Fynn kind of liked Stone’s voice, although he wasn’t about to admit it. “Do you know what I do?”
“I think everyone’s heard of the ’CadoBox,” Stone said. “My sister demanded one for Christmas.”
“Does she like it? Use it?” Fynn was always interested in how his invention worked in the field. “Which model did she get?”
“Um, I’m not sure? The cover was green. It cost about a hundred and thirty bucks.”
“The basic model, then.” Fynn made a mental note that the basic was still selling. Economics perhaps, since even one-thirty wasn’t cheap. Micah had insisted from the start that they not underprice the product. The sensors, electronics, and manufacturing only cost about twenty-three dollars but Micah said the market would bear a much higher price and he’d turned out to be right. The newer versions, in fancy colors with sensor lights and a smaller footprint, went for even more. “Does she use it?”
“Oh yes. She says it’s a minor miracle. Stick an avocado in the chamber, close the lid, thirty seconds later it tells her how close the avocado is to being ripe.” Stone chuckled. “Do you get angry letters from avocado growers? They probably sell half as many, now folks aren’t throwing out every other one for missing the miraculous window of ripeness.”
Micah said, “We convinced them folks would buy more avocados if they could be sure they weren’t wasting their money. So in the end, demand should balance out.”
“Did she think the ’CadoBox was too expensive?” Fynn was still embarrassed by how much profit there was in each one. “It wasn’t my idea… People shouldn’t feel ripped off.”
“No, don’t worry.” Fynn was probably projecting, imagining Stone’s voice sounded kind. “I bought it for her and she likes being indulged, plus one-thirty was cheap for something that gets me her homemade guacamole every time I go over.”
“Oh. Well, that’s okay.” Fynn locked his hands behind him and rocked on his heels, in the echo of departing stress. “Good.”
“You were talking about your new project,” Micah reminded him.
“Right. Not the PearBox extension yet.” He’d started working with Bartlett pears but sadly, it was clear he’d be as sick of pears as he was of plain avocados long before the work was done. He still loved guacamole, fortunately, but there were fewer things you could do with pears to dress up the flavor. Pear tart, maybe, although too much sugar did bad things to his brain functioning. Pears poached in rum? He wasn’t a fan of rum—
“New project?” Impatience tinged Micah’s tone.
Fynn blinked. “Yes. An advanced ’CadoBox. This one lets you load up a bunch of avocados in the keeper, and after twenty-four hours of calibration, it tells you exactly when each one will be ripe, a day, two days, four days, or a week or whatever later. Plus temperature and moisture adjustments to speed or slow ripening. I thought we’d call it the ’CadoPlanner.”
“Hmm.” Fynn could almost see the wheels spinning in Micah’s head.
“We could do an industrial size for restaurants too; really reduce waste.”
“Get me the design specs,” Micah said. “I’ll get the manufacturing planners working on a cost estimate.”
“As soon as the last revision is done. I’m still fine-tuning the ripening curve parameters.” He’d tried to narrow down the relevant outgassing to fewer compounds, but the complete array was required for accurate predictions. “Oh, and I’m working on a portable tester. One a customer could take to the store, and scan the fruit on display, to pick which to buy. The design’s challenging from a size and contact standpoint.” Stores didn’t want people putting bruisable fruit in and out of boxes and then back on the shelf. “It uses different sensor technology.”
“Fine. Keep up the good work.” Micah almost clapped Fynn on the shoulder before aborting the gesture Fynn hated. “I’ll be off, then. Squash night. Gotta stay fit.” He tapped his flattish stomach which looked less impressive next to the ripped abs revealed by Stone’s snug T-shirt. “Stone, you keep my brother safe, you and your team. The plans we discussed sound appropriate. Report back to me.” He strode off down the hall.
Fynn stared after him.Plans we discussed. Report to me. What am I, some kind of pricey luggage?When their parents died, he’d been unwanted baggage for Micah, only twenty-four at the time to his own no doubt annoying fourteen. Now he was perhapswantedbaggage, but the change didn’t strike him as a big improvement. Perhaps it was better to be a Louis Vuitton than a ripped backpack, but both werethingsto be kept around when useful and stashed in a closet when not, even if the Louis Vuitton got a more luxurious shelf instead of the jumble in the bottom with the old shoes. “I’m sick of being stuffed in a closet.”
“Um.” Stone eyed him uncertainly. “Your brother said you were gay. He didn’t mention being in the closet. Is your sexuality included under the nondisclosure, because I thought I’d read in Forbes—?”
“Not that kind of closet.” Fynn shrugged off the question. He was used to no one understanding him.
“If it helps any, I’m gay too,” Stone said.
Helps?Fynn stopped short, his orderly thoughts thrown into a jumbling rockpile by that piece of information.He’s gay.All that yummy muscle and square jaw and neat beard and big thighs, which Fynn could now admit he’d noticed.
Not that it matters. I’m no doubt as far from his type as the man in the moon.Though at least maybe Stone wouldn’t get mad if he noticed Fynn drooling over the eye candy, especially since there wasn’t much Fynn could’ve done if a guy Stone’s size did take offense. Physically, at least. Maybe legally? “There’s probably something in your contract about not beating up the guy you’re protecting, huh?”
“Beating up?” Stone blinked. “I promise, none of my people are homophobes. They wouldn’t work for me if they weren’t totally comfortable with taking orders from a gay man.”
“Ah. That’s comforting.”
“What are your plans right now? I’ll try to stay out of your way whenever you’re in a safe location. My best man is checking building security, and I’ll have a report for you tomorrow.”
“For me? You mean, for Micah, right?”
“He signed the contract, but I assumed you’d want to be kept in the loop.”
