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When he continued to ignore her and stayed focused on his work, she turned back to her own computer. Instead of working on the user manual she was typing up, she pulled up a duplicate of Freddy’s screen on her own computer.
Patrick wasn’t fully convinced they would be safe using modern security procedures, but he was getting better. The security tokens were a big step for him, and he increased what they were allowed to send via email. He still demanded air gaps, but Sabrina and Freddy and created their own network betweentheir computers that still had an air gap between them and the rest of the web. It was obnoxious to wire, but Freddy must have known how much she liked it and taken care of it when he set up all their other hardware. As her screen filled with exactly what Freddy was doing as he did it, she was equally thrilled that he knew her well enough to cater to what she liked and horrified by what she found in his document history.
Sabrina was torn between laughing at him and shrieking. “You haven’t even attempted a complete sentence in almost a week,” she blurted in a mostly sane-sounding squawk that faded into a half-laugh of disbelief.
Startled by her outburst, Freddy turned and patted her on the back. “Are you okay? I can’t tell if you’re choking. Do you need water?”
Sabrina forced herself to take a deep breath before she spoke again. “Why is everything you’ve recorded this week in your pseudo-language of random words strewn throughout the commands you ran? What happened to writing sentences?”
“Weren’t you just saying notes like that were easier for you to draft from compared to when I tried writing it all out?” The look he gave her matched the one he’d worn while inspecting the enormous spider she’d found in her bathroom a few weeks ago.
“Yeah, exactly. Just now.” She widened her eyes and cocked her head, wondering what part he didn’t understand. “So explain to me why last week’s notes aren’t in complete sentences.”
The handsome asshole winked at her. “I was simply anticipating your needs.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it.”
“And yet, the facts remain the same. You get what you asked for before you even request it, because I’m just that good.”
His confidence was a total act. Sabrina knew him well enough to have seen how he followed Patrick’s lead and acceptedGregory’s instructions. Freddy only acted cocky and confident like this when it was just the two of them.
Choosing to accept it as something special he only shared with her, she shook her head but didn’t harass him anymore.
“Fine, but I am going to need you to show me how the new logic check tool works.”
Sabrina listened intently as Freddy walked her through it, his voice steady and clear. She peppered him with every inane question she could think of, the kind she knew the end users would inevitably ask. It was the tool that made the subjective command sequence he’d sorted out possible, so they needed to get everyone used to it as fast as possible.
“But what if I want to check the logic of a single line of code instead of the whole function?” She tilted her head, playing the role of a confused user.
Freddy didn’t miss a beat. “You can highlight the specific line you want to check, right-click, and select ‘Check Line Logic’ from the context menu. It’ll run the tool on just that line. It works just like ninety percent of software. Left click to make it do the basic command. Right click for a dropdown menu of detailed options. Oh, but with how much this will be used in future iterations, we need to be sure to build a quick key shortcut for it.”
His patience never wavered, no matter how silly her questions got. The way he explained things, with such clarity and precision, made Sabrina wonder how he couldn’t see what a natural gift he had for teaching. His deep brown eyes remained focused, lips curved in a reassuring smile as he guided her through each step. The methodical cadence of his voice had a calming effect, making even the most complex concepts seem simple. Occasionally, he’d pause to make an ancillary note, but his attention never strayed from her for long. Sabrina found herself leaning in, hanging on his every word, captivated by his effortless manner of breaking things down into digestiblepieces. She had always admired his ability to make the technical accessible.
It was more than just his teaching ability that drew her to him. It was the way he never made her feel judged or inferior, even when she asked the most basic questions. He treated her as an equal, always.
There was a reason Freddy was the first person everyone they worked with asked for when they needed live training. She’d watched him work with sailors who’d barely finished high school, and he was just as patient and clear with them. It was his special gift, but Sabrina didn’t think he or his family recognized it. Field training wasn’t part of her responsibilities, but she’d boarded a ship with him once as part of her training. One of the sailors was struggling. His command gave him a hard time for being stupid, but Freddy saw past it. He had a quiet conversation and drew a diagram for the kid. The next time Sabrina looked over, that same kid was teaching his first class what to do.
That was the moment Sabrina’s crush first hit. When she’d asked Freddy about it, he’d confessed the kid had trouble reading all the big words in the manual. Being in front of his shipmates made him nervous, which made it even worse. He could understand the diagram with a quick glance. They’d gone home and spent the next six months adding diagrams to all of their manuals. Now other contractors were starting to do the same as everyone saw how much better end users performed when they could skip or supplement the reading.
As they wrapped up the tutorial, Sabrina resigned herself to the reality that this, their comfortable friendship and working relationship, was as good as it would get for her. There had been fleeting hope when she’d first fallen for him but seeing his family and the way they all lived cured her of it quickly. No rich guy like him would ever want to build a life with trailer trash like her. She might have gotten an education and moved away, but she stillwore secondhand clothes and carefully counted every penny she spent to ensure she could cover both her bills and her mother’s.
That stupid kiss had been her one shot, and he didn’t reciprocate. She should have broached the subject gently and given him an out. At least then maybe the door would still be cracked for the future. But no, Sabrina had been impulsive as always and ruined her one chance. She pushed aside the longing for something more and got back to work.
A few hours later, she got up to stretch and get a drink. As she came back upstairs, she asked, “What time do you need to leave for dinner?” Neither had spoken while they worked, but his presence beside her was comforting. She liked how it made her feel less alone, as if she had a partner to help when she needed it.
“Huh?” he asked. His eyes were glassy from staring at his screen all day.
“Where are your glasses,” Sabrina admonished.
“I look better with my contacts,” he grunted.
“Yeah, but I can see how irritated your eyes are. Besides, it’s not like I’m someone you need to impress or look good for.” She loved the homey look of his glasses partially because she knew he didn’t let many people see him in anything other than his contacts.
Freddy rolled his eyes at her before jolting when he saw the clock. “Shit, I need to go find the damn receipts and head up to HQ. Oh, Mom wants you to come too.”
“Not a chance in hell,” Sabrina answered without needing to think about it.
“How come you never join us for dinner?” he asked.
