@Tcof It's not the opportunity to work in a better environment (which I shall point out again, he isn't even sure his old friend even works there) that is the biggest problem, it's doing it right in front of her current editor that is really insensitive. Right after delivering a line that drops like a bucket of ice water on them.
And the second part was me trying to narrow it down to the essence that it's a lot easier to judge people for their actions when you have to expend no effort of your own to see these changes. Yeah, maybe it was a better idea, but no one thought of it at the time, not fixing that without a time machine. Maybe there are other things in the way that he hasn't considered (in this case most likely that she is pretty damned problematic in a number of ways), but he isn't really ready to listen, he just chugs right on through it all to the landmine of "you are irresponsible", results apparent.
And while I agree that a lot of his motivations are about weaseling his way out of the situation, he is noticably getting more worried when he notices his dad is going into preach mode while she goes into the calm before the storm.
To clear up, since I am apparently coming of wrong here: Do you understand what I am describing myself seeing, even if you don't read his character that way? No lolitrolus, no salt, not your bruh, m8 etc.
If you felt I was attacking you, sorry about that, I was raised by internet savages and find slinging around invectives fun, so peppering descriptions of things is how I get my rocks off while writing.