Chapter 58: Best Girlfriends

February 6, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Elyse, the place we rented for Ally, what is it?”

“A studio. Are you thinking we just keep it?”

“The thought did cross my mind. Have Kimmy check into it. How are the plans for rearranging the office?”

“Done. You delegated that, so I’ve already scheduled the furniture people to be here on the 22nd. I do have the contract for the phone upgrade in Pittsburgh which you have to sign.”

“Any movement on hiring since Monday?”

“No. Charlie is still looking for consultants for LA and Pittsburgh. Dave is still looking for a pair of programmers.”

“Anything else for me?”

“Not right now. How did things go in Boston?”

“As I’d hoped. They settled. Art let his emotions get in the way of good business sense. I learned about that when I had to make the decision about settling with Kaitlin.”

“You did. You’ve become much more pragmatic about business matters. The only issue recently has been the liability insurance issue.”

“We still need to talk about that issue, but I know I’ll need board approval to cancel it.”

“Where’s the pragmatic CEO?”

“My problem is that all that does is play into the lawsuit game. If people stopped settling bogus lawsuits, they would go away.”

“You can’t change the system by yourself,” Elyse said firmly.

“Somebody has to be first!” I said.

“And you’re willing to lose everything to make a point? Is THAT the hill you want to die on? For all of us to die on? To make a point?”

“I suppose when you put it that way, no.”

“Then the matter is closed?”

“I suppose so, for the greater good,” I said.

“The needs of the many?”

“Outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.”

Elyse smiled and I went back to my office.

February 7, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Steve,” Dave said, “I have a résumé from one of Jeri’s friends. A Kajri Cooke. Jeri says you talked to her at the New Year’s party.”

“A cute Indian girl, with Cindi’s body type.”

“Ah, I remember seeing her. What did you think?”

“Intelligent. She’s a Windows programmer into user interface and design. Jeri met her at the last WUG meeting.”

“Her résumé looks good. I’m going to bring her in for interviews.”

“No veto, so if you like her, just get the paperwork to me. Jeri’s recommendation is pretty significant. I don’t see her bringing someone sub-par to the team.”

“Agreed. She’d need to be a Level III programmer. You’re OK with that?”

“It’s your team Dave, you tell me; is anyone going to object?”

“No. I don’t think so. We’ll see what everyone thinks.”

“Sounds good. Any other prospects?”

“None that are good enough for NIKA. But I’ll keep looking.”

“Did you tell the team about the changes?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “Tasha was a bit concerned about losing most of her team, but I reassured her that it wasn’t anything to do with her, and that we’d float people back as soon as we were able to.”

“Should I talk to her?” I asked.

Dave shook his head, “No. I need to deal with it. I have it under control.”

“Good. Let me know if I can help.”

At lunch, I decided to take a walk. I was still thinking about how to deal with Crystal, but I wasn’t ready to talk to her yet. I walked the opposite direction to avoid the diner and found myself walking by Siobhán’s studio. I saw many more canvases through the window than I’d seen the previous time, and decided to step inside. A small bell connected to the door tinkled.

“Hello?” she called out, then appeared from behind a curtain in her smock and scarf.

“Hi,” I said. “I was walking by and saw you had more paintings on display.”

“Yes, the pieces from the show were returned.”

“Did you sell any?”

“Two. That’s pretty typical. Can you wait just a moment?”

“Sure.”

She disappeared behind the curtain and I heard her talking with someone. A minute later she pulled back the curtain.

“Steve, this is Emmy. Emmy, this is Steve. I’m doing a portrait.”

Emmy was about my height and my age, and was, given that I was standing in an art studio, best described as ‘Rubenesque’. She was wearing a robe, which made it obvious that the portrait was likely a nude.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“Same here!” Emmy said.

“Maybe I could do one of you!” Siobhán said.

“If what I’m guessing is correct, I’m not sure that’s a good idea!”

“Emmy, is it OK to show him?”

“Sure,” Emmy said with a smile. “Why not?”

