“Point taken,” Gran said.
“Besides,” Shanna continued, “Jinx is a good boy, and he has plenty of water and food and toys in the pantry—”
“He’s in thepantry?”
“Not the food one!” Shanna struggled with her phone as Jinx jumped around her, his impressively powerful tail trying its best to create a tornado between the boxes of supplies.
“If anyone sees a dog in a restaurant—”
“It’ll be fine, Gran. My shift is over in an hour, and then we’ll find another place to stay. Now, did you call me for something specific?”
“Oh, yes.” Something rustled on Gran’s side. “Like I said, the reading.”
“Hopefully it said I’ll find a better job soon.” Not that she didn’t appreciate being a server; if anything, she admired them for their swiftness and precision. The exact two reasons why she shouldn’t be in this profession.
“Well …”
“Gran!”
“The good news is, one thing will go right tonight.”
Shanna frowned, sedating Jinx by giving him scritches on the lower back—his favorite area. “What’s the bad news?”
“Onlyone thing will go right tonight.”
“O’Connell!”
Shanna froze. Still kneeling, she secured Jinx with one hand and, shutting her eyes, turned slowly. She peeked out of one eye.
Maggie stood a few steps away, legs parted, hands at her hips, the pose of a superhero finally catching the villain.
Shanna firmly held Jinx so he wouldn’t run to Maggie and slobber all over her.
“Shanna?” Gran said on the phone.
Shanna gulped. “I think we found one of the things thatwon’tgo right.”
***
“Which is why with our latest model, Ariose 14A,youcan choose what device you want.” With clear and deliberate movements, Simon unfolded the smartphone, turning the screen tablet-sized. Beyond his limelit spot on the stage, the hotel’s auditorium was cast in shadow, the exclusive invitees to Aries’s conference collectively holding their breath in the dark. Only an occasional camera flashed, creating memories for the future.Oh, the new Ariose model? Yeah, I was there when they unveiled it—Simon Montague himself!that person would boast the next year, showing the pictures to their friends.
“But that’s not all.” Simon folded the phone back into its regular form. “I’ve been showing this bad boy to you for, what, half an hour now? Let’s see how the battery is faring.” The screen behind him changed to a live feed from the phone. Simon opened the camera and turned away from the crowd, laughing along with them as the preview of the selfie he was about to take showed up on the big screen.
“You’ll notice the battery is at eighty-seven percent. Any of you remember what it was at the beginning?” When silence followed, Simon chuckled and looked toward the big screen. “Luckily for you, we have proof.” The screen split to show the current feed next to a screen capture taken half an hour ago, showing the phone battery at eighty-five percent.
A few gasps and murmurs followed.
“That’s right,” Simon said. “While I was actively using it, it didn’t lose power. It gained it. How? Not to spill any secrets—I think the boss wouldn’t be too happy—” The audience laughed as he put a hand to his chest. “But let’s say, much like an average Californian, our phone is also adept at surfing the waves.”
After answering a few more questions, Simon wrangled himself out of the reporters’ grasp, enjoying the embrace of the low-lit hallway as he popped one more button on his shirt.
Everett ran from the side, falling into step with him. “Well done, my boy. As always, you impressed, satisfied, and still left them wanting more.”
“That’s why they’re not so different from an average date.” Simon cast a side glance at his CFO. Unsurprisingly, Everett didn’t crack a smile.
“InTech has been messaging us about the shares.” Everett pulled out his phone. “If you can confirm what we agreed on—”
“No.” Simon cracked his neck to relieve some tension from the presentation. “We’re not buying their stocks yet.”
