Chapter 10 Anthony: Good evening, Bea. How was your day? Me: Fine. Weird. Can you tell me if it's possible to stop an elevator with a phone? I was pretty sure that's what had happened, but my brain was gaslighting me, and Tore hadn't given me a straight answer. I wasn't exactly a tech wizard, so I had no idea if that kind of thing could actually be done, especially in the few seconds it had taken Tore to tap on his screen. If anyone could pull it off, though, it was definitely him. Once I had an answer, I'd decide whether I was creeped out or flattered. Anthony: What an unusual inquiry. Is this a hypothetical question or for research purposes? Me: You're dodging, Ant. Give me your best guess. Anthony: You can do a lot with a phone, like order tacos at two a.m., doom-scroll yourself into existential despair, cry over a video of a thirty-year-old mare mourning her alpaca best friend- Me: Okay, wow. That's really specific. I was watching that video while crying over tacos two nights ago. Dana, the ancient mare, had trotted up to Alice the alpaca, only to find her not moving. I'd been a wreck. Thank god Anthony and his programmers couldn't actually see me, because that hadn't been a pretty sight. Even Benjamin had abandoned me. Anthony: Anyone with half a heart would be touched. Me: Sure. But what about the elevator question? Focus. Anthony: Stopping elevators with a phone? Well...if someone were to do that, they would likely have a very niche set of skills, a lot of nerve, and a close relationship with the building's Wi-Fi. Me: So, basically, yes. Anthony: Theoretically, it's possible. Why do you ask? Should I be concerned? Me: I haven't decided yet. I'll keep you updated. Anthony: Thank you, Bea. And try not to watch sad videos anymore. It's better when you don't cry. Me: Sweet of you to care. Anthony: My algorithm prefers you be happy. I'm here to make sure you stay that way. I sank my feet into hot bubbling water and sighed. "Yes. This is what I needed." To my right, Clara snorted. "Has it been a rough two weeks?" I flicked my gaze over her. "Excuse me. Who are you? I don't recognize you." Clara, Shira, and I had a bi-weekly standing appointment for pedicures we always made it to, come hell or high water, but lately, this was the only time we all saw each other, and I hated it. Clara's reply was loaded with warmth, affection, and an annoying amount of truth. "You're incredibly dramatic." "As you well know." On my other side, Shira, the sweetest woman on the planet, came to Clara's defense. "It's only been two weeks, Bea. Clara's running a company, being a mother, and planning a wedding. You could cut her a tiny bit of slack." "Yeah," Clara echoed. "Cut me a tiny bit of slack." I mimed snipping at her with scissors. "I just miss you. And Nelle-belle. Are you sure about marrying Jake? You could move in with me and Benjamin. Better yet, we'll kick Ben out, and you can take over the house next to mine. We'll finally activate our best friend compound." A year ago, when Shira was pregnant, she'd moved into the house attached to mine. Perfect. Then Roman Wells bought the place on her other side. Since he also happened to be the baby's father, she eventually moved in with him. Obviously, I was happy for their little family, but that meant Roman's twin, Ben, had become my new neighbor while Clara lived on the other side of the city in cohabitated bliss with her future husband, Jake. My dream of all my favorite people living on the same block had been thoroughly derailed, and I was not okay. Clara laughed. "I love you, Beatrice, but not that way. I'm sorry, though. Nellie and I will do better to come visit. She misses Aunt Bea and Benjamin pretty desperately." Aunt Bea. That was what Clara's daughter, Nellie, called me. One day, Shira's baby, Jonah, would call me that too. And I loved it. Kids weren't my thing, but I made an exception for them since they belonged to the people I adored most in the world. "I'm holding you to that," I warned. "Now that we've settled we all miss each other, tell us what you've been up to that's tired you out," Shira said. For a new mother of a six-week-old, Shira was incredibly serene and well rested. Then again, she had Roman and the three other Wells brothers at her beck and call. If it were up to Roman, her feet would never touch the ground, and oh, did I love that for her. "My work calendar exploded