Chapter 4
GRACE
Grace drummed her hands on the steering wheel in time with the music on the radio, a pop song about floating bubbles that she usually found too upbeat.
Today, though, it matched her mood. Her new job was everything she’d dreamed it would be, and her first two weeks had gone off without a hitch.
Her new colleagues were wonderful, apart from a little weirdness from Autumn.
She had the chance to prove that she was good at what she did, despite starting later than most, and it was going wonderfully. And she liked Alex.
As a boss, of course. Maybe as a professional mentor.
That was why, even though it was Saturday morning and she could have gone for a walk or to the beach, Grace was driving in to work.
Alex had asked for her help on another bug, and Grace wasn’t about to say no.
She wanted him to see that she was a hard worker.
And she wanted him to smile at her again, with that look that made her feel like the most important person in the world.
Grace pulled into the lot and headed to the elevator bank, nodding at the receptionist on the way past. She’d worn a simple dress today, instead of her usual office wear.
It was a nod to the warm weather and to the fact that it wasn’t a normal working day.
There were only so many days in a row that she could wear blouses with slacks or pencil skirts.
A few offices were occupied by people working on their computers.
Most of them smiled at Grace as she passed, though a few were so involved in their work that they didn’t seem to notice her.
She went straight to Alex’s office. His assistant’s desk was empty, so she knocked on the door as she pushed it open and found him sitting behind the desk, sipping a mug of coffee.
“Good morning.”
He looked up from his computer and smiled at her.
He was dressed more casually today, too, in jeans and a black T-shirt with a band logo on the front.
With that and his glasses, he looked more nerdy than businesslike.
Grace found the difference endearing. It was nice to know that he could be something other than intimidating.
“Good morning, Grace. Thanks for coming in today. I hope I’m not keeping you from anything.”
“Not at all.” Grace took a seat on the other side of the desk, where she’d been the last few times they’d worked like this. “I’m happy to be here.”
“Great. Let me show you what I’m working on.” Alex turned his laptop to face Grace and talked her through a few lines of code. Pretty soon, they were both tapping away on their laptops companionably.
Working like this reminded Grace a little of childhood days when she’d sat beside her father in his home office while he worked.
She’d been allowed to join him at his desk if she brought something to read or a coloring book with her.
The kind of camaraderie they’d shared was almost impossible to replicate, even in college when Grace had joined study groups or worked in the library.
She missed those days of being close to her father. And she was glad that she could work alongside Alex now.
The morning flew by in a blur of screens and code. By the time twelve o’clock rolled around, Grace saw lines of code whenever she closed her eyes, and she stifled a yawn.
“Time for a break,” Alex said, smiling at her over his computer. “How about some lunch?”
“That would be great,” Grace said.
“I know a place just down the street where we can get falafel and kebabs, if you like either of those.”
“Perfect.” Grace closed her laptop and stood, stretching. Alex did so, too. His brown hair was slightly tousled.
“Follow me.”
Out on the sidewalk, they wove in and out of the downtown San Valentino pedestrian traffic.
There were a few people in business attire, but most of the passersby looked like they were enjoying days off.
They wore shorts and dresses, held cones of ice cream, and snapped photos with their phones or cameras.
It was a warm June day, already ramping up to a hot California summer, and lots of people were here on vacation.
Grace searched for a topic to discuss with Alex. She didn’t want to land on anything too personal, so she ended up asking about work.
“How did you come up with the idea for MatchupNow?” she asked as they strolled.
“It was inspired by what I saw at college,” Alex explained.
“Lots of my friends used dating apps, but mostly, those apps were all about quick hookups and flings. Which is great, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Some of my friends wanted a real relationship, though, and I decided to see if I could create an app that would let them find lasting connections.
Plus, I was taking a class in app design at the time, and I figured a dating app would make an interesting project. ”
“And that’s how MatchupNow was born,” Grace finished. “As a school project. You were serious about taking every assignment seriously—this one brought you all the way to running a well-known company.”
“Exactly.” Alex winked. “At first, the app was mostly a fun coding challenge for me, but when I saw how much it helped people, including my friends, I dug deeper and tried to make it better. That’s how it really took off.”
