to manage the company as they saw fit. Many of the improvements made were changes brought by Jackie and her IT team. Easier access to data, backups that ran when convenient for all locations, and a follow-the-sun approach for support where users around the world could get help when they needed it, not only during Houston office hours.
"The leadership team has important plans for us. They're able to get information now, but they want it faster. The MADS update is the first step toward our data warehouse, and you've helped to get us this far."
She paused, and Noah raised an eyebrow. "I know all this. Why the recap? Where are you going with it?"
"Tell me what you think of us hiring the in-house developer."
Claire's ginger tresses popped into his head and Noah sat up, surprised at the change of topic. He leaned forward. Jackie obviously had something on her mind, but wasn't ready to spit it out yet. And the direction of this conversation aligned with items on his agenda.
"Are you asking my opinion of the position? Or of her specifically?"
"Both."
"Okay, but first, I have a question for you."
Jackie nodded. "Shoot," she said before taking a sip of her coffee.
"Is Claire Broussard a spy?"
Jackie sputtered, then choked on her drink. She waved Noah back to his seat when he rose to help her. She coughed twice and dabbed her mouth with a tissue. Once she stopped coughing, she asked, "Why would you ask?"
"You hired her to appease upper management." Noah watched Jackie go still. "Is she just a snitch to report back to them? Or is she actually here to do a job?"
The woman sighed and rubbed her face. "I was afraid of that."
Noah took a moment and studied his friend. She looked tired. Jackie was at least a decade older than him, but he'd never physically noticed their age difference before. Fine wrinkles around her eyes stood out in the harsh lighting of her office. Her cheekbones seemed more prominent than usual, and the crisp suit she wore hung loosely on her shoulders. She was slender by nature and didn't have any excess weight to lose.
"Is everything okay with you?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes, I'm fine." She flashed a smile to soften the terse reply. "It's been a rough couple of months. The VIG group wasn't the only one in trouble over Weaselgate." She wiped her desk with the wadded-up tissue and tossed it in the bin.
His eyebrows lifted. Well, damn. It had never occurred to him that Jackie's job might be at risk after that royal mess. He waited for her to continue.
