Timing

Alan and Jason come in late. By the time they get in everyone else has got their breakfast, so they go down to the canteen on their own.
When they come back Alan asks for the brown sauce (I keep a bottle in the desk draw because they charge 8p a sachet in the canteen) and relays this story to me.
They are standing in the queue downstairs, and Jason is talking to one of the women down their he knows, along the lines of
“In this place the higher up you are the less work you do. Take a look at the gaffers on our floor for example.”
At that precise moment our boss comes in.
“You weren’t bad mouthing me were you?”
“Would I do that?”
“Yes you probably would.”

At the same time as Alan is telling me this, Jason is telling Clive. Then the boss walks past with his sandwich just as Jason says his name.