Undeserved Devotion

Chapter 4

OK, you can do this, Claire keeps repeating this mantra to herself. It’s only 7:30 but she heads downstairs for breakfast and to set-up the workspace. She needs some help getting the items out of her car, but it seems that Chris is the only one up and ready to go. “Excuse me Chris, I have our equipment in the car still. Would you mind helping me bring it in?

“You don’t have to be so formal with me, and of course I would.” Chris followed Claire out to her car. Before she can open the trunk, Chris stops her. “So, you didn’t say anything. Does that mean you’re OK with me staying and leading the group?” Claire looks up at Chris and sees the emotion on his face. She takes a moment to compose herself before saying “Yes, I am. I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but I would appreciate it if you would keep our romantic history between us.” Chris gave her a huge smile in return, “Of course.”

------

“OK group, I know you all think you know each other, but we’re going to get into more information. Now don’t worry, nothing too personal. You’d be amazed at how often people will work together for years and have no idea what some of their co-workers are good at, have an interest in, or even already have training in, that has absolutely nothing to do with the role they currently have. With that being said, you have a list of basic questions in front of you, and we’re going to go around the room and share the answers to these questions. Now remember, trust is going to be an important part of what we do here this week, so please share as much as you feel comfortable, even if it’s not on the card. Now, I’ll start with just some basic information about myself as I am the new one to the group and to give you all a chance to think about your answers.” “I went to George Washington University in DC and then got an MBA from Northwestern University. I am an only child and grew up in a small town in Maryland. I am not very good at talking about my private life, almost to a fault. I absolutely love my job, but also really like to get away to travel as much as possible. Any sort of adventure, really. I also try to give back to my community when I can. As for my faults, I have a bit of a temper, can get tunnel vision when I’m focused on a project or something like that, and I can also be selfish, only child syndrome, I guess. Now, I’ve done enough talking, what about the rest of you? Who wants to go next?”

The rest of the group each take their turn and Claire is really surprised to learn that Chris was right. There is so much untapped talent in this group. She was taking notes about ways in which they could use these talents but also giving folks work they would enjoy. Claire was so excited that she momentarily forgot that she was in the room with Chris again.

____

The week progressed and Claire was surprised at how much the team has improved. She even learned new things about Pat, whom she thought she knew very well. Claire appreciated that Chris was trying hard to pretend that they didn’t have a past, but she found it equally frustrating that he seemed to be able to do it so easily. Claire tried to ignore these feelings and focus on her work. She avoided Chris whenever possible, but didn’t want to make it seem like she was intentionally avoiding him, so she forced herself to stay downstairs with the team at least through dinner. After dinner she would escape to her room, exhausted from the work but more from the emotional strain of trying to pretend like she wasn’t bothered being around Chris again. Most nights she found herself too wound-up to sleep and would just work.

What Claire didn’t know was that Chris was just as frustrated by her. He desperately wanted a chance to talk to her, but he never seemed to be able to get her alone. He watched her carefully whenever she was around, but didn’t want to show favoritism either. He really meant it when he said he wanted to help the entire team and not jeopardize this for her. Outside of the retreat, he had other work responsibilities to attend to, so most nights, he was up late working. He noticed that Claire was also up working and watched the changes she made on the group project. She was elected leader, so part of her responsibility was to make sure the final product was cohesive and the best the team had. He knew how smart and dedicated she was, so he wasn’t surprised but, he was really impressed by how she managed to make just enough changes to make it flow without completely changing the individual’s work.