I followed Siobhán to the easel and looked at the canvas. It was about halfway completed, though the face wasn’t even started - just a blob of tan paint.

“I suppose I’d have to see it completed before I could really say anything,” I said.

“Not surprising. Sure I can’t talk you into posing for me? You have a pretty nice physique. What do you do for exercise?”

“Karate, why?”

“How about a compromise?” Siobhán asked.

“Compromise?”

“A karate pose, but with your pants on. No shirt. Call it a trial run.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the only person to come through that door twice in the last two months who isn’t commissioning a work! And if I run an ad, I’d have to pay.”

“Ah, free labor!” I chuckled. “What would you do with this painting?”

“See those over there? Behind where my register is? It would go to the left. Those are the ones I use to show what I can do. I don’t have any younger guys in those six pieces.”

“How long would this take?”

“A few sittings of a couple hours. I can work around your schedule, including early mornings, late nights, weekends. I’m pretty much here all the time.”

“Two-hour time blocks are pretty tough. I’m super busy.”

“What about hour-long sessions at lunch? It would take longer, but it would work.”

“I’m not sure I could do every day. Three days a week?”

“If you want to come here for a month! You’ll get tired of seeing me! I can’t pay you, but I could feed you. How’s that?”

“That will work. But, it’s going to have to wait for a couple of weeks. Next week I’m going to Los Angeles for three days and the week after, to Pittsburgh for two.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers, I guess,” she said.

“Do you mind if I look at that stuff that came back from the show?”

“Not at all! Look! Buy!” she laughed. “Emmy, we can get started again while he decides which piece he wants to buy!”

I laughed and walked over to look at the abstract paintings. I had a hard time deciding if something was ‘good’ or not. My previous purchase had been based on matching colors to the area rug in my study. I tried to think of a place where I could hang a painting and decided on an empty wall in the dining room. The best colors for that room would be red or purple. There were no purple pieces, though there was one that was mostly red. The question was, did I want to spend another $500? I decided the house budget could afford it in that we hadn’t spent much on decorating in years.

“Siobhán,” I said. “This red piece. I’ll pay now, but I’ll pick it up later, if that’s OK.”

She came out from behind the curtain.

“Sorry, I was teasing. You don’t HAVE to buy it.”

“I am capable of resisting red-haired, green-eyed women with Irish accents when they order me around! It’s a dicey thing, but I manage!”

She laughed, her eyes twinkled, and she said, “Too bad!”

I completed the transaction and left the studio. The brief interaction helped clear my mind. I wouldn’t even be able to talk to Crystal for a couple of weeks. I was heading to Los Angeles on Tuesday and coming back on Thursday. The following week, I was heading to Pittsburgh on Tuesday and coming back on Wednesday. I returned to the office, got my lunch from the fridge, and went to eat at my desk.

February 10, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Jessica asked as our trio walked to the hospital.

“6:00am,” I said. “I’m having dinner with Ben Jackson tomorrow evening. I’m in the office on Wednesday morning, then going with Cynthia to visit two clients in the afternoon. I have dinner with the team that evening. I have another client visit in the morning on Thursday, and then I fly back.”

“Are you running with Gina today?”

“Yes. She’s meeting me at the Y at 6:30am. She’s not thrilled, but I am very persuasive!”

“And the drinking?”

“A work in progress!”

“Like your smoking?”

“Babe...” I sighed.

“It’s a valid comparison, Tiger.”

“Whatever,” I said, with a mix of deadpan and dripping sarcasm.

“What’s on tap for tonight?” Kara asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

“Love!” I grinned. “I’m going to be gone a lot over the next two weeks!”

We arrived at the hospital and Kara and I kissed Jessica, then headed home. I changed into my running clothes, and then drove to the Y to meet Gina. I had arranged with Doctor Mercer to talk to her at lunch on Mondays, though that was on hold until she talked with Jennifer and Jesse. She’d already spoken to Jessica, Kara, Elyse, and Abbie.

“It is TOO early for this,” she groused when she saw me.

“Good morning to you, too!” I chuckled.

