"Tell me," Gavin said. "All of it." Elise didn't look away. She pulled out the chair closest to her and sat and he remained standing and she told him. 3 Months ago, Warren Meridian had begun due diligence on a potential acquisition of Redwood Freight standard process, financial review, operational assessment, leadership profiles. When Elise reviewed the personnel files, she had almost moved past Gavin's entirely.
Operations managers were not usually the focus at this stage. Then she read the safety report. He had flagged a loading system as unsafe when everyone else was prepared to sign off. If he'd stayed quiet, the project would have moved on schedule, and he would have received a bonus. Instead, he filed a formal internal objection, accepted the delay, and watched the promotion go to someone else.
Then he went back to work. No public statement, no mention of it anywhere. She had set the file down and picked it back up twice. She was looking for someone to lead Redwood's operations through an integration that needed a person the workforce actually trusted. She had been through a formal search and found no one who felt right.
But she had learned too many times what happened when she revealed who she was before she understood who she was dealing with. People changed subtly. They started performing, saying the right things, angling. She had wanted to see Gavin before he knew he was being seen. Grant had tracked his routine.
He stopped at North Pine Cafe every Christmas Eve. Same approximate window. Elise had planned to be there, have a brief conversation, observe how he talked about his work. 20 Minutes, that was all. I didn't plan for you to invite me anywhere, she said.
I didn't plan for your mother or Dana or Lucy. She stopped. I didn't plan for any of the last four days, but you planned the first 10 minutes. Yes. Gavin moved toward the window.
He stood with his back to her for a long moment. Then he turned around. You didn't meet me, Elise. His voice was quiet, controlled, which was somehow worse than anger. You researched me.
The feelings that came after I know what you're going to say. He looked at her steadily. Last night at dinner, you asked me if someone approaches for a practical reason, but the feelings after are genuine, does the beginning still matter? He paused. I told you it depends on the reason.
And I meant it. Elise had nothing to say. He pulled on his coat. If you actually believed I was the person in that file, he said, why didn't you trust me enough to tell me who you were from the beginning? She opened her mouth, closed it.