by Louise Clark
The house was located on what had once been the extensive farm of Andrew Byrne, a well-to-do and influential landowner prominent during the Revolution, and one of Faith’s ancestors. The nineteenth century equivalent of an in-law suite, the house had been built in 1815 for his widow, Mary Elizabeth, in a wooded area that had been one of Andrew’s favorite places.
The economic and social changes of the twentieth century had forced Faith’s family to sell off Andrew’s land, piece by piece, as Boston grew and the suburbs sprawled away from the center of the city, until all that the family owned was this old dower house and the main house, located more than a mile closer to the centre of Lexington. When Faith was growing up, her grandparents had lived in the old farmhouse while Chloe and her husband and family had lived in the dower house. When Faith’s grandparents died, Chloe and Liz had moved into the old farmhouse, leaving Faith in the dower house.
Faith quickly changed into a t-shirt and light pants that hugged her hips. She often came home tired at the end of the day, but not only had this day been busy, it had been emotionally taxing as well. First there was her argument with Cody Simpson. Then, when Cody Simpson refused to help out, Angela decided she might as well try fixing her computer glitch on her own. She fiddled happily for a while but somehow deleted her printer protocol, making her computer problem worse. At that point Faith decided she couldn’t leave Angela to solve the problem alone. Between them they had found the cause and corrected it, but the cost had been two hours of frustration and a lecture from Ava Taylor when she noticed Faith working on Angela’s computer.
Ava had been good enough to summon Faith to her office for a little ‘chat’, rather than chewing her out in the bullpen, but that small mercy was all she allowed. She reminded Faith that fixing computers was Cody Simpson’s job, not Faith’s. When Faith had tried to explain Cody’s position, Ava looked at her in a no-nonsense way and said simply that Faith must find a way to work with Cody.
With a sigh Faith headed down the stairs, on her way to the kitchen. She loved her job, really she did, but there were times when she felt she would never really fit in. Sooner or later Ava would notice that Faith wasn’t quite right for NIT’s new corporate culture, that she was a little odd. Then her job would be in jeopardy and the normal life she was trying to build would collapse around her.
To ensure this didn’t happen Faith worked hard at being the best she could be. There were days, like today, when the strain took its toll. That was why she loved this old house. It was the place she felt free to be herself.
It was also the bond that tied her to her eccentric and often annoying family.
In the kitchen she crossed the tiled floor to the fridge, which stood on one side of the big room. Opening the door, she took out a bottle of spring water. She took a swig, then held the cold plastic against her flushed cheek. What was she going to do about Cody Simpson? The man was as impossible as he was gorgeous. He wasn’t going to rush down if she called, the way Sue Green did. He probably wouldn’t come down at all, making her do all the computer fixes. Yet if she spent the next six weeks being the company computer troubleshooter she’d never get anything done.
Look at today. The two hours she’d spent at Angela’s computer had snowballed, so that she ended up getting behind on her to-do list. That meant she had to stay more than an hour after everyone else had left for the weekend. Worse, it hadn’t been enough to sort through all of the work that had piled up. Now she was dog tired and wanted to do nothing more than to have a quick dinner, then sit in front of the TV for an hour or so before she crawled into bed.
She was contemplating a can of tomato soup and mentally cursing Cody Simpson when the telephone rang. She eyed it warily. She didn’t really feel like talking, but if it was her mother, back from Washington, and if she didn’t answer then Chloe would come over to check up on her. In some ways her mother hadn’t figured out that her baby, Faith, was all grown up. “Hello?”
“Hey sis, it’s me.”
Her sister. Great. When Elizabeth called it wasn’t just to talk about the weather. No, she probably had an emotional storm that needed calming and she wanted big sister Faith to do it. Usually Faith let her vent, then helped Elizabeth put the problem in perspective. She loved her sister, but tonight she didn’t have the strength to deal with someone else’s problems. “Hi. What’s up?”
“I’ve had the most fabulous day, Faith! It’s been a blast. Let’s party tonight!”
