6. Saber

Chapter 6

Saber

I hated leaving Frederick alone, but it was clear he needed some space. I think I did too.

I picked up a burrito bowl on my way home and then got back online. I wanted to keep working on the interface because Freddy was right at it all being a mess. It was clear that fixes had been jumbled together by several different people. There was hidden and unnecessary code all over the place. This was the kind of challenge I enjoyed most. I wanted to have something to show Frederick in the morning.

Before I was completely entrenched in my work, I checked my personal email and saw that one of my buddies from the Lactin Brotherhood had posted on his social media about being laid off and looking for a job.

I sent Nate a quick text to ask what he was looking for and to let him know that I just started working at Floom in case he saw anything interesting on their job site.

My phone rang almost instantly. “Hey, Sabe. How’s it going?”

“Great. But I’m sorry to hear that you’re job hunting again.”

“Thanks, but it’s all good. I actually have an interview set up with Floom next week. It’s for a sales position. Do you know anyone on that team?”

“No, but I’ll ask my boss if he does. Today was my first day, and I am working on BillForce, so I don’t think I’ll interact with any sales people for a while.”

“BillForce, huh? That’s the product used by small healthcare practices, right? Doctors, dentists, med spas. Stuff like that.”

“Yeah, I think that’s mostly where it’s deployed right now. Small offices that don’t have a big budget and just need software that works. Unfortunately, that also means they don’t upgrade regularly, and it’s not as lucrative. So we don’t get many resources within the company, but we’re holding on.”

“Ya know, I hadn’t thought about it earlier, but my entire client list from Axer Time would probably be interested in BillForce. They’re mostly startups that struggle to get billing and merchant accounts set up because it’s so expensive. You might be able to tap into a whole new audience.”

“Yeah, that would be awesome. The tool is solid. Somewhat basic right now, but it definitely works. The customers we have seem to love it and are always asking for upgrades, but it hasn’t been prioritized by corporate. Frederick, my boss, has been single-handedly keeping it afloat, but I think between me and him, we can actually make it into something decent. You know I love a challenge.”

He laughed. “No, actually, I don’t know that. Everything you ever want lands in your lap. Literally. I’ve never seen you have to work hard for anything, so I can’t really picture you wanting this bad enough to risk disappointment…but I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks. And yeah, you’re right. But this might just be worth taking some risks for.”

“I hope so, man. Hell, maybe I need to pitch myself as a BillForce expert in my interview.”

“Definitely. I can talk to my uncle and maybe get your interview moved up or prioritized. He’s eager to bring in good people, regardless of where they start. He pretty much told me to just start with BillForce, and if things don’t work out, I can choose my own path with a different product line.”

“Sweet.” He hummed for a moment. “How about you and I meet with your boss and see what he thinks before you talk to your uncle. I don’t want to come across as too aggressive if it’s out of line with what the company wants to focus on.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Maybe lunch tomorrow?”

“Let me check.” Nate was quiet for a moment, but then he came back and clicked his tongue into the phone. “I’ve got a call with a headhunter that might run into lunchtime, so what about dinner? Your treat.”

I chuckled and agreed for both of us. “Yeah, okay. I’ll confirm with Frederick in the morning, and if that works for him, let’s plan on six o’clock. Romano’s?”

“Love the carbs and dairy. It’s a date.” He laughed to himself. “A thruple date.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I’ll text in the morning to confirm. Talk to you then.”

When I got off the phone, I decided to do a bit of research on Frederick. He’d been with Floom for a while, but there wasn’t a whole lot about him beyond a few brief quotes on blog posts or data sheets.

Searching social media didn’t give me any better info either.

That meant I had to get to know him the old-fashioned way. Actual interaction. Again, I loved a challenge. At least, I kept telling myself that. Only time would tell whether or not that was actually true.