“I’m usually still in bed!”

“Lazy bum! If a High School girl could get out of bed to run with me even earlier in the morning, you can, too!”

“I’m STILL not happy about last Friday night!”

“Two drinks, Gina. That’s the limit. I’d say zero, but I suspect someone very close to me leaked information about my pipe to you.”

“Perhaps,” she grinned.

“So two. And during the week, none, unless you’re with someone.”

“My cat doesn’t count? I really like sitting on the couch, watching TV, having a glass of wine in my left hand, and stroking my pussy with my right!”

“Doc...” I warned.

“What? We know the ground rules! A bit of teasing isn’t out of line at this point. Besides, if you’re going to be my best girlfriend, you’ll hear a lot more than that!”

“Wingman, Doc! Wingman!”

“Girlfriend, wingman, same thing,” she laughed. “You get to hear about cramps, and leaky pads, and PMS, and what I think about guys, why I don’t like the taste of semen, how bad or good he was, how hairy he was, all that stuff! Best girlfriend!”

“That is NOT what I signed up for!” I protested.

“Oh yes it is! So deal with it, girlfriend! Now, what do we do?”

I shook my head. Once again I’d walked right into it. Eyes wide shut!

“Stretch. And then we put some ‘good’ miles on that bod of yours to wipe out some of the ‘bad’ ones you’ve put on, so that when Mr. Right sees you naked, he thinks, ‘Damn! What a sexy doctor!’.”

“And how will you know if YOU never see me naked?”

“You just said you’d tell me. And I have a good eye, Doc. Trust me.”

“Does my butt look fat in these sweats?” she asked.

“As your best girlfriend, I have to say ‘yes’. That’s why we’re running!”

“Bitch! I think I may have made a BIG mistake,” she laughed.

We stretched, and then it was time to run. I decided since she was going to play games, so was I.

“We start out very slow, and very smooth, and over time we build up to fast and furious!” I grinned.

“Smart ass! Just set a reasonable pace for an old woman!”

“You’re my age, Doc!”

“What did Indiana Jones say? It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage?”

“Then let’s fix that,” I said, setting off at a slow pace.

Gina was completely out of shape, so I had to take it easy on her. That meant that when we’d finished our run, I headed home and spent some time on the treadmill. Work was busy, given my upcoming travel plans, and the day flew by. Cindi came to my office just before the end of the day.

“I think you need to add yourself to the bonus plan,” she said.

“I own the place!” I chuckled. “Why?”

“That article in Crain’s has led directly to five software or consulting deals since it ran. Perhaps you can arrange for interviews in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, and Pittsburg?”

“Ugh. You know how I hate those. Besides, I have an interview set with Computerworld the first week in March.”

“Holy shit! We’ve arrived! I think I need to revise my projections!”

“It COULD be a hit piece, you know?” I smirked. “Capitalist mogul and his harem?”

“Hmm. I guess I should call them and have them postpone until after my divorce is final. Then I can give them the REAL scoop, instead of just hearsay!”

“Remember what I said, Cindi. Talk. When the time comes.”

“I’m going to tease you mercilessly until that time, you realize?”

“So just like it was before you got married?”

“Yes!” she grinned, and quickly left the office.

Five deals? From one article in a Chicago paper? I was starting to understand exactly what Jeri had been trying to tell me about using the Press to my advantage. I finished up the last of my work and walked to the hospital with Kara to meet Jessica. After dinner and karate, the family was gathered in the sunroom.

“Daddy?” Birgit asked.

“Yes, Pumpkin?”

“I want a pink room! Pink curtains! Pink rug! Pink bed! Pink walls!”

The adults laughed.

“I think pink walls might be a bit much!” I chuckled.

“What about borders?” Jessica asked. “You know, just along the ceiling?”

“That could work,” I said.

“That artist said she did stuff like that. Now that you seem to have adopted her, we could ask her to do it!”

“Adopted?” I asked.

“Two paintings, posing for a painting? Adopted.”

“I’ll ask when I get back from LA. I think we can do that, Pumpkin. But what about your sisters?”

