AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re amazing,” I said, smiling down at her, finding myself reaching for her hand again to tangle my fingers with hers, brushing my thumb across the top of her hand. Charlotte gave my hand a squeeze, trying and failing to suppress a smile at my praise. That may be the fourth time in twenty-four hours I said something similar, but with a woman like this, I had to let her know.
“You’re just delusional from hunger, I think,” Charlotte said, tugging on our linked hands, starting us down the sidewalk back toward the water again. “Let’s find somewhere for dinner?”
“Amazing and full of excellent ideas at that,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze back. “You in the mood for anything in particular?”
“I overheard the girls working at that place talking about a killer margarita, so I, of course, asked them where I could find said marg. They suggested a place just down here, if that sounds okay?”
“You’ll never hear me complain about Mexican food. Let’s throw in some guacamole for the table, though.”
Charlotte smiled up at me. “You’re on.”
We walked in comfortable silence the couple of blocks to the restaurant. The hostess directed us to a table outside, on the edge of the road closed to car traffic, with a heater blowing warm air. The sun had set while we meandered through shops and the evening air turned colder, but with the benefit of modern outdoor dining amenities, it would be lovely to eat on the street and continue to people watch.
Margaritas and guac ordered, Charlotte and I ignored the menu, trading off stories for the couples we saw dining at the restaurants around us. All that time spent in imaginary worlds and backstories was good for her creativity. Her contributions were much stronger than mine.
The waiter visited our table for the third time before we decided we better focus on food, the margaritas made us feel loosened and extra giddy. For me, I knew part of that was my proximity to Charlotte, in addition to the tequila.
Our food and another round of drinks arrived in no time, and we were silent for a few moments, the sound of silverware clinking and conversations from our fellow diners creating ambient noise while we dug into our meals.
“So,” Charlotte started, taking a sip from her water glass to wash down the spice from her enchiladas. “I know you’re just starting to look at the birds, but you’re a smart guy. If you’re not CIO or working for Duncan, what do you want to do? Something still with computers?”
“You know how I told you last night that Duncan was the one to push me toward computers in the first place? Part of the reason for that, beyond it keeping me in the house and accounted for, was that he knew I would be able to make a living. After Mom died, Dad worked a lot. Part of it, I think, was to keep from feeling lonely and sad, but he also needed to make sure we had enough. I mean, we didn’t have Air Force Ones or anything, but we also never went hungry or without new sneakers at the start of the school year. But honestly, keeping us in food was hard enough. Do you know how much five boys eat?”
Charlotte laughed gently, her hand reaching out to cover mine on top of the table.
“Duncan made sure we stayed in line, well as much as a teenager could. Dad wouldn’t let him get an official job to help out, but if there was a lawn he didn’t mow or driveway he didn’t shovel on our street, I’d be shocked. So, when Hunter started getting into trouble in high school, and I wasn’t sure how to help my best friend, Duncan suggested I take a free coding class on the family’s computer, something to distract me and lose myself in. Turns out, I was really good at it, and he encouraged it, because like I said, I could make a living doing those things.
“But then, after Dad married Margaret, who holds the patents for several coffee-machine-related inventions, money wasn’t a worry anymore. I had worked hard so I could get a scholarship to cover school, but suddenly, there was money to allow me to go to a more prestigious university and pay the difference that a partial scholarship wouldn’t cover. It’s hard to shake the feeling that you need to work as hard as you can to stay on the path and pay the man. Duncan feeds on that sort of energy, which is why his company is so damn successful. But me? I think I need something more than a fancy title and salary that goes along with it.”
I took a drink of my margarita, suddenly aware that I wasn’t sure I had ever said so many words in a row to Charlotte at one time.
She rested her chin on her hand, the one that wasn’t still resting on mine on the table. I flipped my hand over to grasp hers more fully.
“So, then, what does mean something to you?”
“Well, last night Paula mentioned something in her keynote about technological advances and how it’s important for bookstores to keep up, even though it’s a difficult learning curve for the owners sometimes. While I was listening to you sing in the shower this morning?—”
“Hey!” Charlotte exclaimed, shoving me gently with the hand I had been holding before settling back in her chair, picking up her margarita with both hands. While I missed the warmth of her touch, I felt her full attention on what I was saying.
“I realized that was probably the case in a lot of industries. Then you mentioned the consulting the Bookstore Future Fund has on its road map. Somewhere between last night’s keynote, Bird by Bird, and walking around interacting with all of these businesses, I think there might be a real need for technology consulting for small businesses to keep them competitive and up to date. It may be too hard to be super broad, so I may need to find a niche, but it’s just an idea that’s brewing right now.”
Charlotte looked at me, her eyes filling with what I read as resignation.
“Have you ever shopped at my parent’s store?”
I looked around at the abrupt subject change, trying to see what sparked it.
Charlotte laughed. “Sorry, tequila brain, and being too inside my head. It’s related, I promise.”
I shook my head. “I haven’t, but I know Margaret loves it.”
Charlotte smiled. “A lot of people in Holly Ridge do, but that’s as far as their reach goes. Margaret calls in her book orders, like a lot of our other regulars, because we don’t have a website where you can order online. My parents have had to embrace some technology, to keep up with ordering new releases and replacing stock, but there are some things they’re absolutely resistant to. I can’t make them see reason, but I think they could benefit from something exactly like what you’re talking about. A technology embracement audit.” She shook her head. “Technology embracement audit, that’s terrible, but what I’m trying to say is I think you’re on to something here. It’s a need, and I can tell from how you talk about it, it could make you happy.”
I realized I was happy and excited thinking about this nugget of an idea, much happier than I had been thinking about work in a long time.
“I think you might be right.”
At this point, the waiter asked if we were ready for our check, and after confirming glances at each other, I told him we were. I handed him my card, taking away the opportunity for Charlotte to pay.
