Chapter 7
ALEX
She’s just being nice, Alex told himself sternly as he and Grace stepped into the bar.
The room smelled of beer and French fries.
A bar stood at the front, where patrons could sit on swivel stools to place their orders, and the walls were lined with red vinyl booths.
There were a few small round tables on the floor, but the middle of the room had been cleared out, as though the bar owners were hopeful that people might start dancing to the loud music playing over the speakers.
It wasn’t the kind of place Alex usually enjoyed, but he was happy to be here now, because he was with Grace.
He just had to be careful. The only reason Grace had invited him out was because she was trying to acknowledge his achievement as well as her own, which was very nice of her.
It didn’t mean that she was interested in him in any meaningful way.
Alex still couldn’t believe he’d said yes.
It was inappropriate for him to be out with his employee, even if it was Grace, whom he’d spent hours and hours with over the past couple weeks.
Or maybe all the time they’d spent together made this even more of a bad idea, especially given the way she made his heart race.
“Table for two, please,” Grace said to the waitress, who led them to a booth near the back. Alex sat across from Grace, who accepted a menu with a smile. The warm smells of fried food overtook Alex, and he suddenly realized that he’d left his takeout on the desk in his office. He was hungry.
“I might get something to eat,” Grace said, as though reading his mind. “I forgot to eat dinner.”
“So did I,” Alex admitted. He met her gaze across the table, and she smiled at him and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“Good. We can both eat, then.”
She’d seemed confident when she’d asked him to join her for a drink, but now, the way she messed with her hair and smiled made her appear nervous.
Alex was nervous too. He just knew that he had to finish his food and drink fast and head back to the office before he said or did anything he might regret, like tell Grace how beautiful she looked this evening or reach across the table to tuck her hair back for her.
“Maybe a burger,” Alex said. He managed to sound normal, casual, as though they did this all the time. It wasn’t like this was the first time they’d shared a meal, even. It just felt different because there was no work to distract them.
“Mmm, nice,” Grace agreed. “Same.”
When the waitress returned, they placed their orders then sat back.
“So, what work do you have to do tomorrow, other than testing?” Grace asked.
“Let’s not talk about work,” Alex said. “We both need an evening off to think about other things.”
“Okay.” Grace bit her lip, and they both looked away.
Alex instantly regretted his suggestion.
They should have just talked about the update all evening and kept from getting too personal—or letting the silence grow too awkward.
Thankfully, their drinks arrived just then, and Alex took a long, fortifying sip of beer.
Grace also sipped her drink, which was pink and had a wedge of pineapple on top.
“So, what do you usually do to celebrate a win at work?” Grace asked. “Like this update?”
“Honestly?”
Grace nodded.
“I stay late to monitor the error log and make sure everything goes smoothly as the update rolls out.”
Grace burst into laughter. “That sounds like you. And I’d probably do the same, usually. But you really need to try a better way of celebrating.”
“Do you have a recommendation?” Alex asked.
“Sure. Go for a walk. Go out to dinner. Have a drink. Throw a party.” Grace named suggestions as if they were all easy to do.
“Lots of great ideas.” Alex grinned. “And tell me honestly—how many of those things have you done to celebrate?”
“I’ve definitely gone for celebratory walks before diving back into work,” Grace replied. “And let’s remember, I was the one who suggested going out for drinks. And we’re eating, so I’m responsible for a celebratory dinner, too. I’m winning here.”
“Touché,” Alex said, raising his glass to her. “Well done. So, what do you usually do when you aren’t working?”
“Work some more,” Grace said. She tucked her hair behind her ear again and looked down at the tabletop.
“I have to ask,” Alex said. “You seem to love coding. But according to your résumé, you didn’t do it right away.” Then Alex winced, remembering that he’d already asked this and hadn’t gotten an answer. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, I don’t mind.” Grace paused for long enough that Alex began to wonder if she did mind, before she spoke again.
“The truth is, my dad got cancer in my senior year of high school. I’d already been accepted to a computer science program at a university in LA, but I didn’t want to leave when my dad was so sick—even though he told me many times to go and live my life.
I stayed to support him and my mom, and I got a job as a waitress to help make ends meet when the medical bills started adding up.
