working for over three hours. Her cramped fingers and stiff muscles confirmed that. She arched her back and stretched her arms.
A flurry of activity caught the edge of her vision. Across the hall, Campbell had kicked his computer chair back against the wall and was pacing, his fingers digging into his scalp.
Dylan said something to him. Campbell glared at him and shook his head violently. He made a fist and aimed it at the glass wall in front of him. Dylan was up and across the room in a split second. He grabbed Campbell’s arm, talking intensely.
After a few seconds, Campbell nodded, although his face was still distorted with anger. He grabbed the water bottle that always sat next to him and stalked out of the room.
Dylan wiped his face and turned back toward his workstation. Then he looked up and caught her eye.
Busted. Averting her gaze would only make her look like what she was—an eavesdropper. So she raised her eyebrows in a silent question.
Dylan looked at his hand that still held the stylus, set it down and disappeared through a door on the west wall of his workroom.
Before she could blink, he was standing in her doorway, arms crossed, leaning against the door facing.
She jumped. “You’re going to have to show me that secret passage one of these days.”
He smiled wearily. “No problem.”
He’d showered and shaved. His hair was slightly damp and he had on a white T-shirt and faded jeans. Her eyes lingered on the metal zipper of the jeans for a couple of seconds too long.
“Um—what’s the matter with Campbell?” She forced her gaze back to her computer screen.
“He’s been searching for that error he swears is the last one. He can’t find it. His nerves are shot, just like everybody else’s.”
“Where’d he go?”
“He said he was going to take a shower.”
“Let me take a look at the program.”
“That’s what I just said to him.”
“That’s what had him so upset?”
Dylan nodded. “You have to understand. He’s been working with me on this for over a year. Thearea he’s looking at is at least fifty thousand lines of code. He said it would take you several days just to get up to speed with the program. He doesn’t think we can afford the time.”
“And you agree with him?”
“I don’t know.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have to see the whole fifty thousand lines of code. Just the section he’s isolated as the source of the bug.”
“Look, I’m no programmer, but from what he told me, even the best would need at least twelve hours of review to distinguish good code from bad.”
“I am the best.” She sat back in the ergonomic chair and gazed up at him. “And I can promise you it won’t take me that long. I’ve never met a bug I couldn’t squash.”
He laughed softly.
The sound coaxed a smile to her face.
“I’ll get him to show it to you.”
“Dylan, you know in general what Campbell is doing. Show me now.” She stood.
“I don’t know.”
“I’m ready to work now. I guarantee you anything he can do, I can do—probably better.”
“You’re pretty confident, aren’t you?”
“I know what I can do.” She paused for an instant. “How well do you know him anyway?”
Dylan’s gaze sharpened. “Pretty darn well. Why?”
“You seemed suspicious when he came out of the computer room Tuesday night.”
Her comment had caught him off guard. She watched as his mind went back over that moment.
“Not suspicious really. I was surprised. When I left the lab around 2:00 a.m., he promised to lockup in a few minutes. Said he wanted to check a section of code one more time.”
“Then we came down at around four o’clock.”
“He should have been in bed.”
“If you quit at two, why did he stay two more hours? He doesn’t strike me as the obsessive type—especially in comparison with you. Plus he looked like he’d been in a tussle.”
Dylan nodded grimly. “I noticed that.” He straightened. “Come on. I’ll show you the
A flurry of activity caught the edge of her vision. Across the hall, Campbell had kicked his computer chair back against the wall and was pacing, his fingers digging into his scalp.
Dylan said something to him. Campbell glared at him and shook his head violently. He made a fist and aimed it at the glass wall in front of him. Dylan was up and across the room in a split second. He grabbed Campbell’s arm, talking intensely.
After a few seconds, Campbell nodded, although his face was still distorted with anger. He grabbed the water bottle that always sat next to him and stalked out of the room.
Dylan wiped his face and turned back toward his workstation. Then he looked up and caught her eye.
Busted. Averting her gaze would only make her look like what she was—an eavesdropper. So she raised her eyebrows in a silent question.
Dylan looked at his hand that still held the stylus, set it down and disappeared through a door on the west wall of his workroom.
Before she could blink, he was standing in her doorway, arms crossed, leaning against the door facing.
She jumped. “You’re going to have to show me that secret passage one of these days.”
He smiled wearily. “No problem.”
He’d showered and shaved. His hair was slightly damp and he had on a white T-shirt and faded jeans. Her eyes lingered on the metal zipper of the jeans for a couple of seconds too long.
“Um—what’s the matter with Campbell?” She forced her gaze back to her computer screen.
“He’s been searching for that error he swears is the last one. He can’t find it. His nerves are shot, just like everybody else’s.”
“Where’d he go?”
“He said he was going to take a shower.”
“Let me take a look at the program.”
“That’s what I just said to him.”
“That’s what had him so upset?”
Dylan nodded. “You have to understand. He’s been working with me on this for over a year. Thearea he’s looking at is at least fifty thousand lines of code. He said it would take you several days just to get up to speed with the program. He doesn’t think we can afford the time.”
“And you agree with him?”
“I don’t know.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have to see the whole fifty thousand lines of code. Just the section he’s isolated as the source of the bug.”
“Look, I’m no programmer, but from what he told me, even the best would need at least twelve hours of review to distinguish good code from bad.”
“I am the best.” She sat back in the ergonomic chair and gazed up at him. “And I can promise you it won’t take me that long. I’ve never met a bug I couldn’t squash.”
He laughed softly.
The sound coaxed a smile to her face.
“I’ll get him to show it to you.”
“Dylan, you know in general what Campbell is doing. Show me now.” She stood.
“I don’t know.”
“I’m ready to work now. I guarantee you anything he can do, I can do—probably better.”
“You’re pretty confident, aren’t you?”
“I know what I can do.” She paused for an instant. “How well do you know him anyway?”
Dylan’s gaze sharpened. “Pretty darn well. Why?”
“You seemed suspicious when he came out of the computer room Tuesday night.”
Her comment had caught him off guard. She watched as his mind went back over that moment.
“Not suspicious really. I was surprised. When I left the lab around 2:00 a.m., he promised to lockup in a few minutes. Said he wanted to check a section of code one more time.”
“Then we came down at around four o’clock.”
“He should have been in bed.”
“If you quit at two, why did he stay two more hours? He doesn’t strike me as the obsessive type—especially in comparison with you. Plus he looked like he’d been in a tussle.”
Dylan nodded grimly. “I noticed that.” He straightened. “Come on. I’ll show you the
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