Chapter 3

Jen arrived at work early on Friday morning, heading straight for the pantry to grab a coffee. With her AirPods in, she hummed along to a song, already lost in her thoughts.

As she reached for the coffee pot, she nearly spilled it when she noticed someone else in the pantry. Elly was standing there, sipping coffee, looking calm as ever.

"Morning. Didn't expect to see anyone else up this early," Jen said, a little surprised.

Elly smirking slightly. "Looks like someone's having a good morning. Nice voice, by the way."

Jen blinked, momentarily flustered. "Oh, uh... yeah, well, guess I'm in a good mood," she said, tugging her AirPods out.

Elly chuckled softly, taking another sip of coffee. "I can tell."

Jen took her coffee, still feeling the weight of Elly's presence. "Well, enjoy the quiet while it lasts," Jen said, offering a smile. "The chaos will start soon enough."

Elly gave a small nod, eyes briefly meeting Jen's. "Yeah, but it's all manageable."

Elly put the empty cup down, preparing to leave. "Hey, can you meet me in the office after you're done with your coffee? Need to discuss something."

Jen nodded. "Sure. I'll be there."

As Elly left, Jen couldn't help but feel that same pull of curiosity. There was something about Elly's calm, collected demeanor that made everything seem... smoother. Jen shook her head, trying to focus on the day ahead, but that small request lingered in her thoughts.

A few minutes later, Jen knocked on Elly's office door.

"Come in," Elly called from inside.

Jen entered, giving a polite nod as she asked, "What can I help you with today?"

Elly looked up from a stack of papers and gestured Jen to the chair across the desk.

"I couldn't stop staring at the pile of papers in my desk," Elly said shyly. "I picked up the one on top – the Costa Verde file. And I see your notes on costs, funding and risks.." Flipping through the pages, Elly continued "But this is from a year ago. Why are we still looking at this now?"

I could feel Elly's eyes on me, direct, no-nonsense. Elly didn't seem like the type to waste time.

I leaned back in my chair, trying to shake off the last bit of awkwardness. "About the Costa Verde project... Yeah, you're right. The timing's off. It's been delayed a few times. The initial proposal went through some big changes last year, and we were supposed to get a go-ahead from upper management before moving forward. But…" I hesitated. "You know how things can get stalled. Budgets shifted, priorities changed, and… well, here we are."

I shrugged, hoping it didn't come across as an excuse.

Elly didn't look convinced. "A year, Jen? And no one thought to update this? No one pushed to get it moving again?"

I avoided Elly's gaze, tapping my fingers against the armrest. "I mean, things just kept getting delayed. Other projects took priority, and with funding still uncertain, it's been hard to make any solid moves. Everyone's stretched pretty thin."

Elly didn't let up. "A year of nothing? We need to know if this is still worth doing. Those numbers could be way off. How are we supposed to make decisions on this?"

I felt the weight of the question. "You're right, Elly. The numbers need updating. But honestly? The bigger question is, are we still pushing for the full expansion, or do we scale back? We can update the figures, but first, we need to decide what we're even going for."

Elly didn't respond immediately, but Jen could feel the air in the room shift. It was the kind of silence that meant Elly was thinking, analyzing. Then Elly stood up, paced a few steps, and turned back toward Jen with a look of resolve.

"You know what? Let's go to Costa Verde. We'll see it for ourselves. No more back-and-forth with numbers on paper. I want to know exactly what we're working with."

Jen blinked, taken off guard by the suggestion. "I don't know, Elly. There's a lot of—"

"A lot of what?" Elly interrupted, voice sharp but calm. "We're making decisions based on what? Reports? We need to see it. We need to understand what's really going on. No more guessing, no more assumptions."

Jen felt a tightness in her chest. She wasn't ready for this. But there was something about Elly's tone, something determined, like it wasn't just a suggestion but a demand.

"I'm just saying, it's going to be overwhelming. It's not going to be easy. We could end up with more questions than answers," Jen said, trying to hedge, but her voice sounded weaker than she intended.

Elly didn't hesitate. "We can't keep making decisions in the dark, Jen. We'll go, we'll see it, and we'll figure it out. Together."

Jen sighed, feeling cornered. But Elly was right. The numbers weren't enough. It wasn't going to get better by pretending it was.

"Alright. I'll set it up," Jen said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

Elly gave a short nod. "Thanks Jen, just let me know when"

As Jen leave the room, her mind already racing with everything that wasn't being said—there was so much more Elly needed to know.