Fool's Gold (Contemporary Romance), page 12
“Why do you have all this stuff and a piano?” Beta asked.
“I play piano sometimes, Benjamin.” Sol was rooting through what Beta had taken to be a bench, but was actually a giant toy box. “It depends on my mood.”
Sol grunted triumphantly and held up a pair of Nerf guns. “He we are. Grab some extra ammo.”
“So what are we doing?”
“Have you never set an ambush before?” Sol took up position at the edge of one of the bookshelves so he could see the doorway.
“No. I grew up with an older sister.”
“More’s the pity. The idea is to hit the enemy unprepared. We’re going to let Ricky get through the door and then unload everything we have on him.” Sol pointed to the second level where Jerome was leaning against the rail, his Nerf bazooka dangling from one hand.
“So what’s the point? Aren’t you guys a software shop, not a game factory?”
“The point is that you must instill fear in your employees if you wish them to respect you.” Sol gave Beta a very serious look. His eyebrows looked like they were praying insects. Beta had just about convinced himself that the big guy was serious and utterly, completely insane, but then Sol grinned.
“The point, young Benjamin, is that if you want a healthy, productive work environment, it’s good to keep people on their toes. And entertained. This shall accomplish both. Plus that rat bastard has it coming. He got me right in the face when I was coming out of the john last week.”
Beta didn’t know what to think. “If you say so.” He still wasn’t convinced that Sol was sane, but he was willing to roll with it.
The elevator dinged and opened. A skinny white dude and a normal sized Indian girl came out chatting, neither paying much attention to the rest of the office.
Sol stood up, cackled like a madman, and unloosed a barrage of foam darts at the pair of them. A loud twang came from above, and the bazooka missile caromed down. Beta squeezed the trigger as rapidly as he could, sending a fountain of little discs at the newcomers. A barrage of ammunition hit both of them. The girl squealed and covered her face, but the guy took cover behind a desk.
“Solomon! Why’d you shoot me?” The girl stood in the atrium, hands on her hips and glared.
“Friendly fire, Vidya. Sorry!”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’ll get yours, Solomon. When you’re least expecting it.”
Ricky came out from the behind the desk, smiling. “Nicely done, boss.”
“We’re square, Richard. Be a dear and take Jerome his rocket back, would you?” Sol turned to Beta. “Now Benjamin, we need to go clean up our mess.”
Beta followed him out to the atrium. “So what do you do here?”
“Jerome didn’t tell you? I own the place.”
Beta stumbled. Jerome had definitely left that part out. Beta helped Sol clean up the mess, then followed him back up to his office. Sol pointed to a chair and asked him to sit.
“So Jerome emailed me, Benjamin. He says you’re in the software field.”
“Yeah.”
“In sixty seconds or less, tell me your skills and experience.”
Beta swallowed hard and collected himself. Then he told Sol about programming in college, tech support working for Chad and the web stuff he’d been doing lately.
“Python, huh?” Sol spun his monitor around. “Have a look at this.”
Beta leaned on the desk, taking in the screen. It was a function, one that handled decryption judging by the name. “Okay.”
“This puppy has been giving me fits this morning. Read over it and tell me if anything leaps out at you. And while you’re at it, feel free to ask about anything you don’t recognize.”
Beta didn’t know a lot about encryption, but he knew plenty about string manipulation. He spent a couple minutes in silence, getting the shape of things set in his head, then started asking questions about particular parts of the code. Sol explained, his diction becoming quicker when Beta hit particularly interesting parts.
“Well, I don’t claim to understand it all, but I think I see part of your problem.” Beta pointed to one of the deserialization methods. “You’re using the wrong character set.”
Sol squinted at it, then looked from the code to Beta and back to the code. “You might be right.”
Beta sat back in the chair. He knew he was right. “It breaks when you use non-English passwords, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I just know it breaks sometimes.” Sol studied him. “So Benjamin, you’re only in town for a week?”
Beta’s heart just about stopped. Victoria! He was supposed to be at Mt. Sinai in ten minutes.
“Benjamin?”
“Sorry. Yeah, just a couple days. I’m here to see a friend that’s in the hospital. Sorry, I lost track of time and she’s expecting me.”
“This friend is local to New York?” Sol leaned forward, his expression serious.
“Yeah.”
“I can’t ask you the nature of your relationship with this friend, but if you have any interest in remaining in the city and you’re looking for employment, I have a position open if you’re interested.”
Beta could hardly breathe. An open position? “What?”
“It’s a junior developer position, but it starts at one twenty-five a year. And it has an office.”
Beta tried to collect his jaw from the floor. That was more than four times what he was making in Omaha in cubicle hell. “You... I... Uh...”
“Think about it, kid. Talk to Jerome.” Sol rose and shook Beta’s hand again. “Don’t keep your lady waiting.”
“I won’t. I... Thank you for the offer. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“I wasn’t expecting a useful candidate to wander in today.” Sol walked with him to the door. “By the way, how do you know Jerome?”
“He’s in my corp in EVE.”
Sol chuckled. “And it all falls into place. Take care, Benjamin. I hope to hear from you soon.”
