Dorothy nodded with a hint of resolve, âAlright, Iâll be back in a jiffy.â
She slipped into something more comfortable and headed out, making her way to Quincyâs office. She
found the door ajar, yet the room was devoid of life.
âSheâs probably using the bathroom or got caught up in some urgent matter before coming back,â she
figured.
Dorothy didnât leave. She stood by the door, waiting, when her phone began to buzz.
She expected it was Karen, but instead, it was an unfamiliar number.
A call from back home.
Worried it might be the kids in some kind of trouble, she answered promptly.
The voice on the other end was tinged with impatience and a youthful edge, sounding like a high
school student, âHey, how old is this surveillance footage on your flash drive?â
It was Byte 7.
âQuite old,â Dorothy whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was listening, âAre you having
trouble with the restoration?â
The last thing she wanted was for Byte 7 to hit a dead end.
âOf course, itâs a royal pain. You didnât think to mention that earlier?â Byte 7âs tone carried the eternal
irritability of someone whoâs perpetually sleepâdeprived, âYou round up the rest of my fee yet?â
His sudden pivot to money caught Dorothy offâguard, âIâm working on it! Can you recover the data
sooner?â
âNope! Itâs a real headache!â
Then whatâs the point of this call? She was confused.
âStop trying to scrape together the cash. Just be my girl for a week, and weâre even.â
He wouldnât lay his fingers on any girls, so being chosen by him was a privilege.
Byte 7 could sense she was hellâbent on gathering the funds, and his pride was taking a hit. He
thought any girl in her right mind. would jump at such an offer, even pretend to be short on cash if they
werenât!
But this girl was actually trying.
âI can get the money,â Dorothy assured him earnestly.
She had done the math; selling all her stocks, bonds, and maybe a piece of real estate would get her
close enough. And for the shortfall, a bank loan or a few credit cards would cover the rest.
âSuit yourself,â Byte 7 grumbled and hung up.
Dorothy stared at her phone, conjuring up an image of Byte 7 on the other end: brows furrowed,
exuding an air of indifference to the world.
A pale, prideful, brash teen â that was all she knew of Byte 7.
âMs. Sanchez?â
Quincyâs voice pulled Dorothy from her thoughts. She saw Dorothy standing there when she came
back.
Dorothy looked up and smiled, âDr. Quincy, youâre back.â
âYeah, come in,â Quincy gestured while she put her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. The high
ponytail she tied gave her a youthful, innocent look, âWhatâs up?â
âEverett sent me to ask when he can take a shower.â
âOh, him⦠He canât shower just yet. Keep wiping him down for now,â Quincy paused, then glanced at
her, âI forgot that Mr. Lopez is a bit of a neat freak. He didnât refuse your help, did he?â
âNo, Iâm allowed,â Dorothy was aware of Everettâs pecullarities, but he hadnât resisted her assistance,
âHe just wants to shower on his own, feels better that way.â
Quincy smirked, recalling Everettâs expression when she wanted to give him a helping hand. He acted
as if touching any other woman would be the end of him.
âSo Mr. Lopezâs neat freak is selective!â
Noticing Quincyâs slightly furrowed brow, Dorothy quickly added, âDid he do something to upset you?
Donât hold it against him, I swear his neat freak is quite severe!â
Dorothy knew Everett all too well; she anticipated that upon regaining consciousness, he would indeed
coldly decline any other womanâs touch.
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