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I had to lightly step over Michelle’s friends to reach the hotel mini-bar, where I grabbed a bag of almonds and a bar of chocolate. Why not? With the credit card balance I had accrued last night, an extra twenty bucks spent on breakfast chocolate wouldn’t matter.
I really need this job.
I made my way over to the second bed and sat next to my sister. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment before opening, her dark eyes taking several seconds to focus on me. Then she smiled.
“Hi, big sis,” she whispered.
I stroked her hair back. “I’m sorry about last night.”
“Why?” she asked. “I had a lot of fun.”
“The rooftop bar, and…” I trailed off, ashamed all over again for making a scene in front of her.
“I had fun anyway,” she said sleepily. “Are you leaving?”
I nodded.
“Good luck on your first day!” she said. “You’ll have to tell me all about it at dinner.”
“I will,” I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Love you, Shelly.”
“Love you, Amber.”
As I took the elevator downstairs, I cringed to myself. I hated lying to my sister, but I wasn’t starting a new job today. I only had a jobinterview. But it was with a new tech startup, and I had lots of relevant experience. Granted, everyone in the Bay Area did, but me especially! Between my Computer Science degree at Berkeley, the time spent programming Bitcoin miners, and about a dozen other solo projects, it was like I was made for this job.
Also, I was a woman. This town was full of tech-bros like the asshole who had kicked us out ofMarcello’slast night. I hated the idea of getting a job just because my private parts were on the inside rather than dangling between my legs, but at this point I was desperate. I would take any edge I could get.
I’m qualified as hell,I thought while exiting the lobby.More than most of the guys in this town. I just need to get my foot in the door.
I had booked this hotel for two reasons. One, it was nice. A little splurging for my sister’s birthday, rather than taking the CalTrain back to our home. And two, it was only a few blocks from my job interview. I stepped out onto the street and took a deep breath. One thing I loved about San Francisco was that the air didn’t smell like any other city. It always held the salty scent of the bay. I couldn’t see it from here—the closest view was another six blocks to the north-east—but I could tell by the chill in the air that there would be a healthy layer of fog out on the bay this morning.
I had some extra time before the scheduled meeting time, so I ducked into a coffee shop and bought a latte and a muffin. While eating, I mentally prepped myself for the interview. All the high points I wanted to emphasize in my experience. Yet as I did so, doubt began creeping into my brain like the fog out on the bay. I’d had half a dozen failed interviews before this one. My knowledge wasn’t enough. Companies wantedcorporateexperience, not some freelance coder who screwed around on her own.
I gulped down the rest of my latte like it was the antidote to my negativity, then walked the final block to the building. A new sign hung out over the entranceway, the ACS letters laser-engraved into black polymer. I smoothed out my skirt impulsively, hefted my laptop bag, and walked inside.
The space was huge and airy, with lots of windows and glass walls. A twenty-something woman in a pants suit got up from the front desk and came around with a warm smile on her face.
“You must be Amber Moltisanti,” she said brightly. “Welcome to Advanced Crypto Solutions. I’m Melinda.”
My heart soared as I shook her hand. ACS was so new that there was scant information about it online. Was it run by a woman? In this town full of tech-bro douchenozzles? But then I saw that the placard on her desk listed her title asCoordinator.I took that to mean she was basically a receptionist who was given whatever other responsibilities needed doing. Which made sense, because she had the physical appearance and peppy demeanor of a cheerleader. Not the founder of a tech start-up.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked. “Coffee? Water? We have alovelyselection of herbal teas.”
“I’m fine, thanks,” I said.
Melinda nodded. “We’re meeting in the brainstorming conference room. Please follow me.”
I followed her deeper into the building. The main room was the size of a high school gymnasium, with a high ceiling that opened up to the second floor above. Cubicles were placed randomly, as though they were trying to make the room layout as unconventional as possible. Scattered in corners were clusters of chairs and bean bags, all placed around electronic whiteboards.
This is why boomers hate millennials,I thought while gazing at the space.The layout is trying way too hard to be quirky and unorthodox.
“Here at ACS, we’re developing a modern cryptocurrency exchange,” she explained. “A way for the layperson to buy, sell, and hold crypto assets safely and securely. The software is currently in alpha, but we expect to move on to beta testing within two months.”
“Kind of empty,” I said. “Is it still too early in the morning?” That was pretty standard in Silicon Valley. Lots of workers came in around noon, then stayed until midnight. Those were the hours I typically kept when working on projects at home, too.
“It is early, but that is not why it’s empty. Your position is actually the first we are hiring for!” she said cheerfully. “The first afterme, of course.”
I frowned while gazing around. “You still haven’t hired anyone? The information online said you moved in here six months ago.”
