Chapter 13
Two months later...
The last month has been so busy I have barely sat down. Since the launch of VeriScan my little seven-person team has exploded to more than a hundred with no signs of things slowing down. I sit across from my original core team--a group of seven like-minded individuals who want to bury Nix's software in the ice age where it belongs--in the conference room. The tiny office space on the second floor of the Truman building isn't large enough and we're discussing our growth strategy but all I can do is think about Nix.
Every time they bring his name up my chest constricts more and I feel like I may pass out. The atmosphere in this room is super-charged with excitement over our growth, though, so I try to tap into the thing that's driven me for a few years now. But when I really think about it, I don't want Nix to fail, which makes this a very bittersweet day--our first call from a major government official interested in our new algorithm.
"I'm telling you, if we give it two more months, everyone in the world will see Walsh's software is subpar. We have the superior facial recognition software and the world will flock to us." Connor--college buddy and tech genius--sits across from me with his white polo and khaki shorts, chewing the end of his stylus. He's not wrong. They're already flocking to us.
"Yes, but in six months Walsh and his team could come out with the next greatest thing. What we need is a team of scientists to continue the push forward, and I think Lainey should lead that initiative." Haley has a point too. It's not enough to handle the success for our current algorithm. If we want to succeed we have to stay ahead of the pack.
Haley leans her chair back and bounces it against the spring-loaded hinge while I think about our next steps. At the rate we're growing, we'll have to go public soon, which is yet another problem.
"Look guys," I sigh, drawing the eyes of all seven people around the table, "we have a lot of things to figure out. I suggest we build a team of strategizers. I will head that up. For now, Connor you focus on physical growth needs--new building, new hardware, that sort of thing. Haley, you put together some press releases, reach out to new investors. We need a way to stay ahead of the curve now that we're in the lead. I'll discuss our holdings and how we reorganize to be--"
My eyes land on the television mounted in the corner of the room near the ceiling. Nixon Walsh's face is plastered on the screen with a scroll bar running across the bottom indicating after the commercial break he will be on Good Morning America. It sucks the wind right out of my chest and all I can do is stare.
"Are you okay?" Haley asks and I blink slowly. The team looks up one by one at the television where the final commercial for the latest cancer treatment drug is finishing up.
"Turn it up," I say, leaning over the table. Everyone in this room knows he is the competition, so I hide my interest in him behind that façade.
Haley reaches for the remote from the center of the table and turns it up just in time to see the host welcoming Nixon. He's received with a warm greeting from the audience. They clap and cheer as she asks thanks him for coming. I'm on pins and needles. Surely they're interviewing him because our algorithm is making waves. I've had three calls for interviews already this week and I turned them down. We have too much work to do right now to worry about going on TV. If someone needs to do that I'll send Connor.
"So, Mr. Walsh, I hear you're up against some pretty tough competition with your facial recognition software." The hostess dives right in to the meat of the interview, skipping over the boring bits.
Nix smiles but it's stiff. "You can call me Nix." When he says the words I feel a bit crushed. I'm the one who started calling him Nix. No one else does it but me. Why would he tell her to call him that?
"Nix, are you feeling the pressure of your competition VeriScan?" The camera pans directly onto him. He knows why he's here, to defend his company's stakeholders and reassure clients that this is a normal part of the industry. I heard him do an interview last week on a podcast. He's scrambling, and I wonder how he feels knowing it is me at the other end of his struggle.
"Well, you know this is all part of the industry. Our team is already working on the next greatest thing." He smooths his hands down the front of his slacks and leans on the armrest, crossing one leg over the other. He's so handsome, and he maintains his confidence under pressure. If I didn't know him intimately I would say he's not worried at all, but that tiny line across his forehead as he details how the new software is outperforming his shows me everything I need to know.
The interview is over in less than ten minutes, but the hostess gets a little personal at the end. I don't take my eyes off him the entire time. The memories I have of our time on the island are fading, buried under the mountain of work and the snide comments from my staff. It's easier to remember the differences we have and how we bicker like cats and dogs every time we're around each other than it is the intimate moments we had. I wish it wasn't that way, but something inside of me snapped on that boat before we got to the consulate. He was more excited to get home than to soak up even that last hour of the trip with me.
"So, Nix, we heard about a little mishap on the tech cruise a few months back. Care to elaborate?" Now the hostess acts more like a gossip girl than a news anchor. It's the part of the show that makes viewers tune in. They get the news and the juice details. I squirm in my seat thinking about the cruise. I brushed it off when I got back, but Connor knew I wasn't telling him everything. He knows me too well to know it was nothing.
"Yeah, so strange I got stranded on the island."
"With your competition no doubt," she says, prying.
"Yes, well Ms. Bower and I did have the unfortunate experience together, but we managed to be professional and found a way to the consulate. You can read the official press release on our site." He's so collected. How can he stare into that camera knowing I'm probably watching this and act like it was no big deal. We were anything but professional.
I feel tears welling up, and I have to blink them away. I don't expect him to come out and announce he's in love with me. I know that'll never happen. If he was interested, he'd have contacted me weeks ago after we got home. But it's been two months.
"And I heard you got engaged too... Anything you want to share with your adoring fans?" She bats her eyelashes like a girl with a crush and the audience chuckles and swoons. Everyone wants to know what's happening in the love life of the hottest tech celebrity in the US. I don't. For all I care they can turn the TV off now and I'll be fine, but Haley doesn't turn it off. She turns it up.
I squirm again, making the leather chair squeak. I'm getting hot and I think I'm going to pass out. If he says something about me and him and the charade we put on for Millie I might vomit. I don't want my team knowing what actually happened. It's my personal life and I keep work separate from personal business at all times.
"Well, you know..." Nix chokes up. I hear it in his voice as it catches. He looks away from the camera, his lips dipping into a miniscule frown only I can see. Then he blinks a few times and his expression clears as fast as it soured. "It was just a huge mistake. It didn't work out, and I'm moving on with my life. Still just as single as I was three months ago, so don't get too disappointed, ladies, there's still hope."
The roar of laughter from the women in the live TV audience makes me furious and crushed all at once. The tears are coming and I can't stop them. I stand and clear my throat. "I have to use the restroom. I'll be back," I blurt out before moving toward the door quickly.