“Stephie likes pink!” Birgit affirmed.

“Yuck!” Matthew said.

“We’re not painting YOUR room pink, Foo!” I chuckled.

“Speaking of rooms, is Nicholas moving in with Jesse?” Elyse asked.

“That’s the plan. I don’t think Jesse would accept anything else. Bethany will be in town tomorrow. Would you ask her how she wants the playroom decorated? We have some furniture, and I know she has the things from the house she and Nick had at Great Lakes. No expense limits, either. Painting is fine, also.”

“Maybe Siobhán can do borders in all the bedrooms?” Jessica suggested. “The walls are a bit plain, being just whitewashed.”

“A bit of color would be good,” Elyse said.

“I’ll ask,” I promised. “And please let Jen know I’ll cover the cost for Nicholas’ bed.”

“And you know damned well that Jennifer and Josie will not take a penny from you for anything.”

I nodded, “I know. It’s the principle of the thing, for both sides. Offer. They’ll refuse. But offer, please.”

“Got it,” Elyse said. “And I’ll work with Kara to help ‘Miss Pink’ get the girls’ room decorated.”

“Did Bethany decide on her move-in date?” Abbie asked.

“I think it’s the 25th, but someone check with her, please. Elyse, did you decide about Atlanta?”

“I think it’s OK,” Elyse said. “Shall we ask him?”

“Sure,” I agreed. “But Abbie should do it.”

Abbie smiled, “Matthew?”

She never called him ‘Foo’. That was my, and Birgit’s, nickname for him.

“Yes, Abbie?”

“Would you like to go to see Jason? And watch a race?”

“Yes! Where?”

“In Atlanta. We’d have to fly on a plane to get there.”

“Just me and you?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I want to! Mom, can I go? Please?”

He knew who was boss when it came to things like that. CEO or not, the moms were still the moms. And the kids knew Dad was a soft touch for just about anything. If the moms said ‘yes’, it was basically a done deal.

“Yes, you may go!” Elyse said.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” he exclaimed, jumping around the sunroom.

“Kara, did you work out the deal with your mom?” Jessica asked.

“Yes. She’ll come up the day before Abbie leaves, then go home the day after she comes back. Joyce was nice enough to give her the days off.”

“Joyce knows on which side the bread is buttered,” I grinned.

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with Jake being TDY in Bremerton until the end of March, would it?” Kara asked.

“Oh shush! You spoil everything!” I groused.

“Shall we head up to bed?” Jessica asked sweetly. “Will that soothe your bruised ego?”

“Every time!” I grinned.

February 11, 1992, Los Angeles, California

“How are things going?” Ben Jackson asked when we sat down at the LA Athletic Club.

“The BLS acquisition has really chewed up my time and energy,” I said. “And business is good outside of that as well.”

“You aren’t subtly trying to tell me that there’s going to be a delay in the next release, are you?”

“Ben, if there was a change, I’d have called you. You know that. We basically reassigned all of our resources to the legal software to ensure we can do the conversions and not slip the release date. Trust me, I have my priorities straight. The medical software can slip. We’re moving people from there, and then backfilling.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t have been concerned. Did you get the list of requested features from the User Group?”

“Dave and Julia have it, and are discussing it with Cindi. We need to do a 5.1 version to include some BLS features that we don’t currently have, or we do them in ways that don’t make sense to BLS customers. We’ll also create a ‘Light’ version for small law offices. Both of those have to take priority over work on 6.0 for now.”

“Any chance the top one or two items could make 5.1?” he asked.

“Give Cindi a call. In the end, she’ll make that decision after talking to Julia and Dave. We’ll do our best to be responsive. I have to delegate because I am up to my eyeballs in BLS, staffing, finances, lawsuits, and management!”

Ben laughed, “I was a bit surprised, but very happy, when you decided you had to be full-time CEO. I trust Jeri, Penny, and Alonzo to write good, solid code, and Dave to manage them, and Julia to produce good designs. I know you want to program, but this is your company and you need to treat it like your company.”