Page 48 of So That Happened

Once Vanessa leaves, I’m on my own. The office is silent. Almost creepily so. The industrial space with its exposed pipes, glass accents, and concrete floors is cool during the day, but now, it looks like the ideal setting for a grisly murder.

Where is he?

At that moment, my phone buzzes, making me jump.

Unknown Number:Got held up. Back at the office soon.

Unknown Number:It’s Liam, by the way.

Unknown Number:Donovan.

I laugh out loud. What other Liam could I be mistaking him for? The man knows the current status of my social life. I chew my lip as I add his number to my contacts and type a reply.

Annie:I don’t know if I can tolerate this kind of lateness.

Oh wow, I really said that.

I hold my breath for a moment, fingers poised to send a “sorry, ignore me” text.

My phone buzzes again.

Liam:Let’s just say you owed me one, and now we’re even.

I smile.

Annie:Hmm… I was eleven minutes late, you’re going on twenty…

Liam:Coffee? To make it up to you?

Liam:Slash buy your silence to never mention my lateness again.

Annie:Yes! I’ll call it even in return for caffeine.

Liam:Three creams, two sugars, right?

He knows how I take my coffee. This guy pays attention to details.

Probably one of the reasons he’s good at running a business. He must do stuff like this—notices the little things—for all of his employees. The devil’s in the details, and all that.

Annie:I’m impressed.

Liam:You shouldn’t be. You drink about six cups a day.

Ah. So maybe it’s less that he’s paying attention and more that my caffeine and sugar addictions appall him.

That checks out.

I shoot Liam a quick “thank you for indulging my addiction” text, then put my phone down. My stomach swirls with nerves and I bite my lip.

I’ve spent most of this week digging deep into the database, and a plan is forming in my mind. A plan I hinted at when I gave Luke and Liam my initial findings. A plan I intend to present to Liam in its entirety whenever he’s back.

I’ve focused on identifying patterns in user behavior, time spent in every component of the app. The point of Stay Inside the Lines is to schedule your life, organize yourself and your time as well as possible. But what if a little flexibility is the key to making users feel more satisfied and successful?

A margin for error, if you will. A tiny little rule bend.

I think I know how Liam Donovan feels about bending the rules.

But as I always say, data doesn’t lie.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com