Faith almost groaned. Attending a rave or doing the singles bar scene with her sister required even more energy than dealing with her emotional hurricanes. “Not a hope, Liz. I’ve had a dreadful day and I’m drained. I’d be no fun. Besides, it’s Friday.”
“Yeah. The best night to go out.” There was a momentary pause over the telephone line. “Oh. I forgot. Well, we could have supper and leave about ten. How’s that sound?”
“I’ll be in bed by ten. Liz, I’ve got a work problem I’ve got to sort through. You should find someone else to go out with.”
“A work problem? You mean an honest to goodness real world issue that has to do with people from here and now? Am I hearing you right?”
Oh no, no, no! Faith ran the cold bottle across her forehead then took another swig. “Yes,” she said weakly.
“I am there, sister!” Elizabeth said, enthusiasm cascading from her voice. “Put on some pasta, toss a salad and prepare for your very own think tank session. Your real world expert is on her way!”
The phone line went dead. Faith held the handset in front of her while she slowly sipped water and absorbed the fact that her easy tomato soup had been replaced by pasta and salad and that her early night sounded like it was going to be a marathon chat session.
Finally she came to a decision. Forget pasta and salad. She’d order in. And not the pizza that Elizabeth liked. They’d have Thai—spicy Thai made with scotch bonnet peppers that burned the sinuses and made you sweat. If her sister was going to lecture her on how to survive in the real world she might as well enjoy herself.
“How can you eat this stuff?” Elizabeth fanned herself with her hand. Her usually peach-toned skin was flushed pink and her green, almond-shaped eyes were watering.
Faith grinned at her and savored another forkful. “I like it spicy.”
Still fanning herself, Elizabeth shot her sister a dark look. “Spicy? This is an inferno!”
Faith sipped wine and willed herself not to show any reaction. The hot peppers were burning a hole in the back of her throat too, but she wouldn’t admit it. Though she loved her sister dearly, their choice of food was only one of the many things on which they disagreed and competed. “You were saying on the phone that you’d had a great day. What happened?”
Elizabeth abandoned the fanning motion, then ate some jasmine rice before she tried another nibble of the exotic Thai dish before her. “Do you remember the paper I’ve been working on all semester?”
Faith nodded. Elizabeth was a graduate student in evolutionary biology at Harvard, where their mother taught American history. Unlike Faith, who had decided to go into business, Elizabeth was headed for a career as an academic, much to her parents’ satisfaction.
“Well, my professor suggested I submit it to the annual dinosaur conference. I didn’t think that it had a hope of being accepted—my research is still in the early stages, after all—but today I found out it was chosen as a poster paper! The presentation will be in New York in October. I am so excited!”
Faith was genuinely pleased for her sister. Though they were competitors by choice, they were sisters by blood and in the end they stuck together. “What fabulous news! No wonder you said you’d had a great day.”
They talked about what the opportunity might do for Elizabeth’s career, the direction she wanted to focus on, and the professors she’d like to study under. The food in the containers diminished and the contents of the wine bottle evaporated. Laughter echoed throughout the old house and for Faith the joy of the evening cast a wa
rm glow over the gloom of her day.
When Faith was putting on a pot of coffee, Elizabeth said, “Okay, enough of my news. Let’s hear what’s up with you.”
Faith thought about glossing over her problem with Cody Simpson. She didn’t really want to ruin her mellow mood by talking about him. But Elizabeth might be hurt if she refused to confide, so she left the coffee to drip into the pot and went back to the table.
“Well?” Elizabeth prompted when Faith started clearing up.
Faith stuffed one empty take-out container into another with rather more force than was necessary. “It’s Cody Simpson.”
“Who’s he? I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned him before.”
“I haven’t. Cody is a mathematician and software engineer. We don’t interact much. Usually I deal with Sue Green if I have any computer problems. But Sue was in a car accident, so now I’m supposed to go to Cody for help.”
“So?”