“Later, when my dad passed away, I worked another year as a waitress to have enough for tuition, then I went to college. I don’t regret staying with my parents when I did, but starting my career late did make it more difficult to climb the ladder.”
“I’m so sorry about your father,” Alex said.
“Thank you.” Grace met his eyes. “I appreciate that. It was years ago, but I miss him a lot. He’s part of the reason I work so hard—I want to make him proud.”
“I’m sure you have.” Alex smiled at her. “What was he like?”
“He taught high school science. He was one of those guys who was funny and goofy, which used to embarrass me. I wish it hadn’t.
He was serious about work, though—he’d spend hours prepping lessons, and I’d sit with him in his office, coloring or reading.
Even when he got sick, he found ways to make himself and everyone else smile. ”
“He sounds like a great guy,” Alex said.
“He was.” Grace smiled. “Thank you for saying that.”
“Of course. Also, I wouldn’t say starting late set you back,” Alex added. “Maybe it took you a bit longer to find the job you wanted, but now that you’re working at MatchupNow, you’re doing a fantastic job. I’d say you have great prospects.”
Grace smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot. Can I ask you something, too?”
“Of course,” Alex said. “Anything.”
“Well, I was wondering—why do you hate San Valentino’s rich and famous so much?”
Alex nodded slowly. After Grace had opened up about her father, she deserved an honest answer to her own question. He couldn’t let her be vulnerable and not return the openness.
“I grew up in a family that wasn’t well-off.
My parents worked hard to make ends meet for my sister and me, and they did a wonderful job, but it wasn’t easy.
Just like them, I worked hard for every penny I’ve made and every piece of my company that I’ve built.
The rich and famous here tend to inherit everything from their parents and never have to work for it. That makes them entitled and annoying.”
“I agree about how annoying old-money families can be. I had no idea you weren’t always rich, but I should have guessed. You work a lot harder than most of those guys do,” Grace said.
“That’s not the only thing that sets me apart. The old-money folks around here love to remind me that I don’t really belong because my parents weren’t CEOs or movie stars. No matter how hard I work, they’ll always see me as an outsider.”
“I’m sorry,” Grace said.
“It’s okay. I like to remember that I’m different from them—in a good way.”
Grace raised her glass. “I’ll drink to that. I grew up here, but people still like to remind me that I don’t belong in the wealthy circles. I went to a public school and took the bus back and forth instead of riding in a limo every day, so I must not be as great as they are. Right?”
Alex rolled his eyes and clinked his glass against hers. “Cheers to being outsiders.”
“Cheers.”
They both drank. Just then, the waitress arrived with their burgers, and they dug in.
“Did you like working as a waitress?” Alex asked between bites.
“I did,” Grace replied. “I liked getting to talk to lots of different people, and the camaraderie I had with the other waiters and cooks. But I always knew I wanted to work in computer science eventually.”
“What drew you to it?”
“I had a computer class in middle school, and we were given the task of designing a simple game with a drag-and-drop system.” Grace smiled fondly at the memory. “I spent hours on it, trying to make it perfect, and from that moment, I knew what I wanted to do. How about you?”
“Well, I actually wanted to become a doctor,” Alex said.
“I love science, and I liked the idea of being able to help people. So, I started with pre-med coursework. But I also took a computer science class as one of my general-education requirements, and I realized that I loved that, too. I took a few more computer science classes, then I started the app, and the rest is history.”
“Do you ever wish you’d become a doctor?” Grace asked.
“Not really. My sister lived that dream for both of us, and she does a way better job than I probably would have. I mean, I’m sure I would’ve liked being a doctor, too, but I can’t imagine my life without MatchupNow. I’ve poured so much into it these last few years, it feels like my baby.”
Grace smiled and popped a French fry into her mouth. “I can see that from how closely you guard the code.”
“You wouldn’t leave your infant with a stranger on the street, would you?” Alex asked with a smile.
Grace laughed. “I wouldn’t. Though I probably would leave my infant with a trained professional who I’d hired…”
“Good point.” Alex smiled. “But I told you about the incident with my roommate. And there have been a few people since then who’ve wanted to poach MatchupNow’s codebase. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Even if people think I go a little too far.”