“Does it work reasonably okay?”
“It should. I’ve started it up a few times, and there are just a few glitches I need to straighten out. I promise I’ll have this in your hands for the presentation tomorrow morning.”
Art rubbed his lower lip. “I know this is asking a lot, but can we make an interactive presentation with it by seven tonight?”
Nick looked up at him in surprise. “But that’s just three hours from now.”
His partner hesitated slightly before answering in a low whisper. “Yeah, about that. Benny Orenstein told me he’s coming over. And—”
“And what?”
“He said if we don’t have a working build by then he’s cancelling and going with Stoakes’s firm in Silicon Valley instead.”
Nick could hardly believe it. “But he signed a contract with us. He can’t back out now.”
“There’s actually a cancellation clause in the paperwork.”
“What? I’ve never read anything like that in the docs.”
“It was added in, just before he signed it,” Art said softly. “His lawyer insisted on it.”
Nick tilted his head up and let out a low groan. “Jesus H Christ.”
“I’m sorry, Nick. I know your team is understaffed, and if I could do anything you know I would help.”
“I know, I know. You don’t have to explain.”
“I was on the phone with him all day,” Art said. “I got him to agree to come over and check out what we’ve done so far. If we can pull this off, then he could refer us to an even bigger fish, he says.”
Nick frowned. “I know what he’s trying to do, the damn cheapskate.”
“This is important,” Art said. “If he sticks with us, it will be enough to pay off our outstanding bills. I’m afraid I’ve got no money left in the bank, so we really need this.”
Nick cracked his knuckles. “Don’t worry, I got this. You’ll have the build ready to go in a few hours’ time.”
“You sure?”
“Damn sure. Once I’m done with this, he’ll be eating out of your hand for once.”
Art beamed. “Thanks, Nick. I’ll leave in a bit so I can go home and put on my best suit. Will you be okay holding down the fort till I get back?”
“No sweat.”
“I know this has been hard on you and Cathy, but I think we’re about to turn the corner, bud.”
“Don’t worry, I got this,” Nick said. “Now get going and go bother somebody else. I need to concentrate.”
Art chuckled and walked away.
Nick’s mind became laser focused, and for the next half hour he managed to find and correct a few more bugs in the software. Just before he tried to run the program, he suddenly remembered today was his wedding anniversary.
Using the autodial on his smartphone, he tried his wife’s number, but all he got was voicemail. He decided to leave a message, just in case he forgot to call again.
3
CATHY’S PHONE VIBRATED inside her handbag, but she ignored it while gesturing at the couple beside her. “And this is the living room.”
The portly, silver haired couple standing alongside her looked at each other and made some hushed murmurings that she wasn’t able to discern.
The man nodded. “It looks okay, but I didn’t see a garage.”
“I’m afraid there isn’t one. You can park your car on the street,” Cathy Dirkse said.
The woman standing beside her husband had white curls in her hair. “What about this whole neighborhood? Is it safe?”
“Reasonably,” Cathy said. “It’s a quiet cul-de-sac.”
The man gave a solemn look to his wife. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s okay,” the woman said to him before turning towards Cathy. “Though if we include the insurance and all that, it would really put us in a bind. Is there a way we could get a discount on it?”
“I’m afraid the insurance and the house are two different things,” Cathy said. “California state law requires homeowner’s insurance. I could try to find another broker for you on that, and maybe he or she could offer a better price.”
“If you could, please,” the man said. “My company pension and Social Security benefits will be just enough to cover the down payment and very little else.”
“Sure, I’ll look into it.”
The woman smiled at her, showing a pair of yellowing dentures. “Thanks, Cathy. We have another meeting to go to, so we’ll talk to you again soon.”
Cathy walked briskly over to the front door and opened it for them. “Oh, no problem. Let me guide you both to your car.”
The man smiled while shaking his head. “No need. We can get there on our own. Thanks again, Cathy. We’ll call you.”
Cathy waved goodbye as the retired couple got into their car and drove off. She had spent most of the day stuck on the freeway, and her clients’ cooling attitude meant they might have found a better house elsewhere since they were making up excuses when it came to closing the deal. They must be in touch with a few other real estate brokers, she thought. I hope they won’t buy it from Jonathon or Lorraine, anybody but them. I need to beat those two this month.
Watching their car disappear down the street, Cathy remembered the vibrations of her smartphone. Taking the multipurpose device out from her bag, she started combing through her messages while walking back to her sedan parked along the street. The afternoon sun continued to cast muted golden rays at her face, and the only sounds she could hear were the seatbelt reminder beeps her car made as she sat down in the driver’s seat.
After reading all of the texts from clients and colleagues, she opened her message inbox and heard Nick’s recorded voice. “Hi Cathy, it’s me. I’m so sorry but things have come up here that need my attention, so I won’t be home until late tonight. Oh, I was supposed to pick up Scotty after his soccer practice, but is it alright if you do it? Thanks. I’ll try calling again later. Bye.”
Cathy looked away, a lethargic feeling of apathy drifting in her mind. Nick was never home. The only time they had together was on Sundays, and he would spend all afternoon sleepily watching football games from the couch before going to bed early. They would acknowledge each other’s presence with small talk, and the subjects spoken about rarely went beyond the mundane.
She remembered the early years. Their children were still small, and they truly couldn’t get enough of each other back then. Waking up right next to him was electrifying, and there was enough time to spend in clubs or by the beach while their own parents looked after the kids. They even managed to convince Nick’s mother to keep Kim and baby Scott for a whole weekend once, and they were able to rent a cottage up by Big Bear Lake, just for the two of them. How she missed those halcyon days when nothing mattered but mutual love.
Things started to go downhill when their parents passed away, one by one. After his mother’s death, Nick became quiet and withdrawn. Gone was his loving, jesting warmth, replaced by a cold, detached aloofness. Her therapist said it was a way for Nick to cope with the loss, but Cathy often wondered why she was always on the receiving end of it.
When Nick decided to go into business with his old buddy Arthur Treadway, it all finally hit rock bottom. Cathy’s husband would sometimes work all night at the office, leaving her to take care of the kids. She had to put less hours into her own job as a real estate broker just to deal with Kimberly and Scott. The magic gradually went away, and all she had left were her parental responsibilities and a growing resentment towards Nick.
Her phone began ringing just as she closed the car door and started up the engine. She took a look at the caller ID and hesitated for a brief second before answering it. “Hello.”