Blair
hen are you going to find out?” I ask. “If the baby’s a boy or a girl?”
“In about two weeks,” Layne replies. “We have a visit scheduled for the 28th.”
“We? Matthew’s going to be around?”
“He will. He’ll be back from the oil field by then.”
“Nice,” I say and once again press my ear to her protruding belly. Suddenly, there is a slight
movement against her skin and I scream.
“‘Blair!” Layne looks startled.
“‘They just moved. I mean he—or she.”
“Yeah,” my sister laughs. “They, or he or she moves from time to time.
“Oh, my God,” I squeal again.
She shakes her head and moves my hands away from her stomach. “I’m not having twins,” she says.
“I know.” I laugh. “I just lost it for a moment there. Oh, my God. I can’t wait to be an aunt.” My heart
is racing in my chest.
“Well, I’m scared out of my mind,” she says as she heads over to the refrigerator to retrieve a carton
of milk.
“Don’t be.” My voice softens at the worry in her tone. “You’re going to be fine. Everything is going to
be fine.”
She sighs as she opens the carton, her face away from me. “Yeah, but I’m scared of handling it alone.”
I return to my seat on one of the stools in the corner. “What do you mean alone? You have Matthew
and you have me.”
“I have Matthew but Matthew’s not always here. And neither are you. You’re just in to visit for the
weekend.”
My lips part to speak but I have nothing to say, so I give it all some thought. “Well, I could move. It’s
not like I have anything holding me back in Texas. I just graduated, so all I’m doing now is looking for
a job. And to be honest, I’d rather search for one here where I can be close to you than somewhere
else random.”
She turns to me, her eyes sparkling at my words even though she tries not to show it. “Are you
serious? Would you have any prospects here in Denver?”
“Layne, I have a degree in computer science. I think I’ll have a pretty good chance wherever I go.”
She thinks on the idea for a moment and then turns away. She pours herself some milk, and then downs
it all at once. “No,” she says as she wipes the corners of her mouth.
I’m not surprised at her response. I know exactly why she’s refusing my idea, and it warms my heart.
“This is the best time of your life,” she says. “I’m not going to let you squander it on me. Go out into
the world and apply to wherever you want. You’ve always said that you wanted to try New York or
somewhere in Europe? Do that.”
I sigh. “Layne, I’m not squandering anything on you. There are great opportunities here in Denver and
rather than reside in some strange place where I won’t know anyone or have anyone, I’d rather be
here with you. I’d be happier. That’s what you want, isn’t it? For me to be happy?”
She spins around to face me. “Of course it is.”
“Exactly. So, I’m going to increase my focus in applying to positions here in Denver. An exciting offer
can come from anywhere but I’ll prioritize here.”
“No, prioritize your interest. I’ll be fine.”
My phone begins to ring so I roll my eyes at her and head over to where my purse was abandoned on
her sofa. “We’ll be fine Layne, and I’ll be here for you. Stop overthinking everything.” I glance down
at my phone, and am slightly taken aback that there is no caller ID.
I consider ignoring it, but then it occurs to me that it might be regarding one of the countless positions
I have applied to. So I lift the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hello,” a man’s voice comes through the receiver, smooth and strong. “‘Is this Blair Tatum?”
“Yes, this is Blair. Who am I speaking to?”
“Allen Canter. We met a couple of weeks ago at the job fair at the University of Texas,”
My heart fell into my stomach. “Allen Canter? The CFO of FireEye?”
“Yes, that’s me. How are you doing?”
My airway constricts. “Um, I’m doing great... sir.” I’m not sure but I think I can feel his smile through
the phone. When I met him a few weeks ago at the event, he had been open and friendly, so it is
probably the same countenance that I’m projecting onto him now.
“I’m calling regarding a position that might be a fit for you. I remember the last time we met you
spoke about your interest in cyber security and your experience during your internship at Zimperium.”
“Yes, sir,” I reply, and turn around to glance at Layne.
She has her attention on me, surprised at my sudden formal tone.