with corporate gigs," I said. "Turns out, the office manager at Nox Cyber has been recommending me. I checked with a couple contacts, and they said he practically insisted on me, which is pretty cool." Paul was getting his own basket of muffins next week, and quite possibly a big forehead kiss. Giving out my name to other office managers had probably been no skin off his back, but to me, it meant the world. "Really cool," Shira agreed. "Incredible." Clara tapped her nails on her wrist. "You know, Rossi Motors could use-" I cut her off. "Nope. We're not mixing business with friendship." Clara, COO of her family's motorcycle company, had tried to hire me more times than I could count. I was no martyr and definitely not too proud to accept referrals, but her friendship mattered too much. Not that I thought we'd fall out over money or charcuterie cups, but why risk it? "Nox Cyber is a huge coup." Shira laced her fingers at her middle. "I've heard rumors they might be going public." I shrugged. "I don't know anything about that. But..." Clara leaned closer. "But what?" "Well, the CEO, Tore Gallo, and I have a brief, kind of intense past." Clara's eyes flared. "What? Why have you never mentioned this?" "How far in the past?" Shira asked. "Two years ago, and like I said, it was brief." I winced. "He ghosted me after a couple incredible days together, and it threw me for a loop." Clara looked affronted. "You'll work for a guy who ghosted you but not your best friend?" "First of all, I didn't realize he was the CEO when I took the job, okay?" Shira grinned. "I imagine your tell off was legendary. Did you make him cry?" "I-" My face heated in an unnatural way. Why hadn't I told him off? I'd been mean, but not mean enough, given the circumstances. "You didn't, did you?" Clara whispered. "You're still working at Nox, which tells me you didn't eviscerate the CEO." Shira gasped. "That's not very like you." "I-" had no good excuse. I didn't know how to explain it. I should have eviscerated that man. When he walked in the conference room, I should have upended all my beautiful charcuterie cups, flipped him off, and sashayed my very fine ass out of there. "You what?" Shira coaxed gently. "I agreed to meet him tonight so he could explain." Clara fell back in her seat like I'd knocked the wind out of her. "I'm not sure I understand. You've never mentioned him." "You and I were new friends back then, and after... Well, I didn't think about him." "But you're thinking about him now," Shira filled in. I squeezed my eyes shut. "It's impossible not to when I'm at Nox every Tuesday, and he plants himself at the conference table while I'm setting up. And it would be nice to know the reason he shut me out after...well, just after-for my own peace of mind." "Yeah," Shira whispered. "I'd want to know too." "Then you can eviscerate him," Clara added. "Right." I opened my eyes to stare at the paneled ceiling. "Then I'll definitely eviscerate him." Shira gasped again, sitting upright. "Oh, Bea. Could he be your billionaire?" "No." I shook my head. "That's not possible." The timing made sense, though. The last couple years-two, to be precise-I'd had periodic run-ins with a man in a limo-a man I never saw who often witnessed my disasters. The corkscrew I took from reckless teens that had ended up embedded in the limo's tire. That time, Benjamin rolled in a muddy puddle and shook himself off beside the limo's open window. And then the bike messenger...no. "It can't be him," I stated firmly. "If he were the limo guy, he would have said something. It isn't him." Clara wasn't convinced. "Unless he is the limo guy, and that's what he's going to tell you tonight." I sighed, watching my nail tech paint my toes cherry red. "He's not, but either way, I'm going to get answers." "And then destroy him," Clara added. "I would never know how bloodthirsty you are by looking at you," Shira said. Clara smoothed her perfectly sleek bob. "I contain multitudes." Smiling, I looked down at my pretty toes, nerves over tonight piling higher and higher. He'd ghosted me, and here I was, a weird little flutter in my chest and the uneasy sense I might've cared more than I should have. I deserved answers, and I'd be okay with whatever he had to say. Probably. At least I would know, and I could finally lay the mystery of Tore Gallo to rest. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!