The next morning Diane nearly dropped her phone when she saw me standing in the hotel lobby with my laptop bag.
She snapped quietly, “What are you doing here.”
I replied calmly, “Attending the meeting.”
She narrowed her eyes and asked, “Did you expense that flight.”
I shook my head and answered, “No, I paid for it myself.”
At Ironridge headquarters the boardroom looked out over the Chicago skyline and the executives sat around a long glass table while Diane launched into a confident executive summary filled with corporate language.
When she finished Christopher looked directly at me and said evenly, “Avery Bennett will lead the implementation discussion.”
Diane froze for a second before forcing a smile while saying, “Of course she can assist.”
I opened my laptop and began explaining the three phase rollout model across Ironridge manufacturing sites while answering questions from the finance director and operations chief.
The conversation flowed smoothly because preparation has a way of silencing doubt.
Christopher eventually leaned back and said thoughtfully, “You wrote the integration appendix yourself.”
“Yes,” I answered.
“It shows,” he replied simply.