Page 14 of Power Move

“What?” I groaned.

“David, what the hell? Are you okay?”

I probably looked terrible after a night out before with a fraternity brother who was only in town for a hot minute. However, partying didn’t look good on me anymore. I grimaced in anticipation of Daphne’s disappointment.

“Can you re-explain what a BISO is?” I winced.

“Are you hungover?”

“You sound like Mum when you do that,” I groaned.

“What? Do what?”

“The overbearing pretend-concerned thing with your voice going up at the end.”

Daphne, hand on hips said, “Maybe she’s right about things like this, then. One second.”

She disappeared, heading across the small office lobby to her office, then back to mine. She held out a sachet.

“Electrolytes,” Daphne said.

I picked them up, opening the water bottle I kept on my desk and dunked them.

“Daph, why do you have these? Last I checked you were not running marathons.”

“When I vom, I need them to settle my stomach. I have a whole pack in my desk,” Daphne said. “Pregnancy sucks.”

“Well, I do try to avoid it,” I half-heartedly joked, taking a swig.

“Drink that and be ready to meet her. She’s here already.”

“Again, what does the BISO actually do?”

“You’ll rely on her for insight into tech. She’s a translator of sorts and will join the Tuesday 10,” Daphne informed. “Claire and I need her to keep the pace between technology and the rest of this circus. Unlike the last one, we think she will be able to handle human conversation.”

“So can she un-fuck my second laptop that has been stuck updating for ten years?”

Daphne slapped my desk for effect. “Don’t be an asshole. That’s a question for end user support. Don’t insult the woman with a law degree from Oxford.”

“How do you people always find one another?” I groaned. “God, she must be absolutely nightmarish.”

“She’s a gem,” Daphne said. “And she was my mentee when I was assigned a recent grad. She’s smart, David. You’ll like her. Promise. I told you all of this?—”

“Sometimes, I tune you out.”

“I couldn’t tell,” Daphne groaned. “Okay, I’m off to chat with HR about benefits. Be back later. Be nice, Davey. Don’t be a fuck-up.”

I wanted to be nice, but only if my head allowed it. I knew this woman meant a lot to Daphne by the way she talked about her candidacy. She even wanted me to sit in on interviews, but I’d been dealing with our Canadian operations in Toronto. And while I knew tech supportwaslikely an insult, I began looking for my other computer in a locked cabinet to see if I could pick her brain. I was not a tech guy. I’d sooner call any of my four sisters before I attempted to fix something myself. They were justbetterat it.

There was a knock, and I called, “Come in!”

I was too focused to turn, expecting my assistant.

“Uh… Mr. Delphine… your assistant stepped away and Daphne said I was supposed to meet you,” a little voice said behind me.

“Are you the new computer person?” I asked, still digging in the cabinet.

Her voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it.