Even I’m rattled, not exactly sure if this is some sort of courtesy call, or if I am now in an interview
for a potential position. It’s 7 PM on a Friday night, and if the latter is the case, I’m not at all
prepared for this.
“I have an opening that I think you might be able to fill considerably well,” he continues. “Would you
like to come in, so we can talk about it further?”
I become too nervous to remain still, so I begin to pace the living room, one hand underneath my
elbow to support the weakened hand holding my phone. “Most definitely, sir.”
“Alright,” he says. “How soon can you make it to Denver?”
I clear my throat. “I’m already here, sir. I’m visiting family.”
“That’s fantastic,” he replies. “How about we set up a meeting for Monday then? Sound good?
“Sounds great... sir.”
“Alright. You’ll be able to find your way to FireEye right? It’s downtown.”
“Most definitely, sir.”
“Okay. I’ll slot you in for an appointment at 9 AM. Have a great weekend.”
“Sure. Thank you... sir,” I respond. The call comes to an end and I pull the phone away from my ear
as though in a trance.
“Who was that?” Layne asks.
I turn to her. “I just got an interview. Here in Denver.”
“Oh, my God!” Her hand covers her mouth. “We were just talking about this. Where? I mean what
company.”
“FireEye.”
“FireEye? I’ve never heard of it, what do they do?”
“It’s a cyber security awareness company. It’s massive.”
“Wow, that’s great. You applied for it? What position are they interviewing you for?”
I head back to the stool to take my seat. “That’s the thing. I didn’t apply. I just met the CFO about two
weeks ago at a job fair at school. I was still interning at Zimperium then, so I gave him my card.”
“And he kept it? You must have made quite the impression.”
“Absolutely not,” I replied. “I was a babbling idiot. I kept asking stupid questions and making the
most awkward jokes, which now that I think about it, he did actually find quite funny. What is going
on?”
Her smile is angelic. “The stars are aligning in our favor.” She rubs her stomach.
I couldn’t hold back my delight either. “Oh, my God, if I get a position there I’m going to collapse.
That’s a freaking unicorn company!”
“A what? Unicorn? I thought you said they’re in cybersecurity.”
I laughed at her naivety. “I don’t mean an actual unicorn. I mean they’re really successful, fairly new
and privately owned and valued at a billion dollars. Companies like that are called unicorns because
it’s so rare to be that successful within a short frame of time.”
Her eyes nearly bulge out of her sockets. “A billion dollars? Wow, that does sound massive.”
“Exactly. Wow... I’m shaking. It would be such a privilege to work there.”
“It does sound like a great opportunity,” she agrees. “What position is he calling you in for?”
“He didn’t say. All he did was set up a meeting for Monday. And oh, my God, he’s the CFO... and he
called me himself. His father founded the company along with the current CEO, and he called me
himself. Not through personnel but directly.”
“Okay, calm down.” Layne laughs. “You’re hyperventilating.”
“I know but this is unreal,” I say, close to jumping out of my skin. Overwhelmed with emotion, I do
realize I need to calm myself down, so I take deep breaths, and focus on reducing my excitement and
subsequent nervousness.
“Okay we need to celebrate,” Layne says. “Tomorrow night. I’ve had a tiring day and this momma to
be needs to crash.”
I laugh. “What do you mean? There’s nothing to celebrate. This was just to set up the interview.”
“Well, we’re going to celebrate you even getting the call. Then we’re going to toast to your acing the
interview and getting some fantastic position there.”
“Well, I’m not going to say no to that, but are you going to be able to come out?” My eyes lower to her
bulging belly.
“Honey, this night out is more for me than it is for you. I need to get out of this house.” She does a
little swirl with her hips. “I can’t wait.”
I laugh again. “Neither can I,” I reply. “Neither can I.”
“Ask Jodie if she wants to come along with us. The more the merrier.”
I lift my phone to pull up my best friend’s number. “I doubt it. I think she has to work at the restaurant
tomorrow.”
“On a Saturday night? I doubt Jodie would ever give up her Saturdays to work. I think you have the
day mixed with Friday or Sunday even.”
I dialed her number and lifted the phone to my ear.