Page 12 of Arrivals & Assets

“Oh!” she chirped. “Alan’s office is on the third floor. Follow me.”

I blinked and followed as she wound through the tables towards an elevator.

“Commercial kitchens are over there,” she said, pointing as we walked. “And the multi-use activity space is over there and has exterior doors.”

“Multi-use…?”

She paused and chuckled. “Dance, yoga, things like that.”

“Oh… ok…”

“So what kind of business are you starting?” she asked as we paused to wait for the elevator.

I chuckled. “Actually… I’m here for something else. I work for a company called TechSpeed, and my bosses have been talking to Mister Beischel about a collaborative effort.”

“Oh! Ok!”

“Do you work for the incubator?”

She laughed. “No. I’m co-owner of a small toiletries company. We started out with just soaps, but have been able to add more products since we got into a local grocery store chain.”

“Oh. Congrats?”

She chuckled. “Thanks. But I’ll admit it’s scary. We’re almost at the point where we’ll have to leave and get outside office space. It means we’re doing well, but we’ve grown so much with the support here, and I don’t want to stagnate.”

“I think that’s a good thing.”

The elevator doors opened and we stepped in. She pressed the button for the third floor. “It is good, and we’ll still have support for a bit longer, even when we have to move out.But we’re also at a spot where we don’t want to slow the momentum.”

“Ah. I think I get it.”

“This way,” she said as we stepped out.

The third floor was quieter only in the sense that it had less foot traffic. The din from below filtered up as we walked past darkened conference rooms.

The woman led me to the end of the building and to a large office.

“Hey, Alan,” she said, knocking on the doorframe. “This guy says he has a meeting with you.”

“Thanks,” the man inside called.

She moved aside, and I blinked at the scene before me.

“I’ve got to work now, yes I do,” he said to a little girl—only about two years old—who clung to him.

“Noooooooo!” she cried.

He managed to shift her so that he could look her in the eyes, then he booped her nose. “Now, now. I’ll be home before you know it. James and Papa are at home. Don’t you want Papa?”

She sniffled and wriggled until she could cling to his shirt again. “Noooo.”

He sighed and met my eye. “I’ll be right with you.”

“No problem.”

He rubbed the girl’s back. “I have to work now, sweetie. You knew I’d only be able to have you in the office for a little while.”

Footsteps behind me. I turned to see a middle-aged man who somehow managed to look immaculate, even though his short-sleeve shirt was open at the collar.