“It works,” Grace said. “Actually, my best friend met her husband on there.”
“Really?” Alex grinned. “I’m always happy to hear success stories. What happened?”
“My friend, Susie, was having trouble like you mentioned before—she used dating apps, looking for lasting connections, but just found people wanting to hook up. Eventually, she tried MatchupNow. A guy named Steve was her first connection. They went on a few dates, and the rest is history.”
“Steve and Susie.” Alex grinned. “Maybe I need to build an alliteration feature into the app.”
“You should.” Grace laughed. “Ooh, you should add a feature that creates cute couple names!”
Alex laughed. “I like the way you think.”
“That’s me.” Grace flipped her hair. “Always creative.”
“You are. And we’re here,” Alex added. He pointed to a small food truck parked near an open space.
There was a line of about five people outside, and a few others were walking away with wraps in silver foil.
A delicious smell of onions and spices wafted out of the stand and made Grace’s stomach rumble.
“It smells great,” Grace said appreciatively. They got in line, and Grace scanned the menu and picked out a falafel wrap.
“So, what did Susie say when you started working for MatchupNow?” Alex asked as they moved forward a place in line.
“She was thrilled.” Grace grinned. “She told me I should use the app for research for my new job—but I think she’s just hoping I’ll find a boyfriend.”
Immediately, Grace regretted her words. This wasn’t the kind of information one should share with a new boss, even if they’d just been joking around a few minutes ago.
In truth, Susie, as well as Grace’s other friends, had been pushing her for years to try dating, but Grace always had a reason not to.
She’d been too busy with her parents, then with college, then with her first few jobs.
She’d always wanted love and a family of her own, but that had always felt like a “someday” dream.
“So, you aren’t dating anyone?” Alex asked.
Grace glanced at him, her cheeks flushing. “No.”
“I see.” He looked away again, his expression unreadable.
Part of her wanted to ask if he had a girlfriend, but she was already far too uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. Thankfully, they moved to the front of the line and placed their orders at just the right moment.
“Let me pay this time,” Grace insisted. She quickly tapped her card against the reader before Alex could protest.
“Next time, it’ll be on me again,” he said.
“Sure. If you’re fast enough.”
“Watch me.”
They went to the park near the food truck to eat, sitting side by side on a bench facing a small pond with ducks. Kids were laughing and tossing pieces of stale bread to the ducks. A few older people strolled around the lake on a small path, hand in hand.
“San Valentino has the best parks,” Alex remarked as he bit into his wrap.
“We do,” Grace agreed. “It’s one of the things I love about the city—along with the great beaches. Are you from here?”
“No,” Alex told her. “I grew up in San Diego, but I moved here for college.”
“And you fell in love with the city and just had to stay?” Grace suggested.
“Well, MatchupNow was already running by the time I graduated, and what better place to have a tech company than here?” Alex replied. “You grew up locally, right?”
“Right,” Grace agreed. “Not in this neighborhood, though. I lived in Las Adelitas—and I still do.”
Las Adelitas was a suburb that wasn’t as rich as the rest of San Valentino. It was known for being a tight-knit community.
“Is your family there too?” Alex asked.
“My mom is,” Grace answered simply. She was glad when he didn’t push for more details. “Is your family in San Diego still?”
“Yep,” Alex agreed. “My mom, my dad, and my little sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“I do. Her name is Kathryn. She’s five years younger than me, but she thinks she knows everything.”
Grace laughed. “Younger siblings are always like that, or so I hear. What does she do?”
“She’s a doctor,” Alex told her. “And a mom of two. It still shocks me when I hear her spout medical jargon, because to me, she’ll always be the three-year-old who kept stealing my GI Joe figures to use in her pretend hospital.”
Grace smiled. She liked the idea of Alex as a young boy playing with his sister. It made him less intimidating.
“Adorable,” she said.
“Not so much when I was eight, but yes, in retrospect. How’s your food?”
“Amazing.” Grace took another bite. “I love falafel.”
“Good. After lunch, you should go home. Take the afternoon off. Do whatever it is you usually do on a Saturday.”