“So Cody Simpson is a jerk who is impossible to work with!”
The coffee finished brewing. Elizabeth stood up to get them both a cup. Faith finished clearing the table.
“Let’s go into the living room,” Liz said.
When Faith nodded Liz poured the coffee into a thermos, which she loaded onto a tray along with cream, sugar and spoons. While she carried that, Faith brought the coffee cups. Together they trailed down the hall into the spacious living room.
Like the other rooms in the house, this one was perfectly proportioned. Adorned with gleaming hardwood floors and a coffered ceiling made of real plasterwork, the room boasted a fireplace with a pink marble skirt and a white-painted mantle held up by Corinthian columns. Velvet draperies covered the large windows, lending a cozy warmth to the furniture that sat around the elegant fireplace. Chosen for comfort rather than style, there was a large, mushroom backed sofa and loveseat, a recliner and an old-fashioned wing chair.
“So what makes Cody Simpson so difficult?” Liz asked as she placed the tray on the rectangular coffee table set between the fireplace and the furniture.
Faith sank onto the sofa and watched her sister pour the coffee. “What do you mean?”
“He’s really got you in a lather, Faith. So what makes this guy so annoying?”
“He won’t do what I want him to.”
Elizabeth began to laugh. “Is that all?” She handed a mug to Faith before she settled onto the ample recliner. “Welcome to the real world, sis.”
Faith bristled. She couldn’t help it. There was far too much snap in her voice when she said, “Cut it out, Lizzy. This has nothing to do with the real world and everything to do with a pampered geek who has never had anyone tell him he can’t!”
Elizabeth did stop laughing, but her eyes were still brimming with amusement as she said, “Wow, this guy really has gotten to you, hasn’t he? Now why would that be?” She tapped her chin, pretending to ponder deeply. “Aha, I’ve got it! You don’t like his glasses!”
“Who said he wore glasses? Actually, he has gorgeous blue eyes with thick black lashes,” Faith said before she could stop to think.
Her sister’s eyes opened wide and she sat up straight. “Faith, are you attracted to this guy? Is that what this is all about?”
“No, I am not and it is not,” Faith said crossly. She wrapped her hands around her mug, seeking warmth, seeking comfort. “Honestly, Liz, give it up! My problem with Cody Simpson is that I’m supposed to be delegating work in his specialty to him and he’s supposed to be doing it. Instead, he’s not and I am. And because I am and he isn’t, I’m getting into trouble with Ava Taylor.”
“I should have known Ava the Tyrant Lizard was involved somehow.” Elizabeth put her mug on the coffee table then slapped her hands down on her knees. “That woman plays you like a trumpet, Faith. She blows and you honk.”
Faith thought, rather uncomfortably, that Elizabeth might just be right, but she couldn’t let her know it. “I do not!”
“Oh, did I misunderstand? Was it you who fixed the computer problem today, not Cody Simpson?” Faith nodded. “And did Ava chew you out for fixing the machine?” Faith nodded again. “So whom should Ava have been chewing out? You or Cody Simpson?”
Faith sighed. “It’s not that simple, Liz.”
“What isn’t simple? He didn’t do his job, forcing you to cover for him. Who is at fault here?”
“I am. It’s my job to get the best out of the employees. I’m supposed to motivate and direct them. I didn’t do that with Cody Simpson.”
“Does Cody Simpson report to you?”
“No.”
“What is his job title then?”
Faith sipped her coffee and took a long time answering. She could see where Liz was heading and she wasn’t sure she wanted to go there. Finally she said with a sigh, “He’s director of network systems.”
Elizabeth dove in for the kill. “Sounds pretty impressive. I’ll bet he’s even above you in the company hierarchy.”
Faith sipped her coffee, giving herself time. “The company doesn’t believe in rigid management structures. The NIT philosophy focuses on teamwork. Each member of the team has equal weight and merit.”
“Sounds like something Ava the Tyrant Lizard would say. When push comes to shove, who makes decisions? The mail clerk or the CEO?”
