“Yeah,” the remaining kids cheered.
Bubbles versus a machine.
And what was my arsenal to cool the situation off? My brother? This turkey?
The black button eyes reflected me in their glossy sheen.
That’s right: I had me. I squeezed the turkey, then set it on the shelf. Even if I did have to leave my job, I wasn’t going to let that customer disrespect the next tech. I’d handle it myself.
3
Debug
I ignored the curious drone pilot and marched through the field of bubbles to True Tech.
My manager grabbed a bag for her current customer and narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, we’ll talk when you’re finished.” I yanked the landline phone out of its holster and dialed the customer. My heart pounded with resolve. Even if my hands shook, it was because of adrenaline. Not fear. No more fear.
He picked up on the second ring, his voice clogged. “Hello?”
Pretend you’re an automated alert.
“Hello, Andre. Your computer is ready for pickup at True Tech," I said.
“I’ll be right there," he said.
I hung up without bothering with a goodbye. Time was of the essence. I put all his stuff together, then locked eyes with Ash.
She strolled over and propped her tablet on her hip. “So, what was that all about?”
“I’ll be happy to discuss the drone incident later, but first, I request you to stay close for when I hand off to this next customer. He was pushing for my personal information, and I think he’d behave better if I had backup.”
“Gross.” She scowled. “Sorry you had to deal with that. Is that why you left?”
“Kind of.” One creep was just the tip of the iceberg. I tugged my cap. “He’s coming in now.”
The customer shuffled through the glass doors, hunched over in his black, double-breasted linen winter coat. His gaze flicked from me to my manager, and he paled. “Hello, I’m here to collect my laptop.”
Ash flipped her bangs aside and pulled up his ticket on her tablet. “Great. We’ll just get your information–”
“She knows it.” He jerked his chin at me.
I pushed his laptop across the ledge. “We deleted the harmful files. In the future, we recommend you only download from authorized websites and game mods.”
He snorted and leaned on the ledge, his breath still rank from alcohol as he eyed the two of us. “I guess I can’t have any fun. Just like my ex wanted.”
Ugh.If anything, he had too much ‘fun’ and not enough common sense. I crossed my arms. “At least it functions again.”
“Oh, it functions,” he said, shifting his legs.
I recoiled. He better have been talking about the laptop.
Ash tapped her tablet. “Sign here, then you can leave.”
He arched his brow. “I was dealing with her.”
“And now you’re dealing with me.” She didn’t fully smile, just squinted, her eyes lined on the bottom like an androgynous knight.