“Are you going back to work?” Grace asked. “Or doing whatever you usually do on a Saturday?”
“What I usually do is work, so I’ll do that.” Alex grinned. “But that doesn’t mean you should.”
“No way. If you’re going back to work, I am too.” Grace smiled back. “I haven’t cracked the latest bug yet.”
“I can’t stop you,” Alex replied. “But I can give you a stern look.” He did so, and Grace laughed. The more she got to know him, the more she saw his lighthearted, almost playful side along with his focus on getting every detail right and his love of his business.
They finished their food and headed back to the office, where they both got down to work again. Another few hours passed in quiet camaraderie and lines of code against a black screen. Grace stole a few glances at Alex, but did her best to stay focused on work.
In the late afternoon, she finished what she’d wanted to do and got up.
“I’ll head out now, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it is. You should have left hours ago.” Alex smiled.
“Will you be in tomorrow?”
“I wish.” Alex sighed. “I have to go to a networking event.”
“You don’t sound excited.”
“I’m not. I’d much rather be working here. But I have to go to these events now and then to stay on the good side of the tech giants.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fun,” Grace suggested, though she wasn’t sure. Personally, she found wealthy San Valentinos to be stuck-up and arrogant most of the time and wouldn’t have relished spending time in their company.
“I’m not so sure,” Alex said, as though he could read her thoughts and agreed with them. “But thanks. Now, go enjoy the rest of your weekend. No work tomorrow, okay?”
“No promises, but I’ll try.”
Grace headed out with a light step. It felt good to solve problems and to chat with Alex like this.
That evening, she had dinner plans with Susie.
Steve was out of town on a business trip, so it was just Susie in their house in Grace’s neighborhood.
Like Grace, Susie had grown up in San Valentino and decided to stay.
Unlike Grace, she’d gone to college at the usual time and gotten a job at a big PR company in the area.
“How’s the new job?” Susie asked right when she opened the door.
“Not even a hello?” Grace grinned at her friend as she gave her a quick hug and stepped inside. Susie’s long black hair was up in a bun, and she wore a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt.
“I’m much more interested in hearing all about MatchupNow,” Susie replied. “Come in, sit down. Dinner’s ready. I know you don’t eat enough.”
“You sound like my mom,” Grace complained, but in truth, she loved Susie’s cooking, and it was nice to be cared for every now and then.
“Good. You need people watching out for you. Now, come on. How’s the company? Any cute guys? Any trade secrets? I’m a boring married lady now, so I need gossip from somewhere.”
“Ha. Slow down.” Grace held up her hands. “I love my new job. The coworkers are great, and the company is really cool. We even have a nap room! As for cute guys…” She shrugged.
“Come on, there has to be more to say than that,” Susie urged. She led Grace into the dining room and gestured for her to sit. Grace did, and Susie started serving the rice and stir-fry she’d made. It smelled like ginger and soy sauce.
“I guess the CEO isn’t bad,” Grace said. She focused her attention on the rice in front of her, avoiding Susie’s eyes.
“The CEO?” Susie’s voice rose several decibels. “You mean Mr. Alex Medson? Tell me everything. Everything.” She drew out the last word, emphasizing each syllable. Laughing, Grace explained about working with Alex and the conversations they’d had.
“Not that I’d ever make a move,” she said. “He’s my boss, after all. And totally out of my league.”
“One, no way. If anyone’s out of anyone else’s league, you’re out of his,” Susie began loyally. “And two, people meet in all kinds of ways. Tell him you’re interested! Who knows, maybe it’ll go somewhere.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “I doubt it. I don’t think he dates much.”
“Neither do you,” Susie pointed out. “Just think about it.”
“Fine,” Grace said. “But for now, let’s change the topic. How’s Steve? How’s work?”
The conversation moved on, but Grace’s thoughts stayed on Alex.
Part of her wished that she could make a move on Alex, but there was no way she would—no matter what Susie said.
That would definitely be a mistake, and Grace had too much to lose.
Her new job mattered much more than a fleeting crush, and she had no time for mistakes.
Or regrets.