Page 49 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
There was a huge framed photo of Carson, his husband, and their three dogs on the wall, all grinning at me from above his shoulder.
“Mr Atkins, my realtors have bombarded me with emails since you informed them about the fix half an hour ago,” Carson said, fixing me with a sharp look. “Anything you’d like to say about it?”
“Yes, sir. I fixed the calendar after overhearing Alaric Dunmere complaining about missing an appointment. There was an old ticket in our inbox. We’d tried to fix it before, but it didn’t work. It seemed important. I’m sorry if I overstepped. That wasn’t my intention,” I rambled, then took a deep breath.
Carson took off his glasses, and to my surprise, he smiled. “Well done, young man. I’ve never seen my realtors come together like this. I think you’re a natural team builder, Mr Atkins. First the shelter event and now this.” He waved a navy hand around. “They’re elated. And there are a couple of things I want to talk to you about.”
He leaned back in his chair, and some of the tension eased from the room. “To say I’m pleased with where the IT department is headed would be an understatement.”
It took my frantic brain a moment to process what he’d said. He was happy. Relief flooded through me and some of the tension in my shoulders eased.
“I heard Miss Kent has been helping Desmond Murray out on calls, so you can focus on the main coding work?” Carson continued.
“Yes, that’s true, sir,” I said, still a bit stunned.
“It’s made a noticeable difference in productivity and mood. And I think you won’t be surprised when I say I want to offer thedepartment a pay rise. You’ve all gone above and beyond lately, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
I just stared at him for a second with my mouth hanging open. “Thank you, sir. Wow, thank you.” I didn’t even know what else to say. The adrenaline was still buzzing in my veins.
“And there’s something else. We’ve been looking for an agency to do some work, not realizing we already had someone like you. Building an in-house solution would be preferable.”
I blinked, still trying to keep up. I had no idea what he was getting at.
“You remember Taran Atax and Maeve Cooper? Mr Atax owns the largest portfolio Frostfire Real Estate handles. This is classified information, Mr Atkins, and I trust it won’t leave this office.”
“No, of course not, sir.”
“Mr Atax’s parents founded Frostfire and entrusted me with managing their real estate portfolios.”
“‘Frost’ for Kalon Atax, Taran’s mother, and ‘Fire’ for Xivan Firebreath, Taran’s father, right?“ I asked.
He smiled. “Exactly. We try to keep that quiet. Xivan is…” Carson’s voice trailed off. Then he cleared his throat. “I’ve managed their portfolio personally until now, but it’s gotten too big, so I’ve entrusted Alaric Dunmere with it. As you know, Maeve Cooper has been expanding hers, too. First Breeze & Beans in Kincardie, then Froth & Flurry.” He gestured upward to indicate the rooftop cafe. “Now she and Beryl Nowen want to build a Scotland-wide network. The next cafe will be in Carranbrae.”
“I’ve never been,” I said into his pregnant pause.
“Well, we’re about to change that, young man. We want to streamline the cafes’ management, staff, coffee orders, the whole lot. We’ve been talking to an agency in Kirkmuir, but honestly, we need someone in-house to coordinate everything,especially since Mr Dunmere will stay in Carranbrae overseeing onboarding and managing the other properties. He can’t do it all, and he’s not an IT expert. That’s where you come in, Mr Atkins.”
He was beating around the bush so much I still wasn’t sure what he wanted from me.
“So, just to be clear, you want me to work with the agency, coordinate the app for Ms Cooper, Mr Atax, and Alaric Dunmere? Like a project manager?”
“Yes!” Samuel Carson laughed this time. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep much last night. Had a long evening,” he confided, lowering his voice. “I had a meeting with a client who was very upset about his realtor missing an appointment. It took a lot of sake to calm him down.” He rubbed at his temple and shook his horned head.
I did not need to know my boss was hungover.
“Yes, Mr Atkins, we’re about to kick off this major project in Carranbrae, and I’d like you to go there for a few days,” Carson said, rubbing his temples. “Get a lay of the land, meet the team, see what IT support they need; you know, help get the company up to speed.”
“Which company is it, if I may ask, sir?”
“It’s called Betaworth IT.”
I had to stifle a grin. “Sorry, sir, it’s just my twin brother works for them.”
“Oh, what a nice surprise. Who would’ve thought, in a city as large as Kirkmuir. Well, then, you won’t need much instruction from me. Alaric will handle everything else from here. He’ll meet you in Carranbrae in two days and will give you all the contacts and details you’ll need.”
He paused and finally looked up from his desk. “Are you prepared to travel, Mr Atkins? Is that a problem?”
“No, of course not, sir. How long do you want me to stay?”
