Page 72 of The Calendar of New Beginnings
“He’s here now, and he knows we’re meeting. Chef T is connected to our larger family.”
“The Hales. Your great-uncle is the legendary Arthur Hale, and everyone expects your brother, Matt, to be voted in as the new mayor this November.”
“We try and tolerate their presence,” she said blandly. “They’re both crusaders for justice in their own ways.”
He studied her. “And are you? Someone in human resources often has to right wrongs done to employees in a company. Have you ever had to fire anyone?”
“Of course,” she said, sippingher water after adding a lime wedge. “If they deserve it, I keep it short and sweet. If they’re being laid off, I keep a box of tissues on my desk, but I still keep it short and sweet.”
“I see a pattern.” His mouth quirked up, and it was hard not to notice the rugged planes of his jaw.Fortunehadn’t airbrushed anything. “I wasn’t sure what to expect after what Evan told me about you. He said you were really nice and funny.”
This time she rolled her eyes. “Showing off my intelligence to an inventor wasn’t really on the table. What was I supposed to do? Talk about the best way to structure a job description or create a human resources manual?”
Chase laughed, and it was one of those loud, gusty ones, which she found herself immediately liking. “Evan’s eyes would have glazed over the minute you said job description. I was the one who insisted I write one for my position. If it were up to Evan, he would have just hired me and let me do whatever I wanted.”
This time she was the one who laughed. “I have a feeling you probably still do whatever you want—even with a job description.”
“You’re right,” he said, chuckling darkly. “But Evan is the boss, and I try to remember that mostly. He and I?—”
“Are perfect examples of complementary leadership,” she interjected. “Sorry, I got excited. I sometimes interrupt.”
He took a drink of his water. “No, I’m glad you aren’t one of those stiff, inflexible human resources types.”
“Oh, don’t mistake my good humor. If we agree on a job description, I’ll follow it to the letter unless we agree on expanding the scope. And if we have a manual in place for how to run the institute?—”
“You’ll make sure every I is dotted and every T crossed,” he said, interrupting her this time.
She traced the rim of her glass, feeling the mist from the water’s bubbles on her finger. “I understand the importance of compliance, especially in a high-security facility housing people’s inventions. I wouldn’t be laissez-faire about that. Dare Valley might be a small town, but intellectual property theft is still possible. We don’t want someone walking in off the streets to steal some head-in-the-clouds inventor’s prize project.”
Chase lifted his glass and saluted her. “I’m glad you understand that. One thing Evan and I have always agreed on is the need to protect his inventions.”
“It’s important to protect everything from the ideas and the prototypes to the final inventions,” she said. “Evan explained the invention process to me in great detail. I assume you’ll have visitor and press protocols in place as well.”
He nodded. “Yes. Evan and I are still discussing the security protocols. He wants the institute to have an open and creative energy, but he recognizes most inventors are pretty tight-lipped about their projects. We’ve agreed to have low-profile guards and special access-only rooms beyond the high-tech security system I’ve finalized with our current provider.”
“But there’s also the danger that students might try and steal each other’s ideaswithinthe institute,” she said, shaking her head. “Not everyone is ethical. We could create an ethical protocol and provide mandatory training for everyone in the institute.”
“I’m trying to persuade Evan to go a step further and make them sign a legally binding agreement about the use of their work and collaboration within the center.”
Moira had a hard time imagining Evan going for that idea, which would essentially give the institute an opportunityfor legal action in the event of a breach of contract. “It’s a tough spot to be in, isn’t it? The institute’s inventors won’t technically be employees, but they’ll be doing important work that needs to be protected. You also don’t want anyone to use the institute’s resources to invent some new form of a chemical weapon.”
Chase set his glass down. “No, we don’t. Not all inventions are for the good of the world. Evan doesn’t like to sit in judgment over people’s ideas, but as an institute, we have a responsibility to ensure no harm is done.”
Moira uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “It’s going to be an exciting give and take, especially in the beginning. Selecting people worthy of using the institute is going to be?—”
“A pain in the ass,” Chase said, scowling now. “Evan doesn’t agree on the need for background checks in applicants.”
“Well, that’s just crazy! Of course you need to do background checks. You can’t let any Tom, Dick, or Harry into a place like this and give them access to the resources and support the institute plans to provide.”
He took a drink of his water, studying her over the rim of the glass. “I’m glad we agree on that.”
She could only imagine the power struggle that would erupt between Chase and anyone who stood in his way. Surely this was a man who was used to getting his way. “While we’re talking about agreements, I would need it to be clearer who I report to directly. Evan clearly will have a role as the creative genius behind the institute, and it sounds like he plans to work with inventors on their projects from time to time.”
Chase sighed, running his hand through his dark hair. “I’m dreading that part. I told Evan his first priority has to beto inventing for Quid-Atch, but he gets distracted by good ideas. It’s what makes him brilliant. Plus, he always geeks out with other inventors. So far, I’ve only witnessed this with Rajan Singh, the head of our R&D, and our team, but with this extra influx of people…”
“He’s going to be in inventing heaven,” she finished for him, smiling wryly. “He might have mentioned it.”
“You’re smart to ask who you’d report to,” Chase said, casting a glance at her resume. “But it won’t be so clear-cut. Evan will be the creative mastermind, as you said. Plus, he lives here now. He’ll want to do things we technically aren’t supposed to do. That’s why I’m going to be involved. Evan and I have been engaged in the battle between invention and management since we first met.”
