Page 8 of Isolated (Harper Security Ops #21)
My friends hesitated, looking at one another as though trying to decide if they believed me before they returned their attention to me, and Kasey spoke. “They’ve started the meetings.”
Oh, God. Not more meetings I had missed.
“What meetings?”
Steph sighed. “With the consultant. ”
I jerked back in my seat. “What? Who’s he meeting with?”
“Everyone, apparently. Or, well, everyone besides upper management.”
My stomach clenched as I ran my fingers through my hair.
This was all so bizarre. Nobody had mentioned anything on Monday when I’d attended the meeting with upper management about the consultant, Alan, who they’d decided to hire.
“I don’t understand. Why is Alan meeting with everyone? When did this begin?”
“It started today.” Steph drove her fork into her colorful panzanella. I preferred far more carbs than my friend took in these days, but even I had to admit her salad looked delicious. “Nobody is happy about it.”
“I didn’t even know it was happening.” If I hadn’t been feeling so famished from my workouts, this news might have prevented me from having such an appetite. I unwrapped my sandwich and lifted it in my hands. “Has there been any explanation as to the point of these meetings?”
Kasey shook her head, twirling her fork in her leftover spaghetti she’d brought in for lunch today. “Steph and I haven’t had our meetings yet, but from what we’ve heard, Alan is here to meet individually with everyone and decide whether they’re needed.”
My brows pulled together. “Are you sure?”
Steph didn’t hesitate to counter. “What exactly happened in the meeting you had earlier this week about Alan? They didn’t tell you that this was the plan?”
“No.” I set my sandwich down and glanced around the room.
While most individuals in the room had returned to their meals, a few still had their focus on me.
“I swear, this is out of left field. I was under the impression they were bringing him on to talk about efficiency. Maybe that’s all the interviews are about.
This idea that everyone needs to be worried about their job is all speculation. ”
“Would you tell us if we needed to be worried?” Kasey questioned me. “I’m not sure I can handle that now, too.”
I reached for her arm and squeezed. “Of course, I would.”
“So, you’ve really heard nothing?” Steph pressed.
“Nothing about layoffs. I promise.”
She sighed. “I wish someone would make that clear to everyone else who isn’t in upper management, because this is terrifying for the rest of us.”
I felt awful and did my best to reassure my friends, but the reality was that I hadn’t been given any information from Robert—or any of the other leaders—that the company was heading toward a downturn.
If anything, I believed things had been going extremely well, so everything my friends had shared came as such a surprise.
But worst of all, I had a meeting scheduled with my team immediately after lunch.
It took everything in me to avoid breaking under pressure.
Normally, everyone remained attentive and interested in whatever we were working on.
But all throughout the meeting, there were hushed conversations, murmurs, and concerned looks that I couldn’t bring myself to address.
I had no information to provide that would improve anyone’s mood.
Plus, even though I didn’t believe that layoffs were on the horizon, it was possible that not everything had been shared with me.
I refused to make false promises to anyone on staff.
So, I allowed the whispers to continue throughout the meeting, simply to prevent things from dissolving into something we wouldn’t be able to come back from.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that unless Robert or my other superiors did something to put the concerns to rest, the current atmosphere would continue.
At this point, I was merely grateful for the fact that it was Saturday. I could take some time this weekend to recover and fix the things within my power.
Although I hadn’t experienced any specific issues with any of my clients or their campaigns, the missed meeting earlier in the week weighed on me a bit. And with the news about Alan conducting these interviews, I thought it was best to be on top of my game.
My plan was to spend a few hours between today and tomorrow coming up with some new marketing strategies for a few of our bigger clients.
In addition, I was going to try to come up with something that would hopefully invigorate the members of my team.
If they were truly concerned about their jobs—and if there was a chance that things were heading in that direction—I wanted to do everything in my power to give my team members the best shot at proving just how excellent they were.
Luck or not, I refused to be a sitting duck. And if nothing else, I was merely glad that my sisters had decided that next weekend would be the best time to get together. Because there was no question that I had plenty to keep myself busy for the next two days.
My only hope was that it would pay off and Monday would bring the fresh start I desperately needed.