And just for the record, I didn’t even think about having a drink during the whole week. I did have beer in the fridge, but I only touched those when I had company over. Danielle was quite happy to hear that. The entire week, the rest of the family didn’t even try to contact me once.
On Monday, I bought a box of chocolates and went into Bill’s office to present them to him. He looked at them with a stoic face, before looking me dead in the eyes.
“I’m charmed, Kid. But you know I’m happily married.” he said dryly.
“They’re for your wife!”
“Well, I can ask her, but I think you’re a little young for her. She’d eat you up, Kid.” His eyebrows had ridden up his forehead, but I could see he was trying hard to suppress his laughter when seeing my reaction.
“Are you serious!? I wanted to thank her for gathering all those photos of me and Tess. I read online that this would be appropriate and...” I replied, desperate to explain myself.
“Relax, Kid!” he interrupted me, now visibly amused about how easily he got me rattled. “I’m just messing with you. She’ll love them.”
“Well ... Alright. I also wanted to ask for a favor.”
“What do you need?”
“I told the family I’d get a surveillance system for their and John’s house. I’ll pay for it! But I really don’t wanna install them myself. Could you send someone else?”
“There a professional reason for it or something private?”
“Private.” I replied after a short moment of hesitation.
“Alright.” he said, immediately accepting my request. “But only you and Chris are already familiar with the new system, and Chris is accompanying me today. If I send him to your house, you’ll have to switch with him.”
“That won’t be a problem, Boss. What kind of client? Do I need to go and get changed?”
“Yeah. You’ll probably need to go shopping, actually. Suit. Nothing fancy or too expensive, but this is a high profile client, and your current suit doesn’t sit right with the growth rate you’re displaying. Can you take care of it before this afternoon?”
“I think so. I’ll go right now and call you in about an hour?”
He agreed and I grabbed a handful of money from the safe before I jumped into my Jeep. The surveillance system for the houses had been plaguing me for the whole weekend. I had totally forgotten about it while I was engrossed in the renovation and decorations, but now that it was done, it weighed heavily on me. Whenever I thought about going back and meeting them again, I got this weird feeling in my gut that borderlined on nausea, and my mood dropped significantly. I really didn’t want to meet with them just yet.
I drove to the same shop Tess had shown me a year ago, hoping I won’t pick something ridiculous without her help. But it turned out that slim fit suits were still readily available and the tailor could make the adjustments in two hours, since he only had to slim the waists in the jackets and vests. I confirmed with Bill and, around Two PM, made my way back to the office armed with my laptop.
“So, where to, Boss?” I asked Bill.
“You’ll drive with Paul.” he answered, handing me the keys for one of the armored SUVs I hadn’t got to drive since he helped me with my license, and one of the surface tablets we used so the clients could see how professional we looked. “He’ll fill you in on the way. Just follow us.”
It was a half hour drive until we arrived in Memorial Village at around three PM. We parked in front of a house that looked like it would easily cost two or three million dollars if I wanted to buy it. I hated properties like those. The owners always insisted on installing IoT-shit, like door locks that automatically disengaged when the homeowner’s mobile connected via Bluetooth or, even worse, to the WiFi. Or Amazon’s Ring doorbells, even after those were big in the news for being hacked and turned into publicly accessible cameras. All that stuff was basically made to give comfort while only providing the illusion of security, and explaining that to the clients was always a massive pain in the ass. Even the old anecdote about the neighbor screaming at Alexa to open the garage door, so he could borrow some tools, rarely helped.
The client was a Mr. Miller, the husband of a former model turned ‘actress’. They were scared about a stalker that had already attempted to get into the building, but still couldn’t be identified. They both had seen him but weren’t successful in putting a name to the face. Maybe, I thought, this would make the discussion about actual security easier.
While Bill and his second in command rang the doorbell, Paul and I had already started walking around the perimeter with our tablets to work out the best angles for the new cameras, flood lights, and how to lay out the cable work. Then we joined Bill, and I had to instantly reassess my opinion of the woman who called us.
