hurt because Vicky didn’t know what she was doing on tech matters. Ramón was more like an older brother than a boss to Dawn.
An image of Leland’s sharp, intelligent face flashed across her mind. She’d been thinking about him a lot, all because of a few emails. Those had ended a week ago and she still missed them.
So maybe this was her chance to connect with him again.
If just one more person mentioned the data usage to her, she would take it as a sign that she should offer Leland’s services to Ramón one more time.
She nearly danced a jig when her very next client turned off his phone because his data usage was blowing up his limited plan.
As soon as she finished with her session, she went in search of her boss. She found Ramón and Vicky in their shared office, which suited her just fine. Ramón worried more about keeping the customers happy while Vicky’s eyes were firmly on the bottom line.
“What’s up?” he asked, waving Dawn in. Vicky ignored her and tapped at her keyboard, her long, flashy fingernails clicking against the plastic.
“I’ve gotten some customer complaints about high data usage on their cell phones when they’re here.” She decided not to reference the earlier Wi-Fi problems. No point in rubbing Vicky’s nose in it. “It happens even when their phones are connected to our Wi-Fi. I thought you might want to know about it.”
Ramón glanced at his wife. “Querida, we’re having internet problems again.”
“Yeah, I heard about that,” Vicky said, still focused on her computer. “It’s not a big deal. Most people have unlimited data plans anyway.”
“Vick,” Ramón said. “If people are complaining, we need to fix it.”
That’s why it was good to have Ramón present for the conversation.
Vicky stopped typing and gave Dawn an irritated look before she smiled at Ramón. “Ray, sweetie, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
“Good.” Ramón nodded to Dawn. “Thanks for letting us know.”
Dawn walked back to the staff room unsatisfied. Vicky seemed dismissive but Ramón was now involved. That might get his wife to address the issue. Or she might drag her feet like she’d done with the Wi-Fi problem. It left Dawn with a dilemma, though. She’d asked Leland for his assistance previously, and then Ramón had turned it down. She didn’t want to be in that awkward position again.
After her last client, Dawn walked home and showered before dropping onto the sectional in her living room and flipping open her laptop. Could she justify contacting Leland or not?
She wrote and deleted four versions before she decided to send the fifth one.
Dear Leland,
We’ve got a new problem at the gym. The Wi-Fi is working fine but now people are complaining that their cell phone data usage is high, even though they are connected to the gym’s Wi-Fi. Any theories about that?
Regards,
Dawn
She had no idea if he would still be working at nine o’clock on a Tuesday, so she pointed the remote at the television in search of a light, fluffy rom-com. Her taste in programming surprised her friends, but she couldn’t deal with violence or shocks when she wanted to relax. No sooner had she gotten the menu up than an email appeared in her in-box.
An involuntary smile curled her lips, and she wiggled her butt to settle into the cushions so she could enjoy Leland’s message.
Aha! The nefarious data gobbler strikes again! I have theories but they will require proof. I think I need to join your gym.
L.
A shiver of excitement ran through her. Leland Rockwell wanted to join her local Jersey gym. But she hadn’t asked for his help, just his theory. Maybe he had misunderstood. She didn’t want to be embarrassed by turning down his high-level assistance for the second time.
My boss’s wife is supposed to be working on the problem. I was just curious as to what you thought might be causing it.
She hated to hit “send” but she pressed the key.
I’ll work undercover because I’m intrigued by the strange goings-on in Cofferwood. Does the gym have a pool, by any chance?
Excitement turned to intense anticipation. She would see him in person, not just email the man behind the computer screens.
Actually, it has a half Olympic-size pool because it used to be a college gym. Are you a swimmer?
That would explain how nicely he filled out his nerdy T-shirts.
I swim when I need to think. My membership application will be sent in by morning. Do you have any training time slots open this week?