10. Food and Friendship
Food and Friendship
Claire stepped off the elevator and walked through the atrium of her building, thinking of her schedule today. She'd settled into a routine centered around project tasks, and today's agenda was full of update and planning meetings.
"Claire!" She stopped and spun around, spotting Brinnie hustling after her, an oversized warming bag in her hands.
"What've you got there, Brin?" she asked.
"I was thinking about your late meeting tonight. The one with China?"
"Singapore," she corrected.
"Right. I knew it was somewhere on the other side of the world. Anyway, I thought about how you'd miss supper, so I made a tasty chicken and rice casserole for you and your teammates to eat at work."
Claire gawked at Brinnie. She'd told Brinnie about tonight's late meeting earlier this week when planning their monthly get together.
The thirteen-hour time difference between Houston and Singapore made it impossible to meet during regular business hours, so when the plants were attending, the team alternated between early morning and late-night update meetings.
Apparently, Noah had instituted this practice, pointing out that the Singapore plant rarely got to give their input because of the time difference and the team needed their feedback as much as the other three plants.
"How did you manage this in such a short time? Doesn't this usually take half a day to make?" Claire asked.
Brinnie scoffed. "Sweetie, I have got to teach you my shortcuts.
" She waved a hand. "I had a roasted chicken in the fridge.
The hard work was already done, so all I needed to do was throw in the remaining ingredients.
Anyway, I made it last night. The dishes are microwavable.
Just stick it in the company microwave at medium heat for about ten minutes, stirring it every so often until it's warm throughout. Here you go."
Claire grunted as the weight of the bag settled on her shoulders. "Thanks, Brinnie. I'll make sure you get your dishes back."
"I know, dear. Have a good one."
Her neighbor was already hightailing it somewhere else. Claire grinned at her good fortune of finding someone like Brinnie to look after her. She wondered if Noah would appreciate her bringing food tonight. Where did that thought come from?
"What time is the Singapore call?"
Noah looked up from his analysis to find Patsy Buchanan, his counterpart in the US plant, standing in the doorway of his temporary office.
The woman's reputation as a "tough old broad" was one she was proud of and did her best to maintain.
Her bright red hair gave no clue as to her age, but retirement had to be right around the corner for her.
"Have you been pulled into the project then?" he asked. He glanced at his wristwatch. The offices were quiet at this time of night.
"No, I'm not getting involved in that. But they're complaining about the way we set some things up for them, so I'm going to grab some of your time while you've got all the players in the room."
Noah groaned inwardly. Of course she was. Why schedule a call of your own when you can hijack someone else's? He leaned back in his chair. "Anything I can help with?" Perhaps he could intervene before their project update call got derailed.
"Only if you know what their problem is with the clamps. They're claiming they need to have them inventoried rather than expensed off like we do."
"Ah. I actually do know something about that.
Let me tell you what's going on." Since the newer Singapore plant made the same drill bits as the Houston plant, the Houston managers had set up their processes and trained the new personnel.
Now that Singapore had been operating on their own for a while, they were pushing for changes that better suited their environment.
The first time he'd encountered a difference in how the plants operated, he'd been fascinated.
Then surprised by how much he genuinely enjoyed learning about those differences.
He spent the next twenty minutes explaining how the parts locally available to Houston required a three-month lead time for the Singapore plant, which is why they wanted them set up as an inventory item they could track.
Patsy left satisfied with the explanation, and Noah was happy to avoid the disruption to their planned meeting.
The encounter with Patsy left Noah thinking about his work on the project. So many little things like this had been resolved because he'd been able to discuss both sides. It would be nice if Caprock had someone in a permanent position who could deal with conflicts like this.
Teresa stuck her head in and interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey, man! Claire brought supper if you want to grab a bite to eat before the call."
Noah raised an eyebrow. "What'd she bring?" A mental image of Claire smiling while he choked on her cooking filled his head. He must be feeling guilty for keeping his distance.
"Who cares? I'm starving. It's in the kitchen. Come now or lose out." She saluted him and hustled away.
His stomach growled. "I guess that means I'm checking it out." He stood and stretched, then wandered down the hall to the community kitchen where he could hear a crowd gathering. Their voices drifted out.
"Uh… Docker is a containment system, not a person." That sounded like Srini.
"Duh. I know that. It's a joke. Docker? I barely know her. Get it? Ugh. Never mind." Noah thought that sounded like Vicki, but she rarely attended any late-night sessions.
"Holy crap! This is good, Claire. Did you cook this?" Larry asked.
Her laughter rolled over him, and he entered in time to hear her response.
"No, my neighbor did. I'd mentioned working late tonight, so Brinnie made supper. I didn't realize she'd made enough for an army until I unpacked it."
There were two casserole dishes on the counter, along with plates, forks, and paper cups. At the end were two plates piled high with brownies.
Noah grabbed a plate and helped himself, then moved to sit at one of the tables spread throughout the communal space.
His growling stomach didn't seem to care what was on the menu, but he studied his plate and spied peas, carrots, and mushrooms mixed in with rice and bits of shredded chicken.
He scooped a forkful of the creamy concoction into his mouth and almost melted in his chair.
"This is luscious," he exclaimed. "What is it?"
Pink tinged Claire's cheeks, and she smiled. "It's chicken and rice casserole. Brinnie's an excellent cook. I'm definitely getting this recipe from her."
"You cook too, Claire?" Teresa asked.
The red crept up the rest of her face and she fidgeted in her chair. "Yes. We have a group in our apartment building who swap dishes and recipes."
"Well, Miss Brinnie can cook for us anytime," Larry added as he shoveled another bite in.
"Did she make these brownies too?" Simon asked as he looked over the dessert plates.
"Um, no. Those are mine. Our monthly cook-off was tonight, and I'd sent my contribution ahead of time. Apparently, Brinnie thought we needed them more. Those on the left are without nuts for anyone with nut allergies."
Quiet murmurs filled the air while everyone stuffed their bellies.
Noah cleaned his plate and made his way toward the brownies. As he passed Claire, he stopped to compliment her on the food. "That was wonderful. Please tell Miss Brinnie thank you for the delicious meal."
Her eyes widened at the compliment. Her reaction startled him.
Had he been such a jerk that a simple compliment shocked her?
He averted his gaze and swallowed. Before he could blurt out an apology, he loaded his napkin with two brownies and beat it out of the kitchen.
He had a meeting to prepare for. At least that's what he told himself.