Chapter 5

five

DYLAN

After I found the folders I needed, I picked up my laptop and headed downstairs. It wasn’t often that I worked with someone who knew as much as I did about programming. I was looking forward to pitting my mind against Alex’s, tossing ideas around, and coming up with a solution to his problem.

Given its location, I’d half-expected Alex to be living in a bunkhouse or in one of the small vacation cabins dotted around Willow Lake. But this home was bigger than most of the homes I’d seen in Boulder. With its timber walls and sweeping view of the mountains, it reminded me of a secret castle, locked away from the rest of the world. But for all its grandeur, the house still felt warm and cozy.

The house wasn’t the only surprise. With all his work experience, I assumed the same thing Alex did. I thought he’d be in his mid-sixties, a little bald, with a stomach that stretched the seams of his shirt.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Alex Quinn had a full head of dark brown hair with no stretched cotton in sight. And, if you added in gorgeous blue eyes and a neatly trimmed beard, you had a walking, talking hunk of a man who could tie another man in knots. But only if both men were gay and wanted to be tied in knots. Which wasn’t part of my plans. Not in the next few years, anyway.

After my brother’s excruciating journey to his happy-ever-after, I was seriously considering staying single.

With that depressing thought in my head, I turned right at the bottom of the stairs and walked along a hallway. The first room I saw was the office. Alex sat behind a wooden desk, focused on his computer.

“Is it okay if I come in?”

He looked up and smiled. “Of course, it is. How about we head to the kitchen? I can explain what I’ve been doing while we grab something to drink.”

“Sounds good to me.” I followed him down the hallway and into the living room. My eyes widened when I saw the large stone fireplace and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Most of my house would sit comfortably in this space. “This is amazing.”

“Wait until you see the kitchen. It’s my favorite room in the house.”

As soon as I stepped through the doorway, I knew why. Even though it was a cold, gray day, the kitchen was warm and welcoming. Three pendant lights glowed above the white marble counter. Paintings in rich shades of red, orange, and gold lined the walls. But best of all was the view. Large windows overlooked the same backyard I’d seen from my bedroom. I could imagine sitting at the large kitchen table, working on Alex’s program.

“How do you work from your office when you have views like this?”

“Most of the time I work from the kitchen. It’s only when things aren’t going to plan that I work in my office. ”

While Alex turned on the coffeepot, I sat on a kitchen stool. “Ryan gave me the background information you provided.”

“What do you think?”

“You’re ambitious and wouldn’t have started the project if you didn’t think it would work.”

Alex leaned against the counter. “There are other electromagnetic protection systems available for things like lightning strikes, but they rely on the manufacturer using expensive composite materials.”

“Like carbon fibers.”

“Exactly. Boeing wants airplanes that give them an edge over their competitors. If their aircraft are less expensive to build, their overhead costs reduce, seats become cheaper, and they make more profit. The aerospace industry also wants cost-effective aircraft that can withstand anything. This software will save companies millions of dollars. They’ll be able to use steel in the body of their aircraft instead of carbon fibers. Even the speed of manufacturing will increase.”

I was impressed when I read Alex’s report. A program like the one he’d created could change the way people live. As well as giving manufacturers more choice, it could be the biggest transformation the steel industry had seen in decades.

“Are the steel manufacturers excited?”

Alex placed a packet of cookies on the counter. “They don’t know anything about it.”

I frowned. “I assumed the main investor in the project would be the steel industry.”

“Not this time. Would you like coffee, hot chocolate, or herbal tea?”

“Coffee, please.” I studied Alex as he moved around the kitchen. I knew a diversion tactic when I heard one. But, to be fair, whoever was behind the project wasn’t my business. “Do you know where your program’s failing?”

Alex opened the refrigerator door. “You don’t sugar-coat the truth, do you?”

“You’re paying Ryan a lot of money for my time. I wouldn’t be here unless you’ve run out of options.”

“Try desperate,” Alex muttered. He filled a cup with coffee and placed it in front of me. “I’ve gone over the coding so many times I could repeat it in my sleep.”

“We’ll go back to the basics. You can show me your design document and any brainstorming notes you’ve kept.”

“They’re waiting for you in my office.”

I chose a cookie and picked up my cup of coffee. “As soon as you’re ready, we’ll get started.” Regardless of Alex’s tight time frame, mine was worse. Ahead of me were two weekends of wedding-inspired madness. Missing even one day of my brother’s schedule wasn’t going to happen.