Page 36 of Snowflakes and Ice Skates

There were a handful of companies in this building, but mine was the largest. We occupied four of the eleven floors, and since he didn’t get off before me, there was a strong probability he worked for us too.

He seemed to be more outgoing than the other people I knew from the software development team. They tended to keep to themselves, and I doubted they’d catch me as he had.

With a sigh, I pressed the down button and waited to relive the disappointing discovery to Matt and Cora.

I stepped into the elevator and frowned when we only went down one floor. The doors opened, and two guys and a woman walked in. I froze against the back wall, unable to speak.

There he was.

“You’re right. The new UI isn’t ready. We need to fix the bugs before we release, but we only have three days.” A short man with curly brown hair and thick glasses was looking up at Goldie with concerned eyes.

“I know. I thought the sales team would be more interested in selling a product that functions, but they only care about the new release.” He sighed, and I almost died. His voice was like velvet but authoritative. He knew what he was talking about; I could tell by his confidence. “If they didn’t overpromise and give prospects ridiculous dates and horrible expectations, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I doubt we’ll get this finished by the first, which means more all-nighters.”

The petite woman with the black pixie-cut groaned. “I can’t stay here all night again. Last night was miserable.”

Ah ha. So that’s why I hadn’t seen him this morning. He never left last night.

“I know. I don’t want to either, but we need to get this finished.”

The elevator doors opened on my floor, and it was the first time they realized they weren’t alone. Goldie stepped to the side. His clean, lemony scent hit me, and I inhaled deeply, feeling a bit dazed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to block you,” he said.

I forced a smile, one I hoped didn’t come across as creepy or overeager. “No problem.”

I hesitated at the door, waiting for him to recognize me. When he didn’t I searched for something to say. I didn't have any input over our product releases, but I wanted to let them know their work wasn’t wasted. “I can’t believe you guys had to stay overnight. I know it’s tough right now, but your work shows. The app is better than it’s ever been.”

I smiled as the doors started to close, watching Goldie as a slow smile crept onto his lips.

“Thanks. At least one person appreciates us,” the woman said with a sigh.

I stood there facing the elevators long after the doors closed.

That was it. I’d found him...and learned much more than I could have expected.

I rushed to Cora’s desk, ready to spill it all.

Three

“I saw him!” I whisper-yelled as I leaned over Cora’s desk.

She slid off her red-framed glasses. “Where?”

“In the elevator.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Great, so we still don’t know what floor he works on.”

I fidgeted, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “No, he was with some people from his team. He’s a UX designer, so he’s in the product design department!”

Her mouth dropped open slightly. “You found all of that out?”

I nodded, glad she was impressed with my sleuthing skills. Not that it took much sleuthing to be a fly on a wall, but I wasn’t going to say that. “They were complaining about having to pull an all-nighter to get the app to where the sales team wants it.”

She looked down, slowly nodding as she put all the pieces together. “That department of the engineering team isn’t huge. I bet we could ask who’s on the design team.”

“Yes!”

“What’s going on?” Matt slid up next to me, his eyes darting between me and Cora.