Kimmy made a buzzing noise. “Stop it.”
Nico stared at his Original Kit-Cat Klock as it ticked the seconds by with its moving eyes and tail. It had been a joke gift from Kimmy a few years ago, but Nico, whose style veered toward what Stefanie called Patrick Bateman austere, had instantly fallen for its sheer ridiculousness.He was done with the conversation and it hadn’t been three minutes. This was exactly what he’d warned Kimmy about: Stefanie never listened to him, so what was the point in trying? “Do what you want.”
“Oh, the little robot boy isn’t going to play anymore,” mocked Stefanie.
“Shut up, Stef.” Kimmy sighed. “We’re not getting anywhere. Let’s take this to the group chat and we can talk about options there. Nico, you’ll check it?”
Her voice lifted as if asking a question, but Nico knew it was a demand. “Fine.”
He settled back at his desk and pulled up his workflow, but it had lost its pleasure. Robot boy. The name he’d hated from childhood and that Stefanie wielded like a weapon. His eldest sister gripped any perceived weakness as if she had talons and then shook.
A text popped up. Valerie.
One more sleep, it read.I’m almost all packed.
He debated not answering—seeing her name caused a cloudy rush of pleasure and anticipation that he worried would be detrimental to a fully professional working relationship—but couldn’t resist.Are you?
No, but I’m working on it. I’m glad you’re going up too. I’m a little stressed.
Not surprising, given what she had to pull off.You’ll do fine.
You’ll stay the whole time, right? They won’t think it’s weird Roger’s assistant is there?
I go up a lot.
You’re lucky. It must be nice to feel like you’re a part of things like that.
Nico looked at the phone for a moment. With anyone else, he would have been suspicious about the subtext of the message, but this was Valerie. She might mean it exactly as it sounded.
I guess, he replied.I’ll see you tomorrow at nine.
Do you mind if we make it a bit later? Noon?
That would put them in the middle of traffic, but she hadn’t had much time to get ready.Noon it is.
Thanks, Nico! I owe you one.
Then she was gone. He stared at the phone, remembering how he’d practiced asking Valerie out as he waited at the vet for Penny’s dogs. He thought she’d like a drink at Sunnyside so they could sit by the beach before a stroll on the boardwalk. But now they were colleagues and the offer of a drink would need to be downgraded to coffee, if anything at all.
He’d still take it. Nico sighed and stared at his workflow, wishing tomorrow was already here.
Eight
Nico was waiting in front of Valerie’s low redbrick apartment building when Roger called. “Are you on your way?” he asked. “Traffic is a mess on the 400.”
A sound came from an open window on the third floor and Nico was sure it was Valerie swearing. He was already leaving later than he’d like, and despite her many promises and reassurances to the contrary, she was running behind. He was surprised—she’d been so organized when they’d worked on Malcolm’s event. “Not yet.”
“How’s Valerie doing?”
She’d sent him a text when he arrived with a series of exclamation points andCOMING COMINGin all caps, but Nico couldn’t tell if this was a result of her normal enthusiasm or the tension she’d mentioned last night. He decided to split it down the middle. “She didn’t say but I assume nervous.” This was reasonable. He himself felt marked concern about the potential mess this situation could cause. It had more loose ends than a string factory.
The horn from a passing car almost hid Roger’s sigh. “I know you think this is a bizarre idea that has no chance in hell of working.”
“I didn’t say that,” Nico protested.
“Christ, you don’t have to. I’d think the same thing, but I have a gut feeling about this.” Since Nico generally distrusted feelings over facts, this didn’t give him confidence, but he stayed quiet. The decision had been made, and he could stay in Toronto alone or he could hang out with a vibrant woman in Mariposa all summer while maintaining a small degree of control over the situation. Tough call.
He also wanted to help Roger. It was his job, after all.