Beta walked down to Jerome’s office in a daze. He related the offer, accepted Jerome’s congratulations, then headed to the elevator. Victoria was waiting.
Chapter 26
Mom
BETA spent most of the afternoon sitting with her, and Victoria was sad to see him leave. Trent hadn’t even called. She sipped from her giant hospital mug of water and eyed the divider. Stella was snoring again, and blessedly silent. Beta had chatted with her a while and exercised more patience than Victoria knew he possessed, but even he had gotten tired of the casual belligerence.
Victoria snagged her phone from her bedside table and dialed her mom.
“I take it you’re still alive?” Her mother didn’t bother with a proper greeting.
“No, this is the nurse calling to notify the next of kin.” Victoria tried to put more mirth in it than she felt. Her mother’s silence told her that her joke fell flat. “Anyway, I thought I’d let you know that I’m getting out tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s good. You seen much of that Tanner boy?”
“Yeah, Beta spent most of the day here.” Victoria shifted the phone to her left ear and sipped more of the water. “You don’t need to meddle in my life, mom.”
“I’m your mother. I’m supposed to ask these questions. You still seeing your New York banker?”
“Yeah.” She hadn’t told her mom about catching Trent with the other girl, and she wasn’t sure that she was ever going to.
“So how’s he? He been up there, too? Or is it just you and Beta?”
“Trent’s fine. He’s busy with work, so I haven’t seen him much.”
Her mother snorted. “Any man that can’t make the time for you when you’re hurting ain’t worth the time he wants when you’re well. I thought I taught you better than to put up with a man like that.”
“What exactly did you teach me, mom? To fuck around with any guy that looks like he has money?”
“Well, it looks to me like you learned that lesson at least.”
“That’s just hateful.”
“It’s true, Victoria. If nothing else, learn from my mistakes. Just because a man has money today, doesn’t mean he will tomorrow. And I mean that both literally and figuratively.”
Victoria was surprised her mom even knew what “figuratively” meant. She knew her mom was trying to make a point about Trent, but he worked in one of the most lucrative professions in the richest city on the planet. And his family had money.
“Thanks for the advice, Mom.”
“Uh huh, you should...”
Victoria looked up, realizing that someone had just knocked on her door. Trent stood in the entryway.
“Who’s on the phone?” His face darkened.
Victoria held the phone away from her mouth. “My mom. Hang on a sec.” She put the phone back to her ear. “Hey, Mom, I have a visitor. I need to let you go, okay?”
“What? Who is it?”
“It’s Trent. Talk to you later.” She hung up without waiting for a response.
“How’s your mother?” Trent sat in the chair Beta normally occupied, but he didn’t drag it over beside the bed.
“She’s okay.” She was going to tell him more about the conversation, but Stella started coughing.
Then she started talking. “Why hello, handsome. Did you come to see me?”
Trent edged away. Stella’s cackle chased him even as he ducked closer to Victoria’s bed. He leaned over the bed and gave her a peck on the forehead. “I’m going to get out of here, okay?”
Her gut reaction was to ask him to stay. She didn’t want to face the afternoon alone. But part of her knew he wasn’t staying. There would be some excuse or another. A meeting or an important deal or something equally meaningless.
She forced herself to smile. “Have a good afternoon.”
Trent slipped out, leaving her there with Stella. Victoria lay back on the bed and tried to ignore the sounds coming from beside her.
Chapter 27
Christine
IT was close to 7:00 when Beta strolled up the sidewalk in front of his sister’s brownstone. He rapped on the door and waited. When she’d IMed him at lunch, Christine had promised she’d be home, but she hadn’t responded to any of the texts he’d sent on the train after he’d left work. After a minute or two of standing around on the sidewalk, he tried the knob. The front door opened into a small entryway. He felt ridiculous for standing in the cold. Another door lay in front of him and a callbox on the left.
He mashed the button for Christine’s apartment and waited again. After another minute or two, he went back outside and looked up at her apartment. He was pretty sure it was the right place. It checked out with Google Maps.
“Hey Christine, are you home?” he yelled at the building.
A pink-haired head poked over the edge of the roof. A cloud of smoke followed it. “Beta?”
It was Christine alright. No one else would have hair that color or that spiked.
“Are you going to let me in, or what?”
“Sorry.” She disappeared. A moment later, the inner door buzzed.
Beta ran for it, jerking it open before it could lock again. He made his way up the stairwell until he reached the third floor. A yell came from the floor above him: “Beta, up here!”
Christine was sitting in a lawn chair on the roof, some tattooed guy in a chair across from her. They both had winter coats and fat cigars.
The guy took a long drag on his cigar and waved. “I’m Eli.”
Beta looked around for a place to sit. He settled for a cinderblock, then pulled his jacket tighter. “You guys just up here for a smoke?”
“Yeah, the landlady gets pissed when we stink up the building.” Christine blew out a gray cloud. “How’s it going, little brother? Been a while since I heard from you.”
“I’ve been staying busy. I got a job in the city.”
“Congrats. I talked to Victoria and she said you were in town to see her. I was thinking... while you’re here, could you look at my computer?”