A little desperately Faith said, “The mail clerk is empowered to take responsibility for his own area, within the limits of his job description—”
Elizabeth pounced. “My point exactly! Cody Simpson is not taking responsibility for his own area! He’s refusing to cooperate with the rest of the team so he is the one at fault, not you! I rest my case.”
She sat back looking so smug that Faith had to laugh. “The longer you go to university the harder it is to win an argument with you. You may be right. Cody Simpson could be the one at fault, not me. But the reality is that Cody Simpson is brilliant. He’s important to NIT. Cody Simpson, the individual, would be difficult to replace. Faith Hamilton, on the other hand, is one part of a team. If I go, the team covers for me until someone replaces me. And I can be easily replaced. So Cody Simpson has to be coaxed into doing stuff he doesn’t want to, while I…” She broke off, lifted her mug with careful deliberation, took a sip, savored the flavor. “I am expendable.”
Elizabeth captured her sister’s free hand. “Sweetie, you are unique, way more than Cody Simpson is. If the people in your stupid company had any idea of your abilities—”
“They’d run screaming from the building.” Faith gave Elizabeth’s hand a squeeze. “Thanks for your support, Lizzy, but I don’t want anyone at NIT to know about my special…talent.”
Sighing, Elizabeth said, “You don’t know how lucky you are, Faith. I would love to be able to do just a tiny bit of what you do.”
Faith ran her finger over the rim of the coffee mug. “Liz, I want to be able to succeed in the real world. I don’t like making mistakes—”
“Mistakes are one thing, Faith. What happened today is another!”
Faith held up her hand. “Perhaps getting chewed out by a superior doesn’t matter to you, Liz. You’re normal. You see the world differently than I do.”
Elizabeth’s expression tightened. Regret, anger, and not a little jealousy lurked in her eyes and added an edge to her voice. “I know that.”
Faith softened. “Yes, I know you do. Look, let’s just leave it at that. I’ve got to figure out some way to make Cody Simpson work with me. A way that doesn’t make waves…” In the hallway a grandfather clocked bonged out the hour. “…but gets the job done.” After the ninth resounding tone, Faith looked at her sister and frowned. “It’s nine o’clock. Uncle Andrew’s late tonight.”
“You’re right. He’s usually been and gone by now. I wonder what’s up?”
“Well, at least we know he hasn’t been in an accident on the interstate,” Faith said lightly. “He’s due to get married this year and he’ll be survived by three children. Whatever is keeping him is just a minor pro
blem.”
“Like Cody Simpson!” Elizabeth said, pouncing on Faith’s last comment.
Faith made an unladylike sound. “Will you give it up, Elizabeth? I get the picture.”
“Well, you don’t or you wouldn’t be stressing about this guy.”
Faith leaned over to refill her cup. While she was pouring she heard Elizabeth say, “Hey, Andrew! What’s up, man?”
“Speak of the devil,” Faith said, turning. “We were just talking about you, Uncle Andrew. What kept you?”
Chapter 4
Uncle Andrew dropped the leather satchel he was carrying onto the floor. Then he sauntered over to the sofa and sank into it like a man familiar with his surroundings and comfortable in them. “Is that coffee you’re drinking, lass?” he said. When Faith nodded, he added, “Why then, I’ll have a cup, if you would be so kind.”
“I’m on it,” Liz said, as she headed out of the room.
Andrew laid his head on the back of the sofa. With a little sigh, he closed his eyes.
Faith settled one leg up onto the cushions, tucking her foot under her knee as she leaned against the back of the sofa. She propped her cheek on her hand and observed her relative. He looked tired.
He also looked dirty. Come to think of it, he smelled a little ripe.
Andrew was a fastidious man. That was why he came to her house once a week to use her shower, the fine soap, and the special shampoo, not to mention the electric razor she’d bought for him. He regularly dropped his suits to be dry cleaned, much to the fascination of Faith’s cleaners, but she drew the line at doing his laundry.