That was one more fairy tale that didn’t hold up to reality.
Julie rubbed her eyes. She was behind the curve and no amount of reading or studying was going to fix that. This was just like high school P.E. She was the weak link in the team. The one who dragged everyone down. The one who everyone had to compensate for by working harder if they wanted to win.
She didn’t want to be a decoy anymore. What if she failed again? Julie shuddered at the thought. If that happened, she would go back to her cubicle and never leave.
But Eric said she had skills. He wouldn’t lie about something like that. He had been sweet in his blunt and gruff way, she thought with a faint smile. She liked seeing that side of him and she had a feeling he didn’t show it too often.
A movement in the mirror caught her attention. The reflection showed familiar shades of platinum-blond and can’t-be-natural red. She groaned and fought the urge to bang her head against the bathroom stall door. No way Kick-Ass Julie could have competed with that. She didn’t care what Eric said. Big breasts trumped observation skills every time.
She was about to step away from the door and wait until the women left when she saw Blondie whip out a thin black cord from her teeny-tiny purse. Julie frowned and looked closer. Was this some new makeup tip she needed to know about? She could use all the help she could get.
Julie dismissed the possible makeup tutorial when Blondie plugged the cord into her cell phone. She then connected a USB stick onto the other side of the cord.
“I forgot my cord,” Red said as she looked through her long rectangle clutch. “I need to use yours when you’re done.”
Blondie huffed irritably. “How the hell could you forget something like that?”
Red shrugged and the glitter coating her skin reflected in the mirror like diamonds. “It must be in the purse I used last night.”
“The cord is the one thing you need. I’ll loan you mine but this is the last time.”
What was going on? Julie pressed her face against the door and watched the two women. They didn’t look like students or women who worked for a living. So what was the urgency of backing up some files? And why would they do it in the bathroom of a nightclub?
“I’m done. Hold on.” Blondie unplugged the USB stick and Julie heard the unmistakable sound of jangling keys. She squinted to get a look at the key ring. She couldn’t see anything until Blondie grabbed the keys in her hand as she gave the cord to Red.
There was an action figure on that key ring. Julie drew back in surprise. It looked just like Kick-Ass Julie. It was the same action figure that had been on Lloyd’s shirt.
It didn’t make sense. Blondie was the kind of woman who would have Swarovski crystals on her key ring. Maybe Hello Kitty if she was feeling playful. But the charm would have to be encrusted with diamonds to meet Blondie’s expectations.
“Hurry up,” Blondie said impatiently.
“There’s only so much I can do,” Red said, tapping her sling-back pump on the tile floor. “I swear all the gigabytes are full on this thing.”
Julie’s eyebrows rose. It sounded weird hearing the word gigabytes coming out of a mouth covered in frosted pink lip gloss.
Blondie turned to the mirror and fluffed her hair with her fingers. “If they realize they don’t have their keys…”
“It’s going to be fine.”
Oh, my God. Were they downloading the guys’ information from their USB sticks? Julie pressed her face closer and tried to get a glimpse of the key ring Red held. She couldn’t see it because Red had her back turned to her.
“Done.” Red ripped out the cord and gave it to her friend. “Now I’m with the one wearing the white shirt, right?”
“Tell me you’re joking,” Blondie said as she stuffed the cord in her minuscule purse. “You’ve been slithering all over the guy for most of the night and you don’t remember which one you have?”
“What can I say? All geeks look alike,” Red replied as they walked toward the door. “Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if we accidentally switched keys?”
“Don’t even try it.”
Julie waited a few moments until she was certain the women had left the bathroom before she unlatched the door. So that was why Blondie and Red were all over Lloyd’s friends. It was as if a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.
At first she thought they were looking for rich guys. They were hunting for someone who could buy them expensive drinks and maybe a fancy meal. It was a common myth in the Seattle area that all computer programmers were multimillionaires.