Again? Was it not possible for his sister to see him without asking for something. Beta sighed. “I guess. So where is Victoria? I thought she’d be off work.”
“Nope. Restaurant business isn’t nine to five. Girl’s gotta work if she wants to get paid.”
“Word,” Eli said.
Christine took a long drag on her cigar. “Sorry, Beta, I’m a terrible hostess. Do you want a smoke?” She held up a box and lifted the lid.
“No, thanks.”
“You have a place to stay yet? Victoria’s in my spare room, but you can crash on the couch if she won’t let you share her bed.”
“I’ve got a place, thanks. You want to show me your computer?”
“Sure. Give me a minute.” Christine took a few long drags on her cigar, then ground it out on the cinderblock between her and Eli. She stood and gathered her chair. “Alright, I’m ready.”
The laptop was sitting open on the sofa, already logged into Windows. Beta flopped down beside it and set to work. Eli went into Christine’s room and closed the door. Probably to shoot up, Beta figured. Christine went to the kitchenette.
“Care for a drink?” She asked. “I’ve got wine, beer and...” She shook a carton and peered inside. “The milk’s bad, sorry.”
“I’m good.” He already had the malware cleaner running. If Christine would just run it herself, or stop using inferior web browsers, he wouldn’t need to clean up her system for her.
Christine came over and sat down beside him.
“I like your hair,” Beta said.
Christine grinned. “Thanks. I changed it back from blue a few weeks ago.”
“Should have gone straight red and not pink. More Christmasy.”
Her grin turned to a laugh. “Maybe I should go hunter green and hang ornaments from it? That would make for a hell of a show.”
Beta wasn’t sure if she was joking or not, but part of him wanted to see her with a Christmas tree for a head. “If you do that show, I’ll come watch, I promise. As long as it’s close.”
He listened to Christine talk about life on the road, the clubs she’d played in and which towns had the best crowds. He didn’t have any frame of reference for a lifestyle like that, so it wasn’t very interesting. It made him wonder if that’s how other people felt when he talked about programming or EVE or computers.
The malware cleaner finished, so he set the anti-virus to do a deep scan. “Once this is done, you should be good.” Beta handed the laptop to his sister.
“Thanks, Beta.” She smiled, and for an instant he caught a glimpse of what other men must see. She could charm the birds down from the heavens when she felt like it.
“So who’s this Eli guy?”
“He’s my drummer. He’s been with us since the spring.”
Which meant Beta should have met him in Omaha, but he didn’t remember him. Those band guys all blended together. Denim and leather, piercings and tattoos. It was the story of Christine’s life.
“You guys serious or anything?” He glanced toward the still closed bedroom.
Christine smiled innocently. “Maybe. Maybe not. Who’s asking, my little brother or my concerned mother?”
“Definitely brother.”
“We’re getting there. He’s not in there getting high, if that’s what you’re wondering. He was coming down with a migraine.”
“Oh.” Beta felt foolish for thinking ill of him. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’ve found someone.” He gathered his jacket, but stayed on the couch, giving Christine an opportunity to talk if she wanted to say anything else, or to give her an out if she wanted that, instead.
Her silence indicated the later. “I need to get back home,” Beta said. “I have to work in the morning and it’s an hour back to SoHo.”
“Don’t be a stranger. Your girl can’t complain if you’re here to visit me, you know.”
He shrugged. A few weeks ago he would have leaped at the chance to even be near Victoria, but he was coming to the conclusion that if she wanted to see him, she’d let him know. “We’ll see.” He rose and slipped into his jacket. “Take care, Christine. Let me know when you play in town again.”
“I will.” She walked with him to the door, then closed it behind him.
Beta walked back to the subway station in better spirits than he had expected. Even missing out on Victoria hadn’t been too bad, and it was good to catch up with Christine. And if she’d finally found Mr. Right, then he was happy for her.
Chapter 28
Sol's Girl
BETA had his feet up on his desk and code open on his screen. The job was barely a week old and they were already loading him up with tasks. It was wonderful. The fact that he’d only heard from Victoria once in the week and a half since she had been out of the hospital was not so wonderful.
He tapped at the keyboard, moving some logic higher up in the function he was fixing. Someone knocked at the door. Jerome and Sol stood in the hallway, shoulder to shoulder. Jerome grinned. “Beta dude, how’s it going?”
“Good.” Beta took his feet off the desk and sat up straighter. He set the keyboard on the desk in front of the center of his three monitors.
“Psh, don’t put on airs for us, Benjamin. If you work better with your feet elevated, so be it.” Sol came in and sat in one of the empty chairs opposite Beta’s desk. “How are you feeling?”
Beta stared at him, confused. Why would his boss care about his feelings? Did he think he was sick? “Uh, good?”
“No new-job anxiety? Nothing that’s making you wish you had gone back to Nebraska?” Sol seemed genuinely concerned.
Jerome stood behind the boss and rolled his eyes.
“No. I like the job. Jerome’s still letting me sleep on his couch, so it’s not like I’m on the street or anything.”
“The couch? Jerome! You should know better. The company has an apartment downstairs. You may stay in it, if you like. It’s furnished.”
