Page 20 of Nolan
3
Mia
I can’t think of many guys who would be ready and willing to help a girl out at a retail gig when date night isn’t going to work out, but here Nolan is. And not only is he with me, he’s being more compassionate and sensible than I think most humans are capable of.
Shoplifting is a big problem in New Carnegie, just like it is in any big city. I remember plenty of shopping sprees with my friends growing up. You can’t go into some department stores without seeing all the merchandise locked up. Apollo said the problem only got worse with massive layoffs across the city, what with some big corporations switching to an entirely bionic workforce.
Despite that, my job is to protect my sister-in-law’s business. If Nolan wasn’t here, I would’ve had to call the police, there would’ve been paperwork for insurance, headaches like that. Instead, he confronted the problem and made it disappear with words alone. He wasn’t showing off in some hyper-macho way; he was neutral, reasonable. Gentle. I appreciate that so much more than the aggressive, action-hero approach. He gives me a little hope for humanity in general. Who knows; maybe those kids will wake up and realize the thrill of stealing isn’t worth throwing their futures away.
With the shoplifters thwarted, I return to checking social media stats and editing Cyber Street’s new marketing strategy. Earlier today, I shot several videos of the girls sporting Jessica’s designs, scheduled them, and posted the very first one on Jessica’s social media. I know how to work algorithms and manage ads like the back of my hand, and from one video alone, the stats already show that we’re making traction nationwide. The commenters are going wild for her style. There are at least a dozen online orders we’ll have to fulfill tomorrow, and I’ll definitely need to chat with Jess about making sure those get fulfilled by her warehouse, rather than taking away from the shopping experience in-store.
In just two days, I feel pretty damn good. I’m already making a difference I can measure on graphs and charts. Knowing these sales support my direct family, my sister-in-law, and helping put her name out there independently feels a hell of a lot better than helping a back-stabbing corporate giant like Rousseau.
I’m definitely beginning to think I made the right choice. Besides my awkward relationship with Apollo that I’ve yet to really address, this is so much better than being a big business statistic. No more stupid, pointless metrics. No more mind-numbing reports. Just real numbers for real people.
As my time winds down, I’m helping the other employees finish up their tasks, but my entire body is on pins and needles because I’m aware of Nolan helping too.
He’s making it entirely difficult to concentrate on anything at all. Everything he does is sexy. Sweeping the floors? Hot. Washing the windows? Goddamn. Sweeping, washing—they might seem like mundane things, but seeing Nolan doing domestic tasks makes me envision things. What’s he like at the fire station? Was he treated like Cinderella after he was activated, much like I felt as a girl? Would he be happy to help me with such things, if I got my own place and he?—
Whoa, okay, getting light-years ahead of myself. That train of thought catches me wholly off guard. I’m sorry, did I almost imagine what it might be like to settle down with a guy? Moreover a guy I just met?
Am I ovulating? I pause and do some period math. The answer is maybe.
I don’t know what I need to do to get my head in the game here, but I keep stealing glances at him everywhere he goes. He looks at me too with those intense eyes of his. He’s changed his irises from white to brown, something he says helps him appear more human and won’t make customers potentially uncomfortable. I prefer those unworldly, stark white eyes.
And when my gaze catches his, I get the feeling he knows just how much he’s affecting me.
Droids can read vital signs, scan us for health problems. I have no doubt that Nolan is scoping out my body, analyzing me, and my diagnostics are ratting me out. I just know it!
It’s well into the evening when I send everyone home and get ready to lock up, walking over to Nolan with a bit of an ache in my feet. “Hey, thanks so much for doing this today.”
“Not a problem. It was kinda fun, actually,” Nolan replies. “My gratification drive nearly lost its mind when I grabbed the broom. Like it was Christmas or something. I guess my programming gets hyperactive when I can do small tasks like that, be helpful in any way at all. A nice change of pace from running into burning buildings.”
“That’s actually really cute.” I giggle. “So what’s your gratification drive, exactly?”
“It’s hard to describe.” Nolan follows me out of the store after I activate the alarm system. When we leave, the store locks behind us and I get a management notification on my phone that the building is secured. “Think of it as something between your conscience and your reason for living.”
“That’s a pretty big range.”
“Exactly.” Nolan grins as we slowly walk down the sidewalk together, resting his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. “Let’s say I do something wrong. My gratification drive affects my mood, makes me aware I’ve fallen short. But if I do something right, it does a little dance. Like an angel on your shoulder.”
“Sounds pretty familiar.” I glance skyward, measuring how much time I think I might have with him. “Jessica said there’s a park nearby with some pretty trails. Probably prettier in the daytime, but . . . I have my tennis shoes in my backpack. What do you say?”
“I’m down if you are,” Nolan says, offering his arm. “Miss Bennett.”
I cover my mouth to avoid snickering. “What’s that?”
“You know Pride and Prejudice, right?”
“You’re quoting Jane Austen now?” I tease. “How do you know about books like that?”
“Jessica told me if I was ever going to understand women, I should read Jane Austen.”
“Did it help?”
“Nope,” Nolan answers without skipping a beat. “You’re still a mystery, but that’s okay. Nothing wrong with that.” He grins. “Means I get to play detective.”
Do not swoon, Mia Bennett! I take his arm and stick my nose up in the air, putting on my best posh British accent. “Very well, let us promenade around the park.”
