Sometimes It Is Rocket Science by Kara Thorpe Read Free Book Online

relaxing.  With her brother snuggled against her side, Georgiana worked on discarding parts of the pickup truck mixed with the SUV and waited for the sun to rise.
     
     

Chapter Five:
     
     
    Georgiana woke with her tablet PC plastered to her face, a crick in her neck, and Tab’s knee wedged against her screaming bladder.  She gingerly extracted herself from her brother’s desperate grasp and hobbled to her bathroom.  The few hours of sleep she’d managed to catch had done little to remove the cotton balls from her head.
    “Lights on full, please.”
    Light flooded the large, glass-block and chrome bathroom.  Georgiana stared dispassionately at the tired, washed-out girl reflected back at her in the mirror.  Fortunately, it was nothing a hot shower and bit of makeup couldn’t cover up.  She’d become an expert at disguising her exhaustion when the situation required.
    “ERIC, it’s a Pep blend sort of day.”  She waved her toothbrush at the sensor.  “Don’t tell me we’re out, either.  I loaded the machine yesterday morning.”
    “The requested coffee has been started, Georgiana,” the AI responded, a tad petulantly.
    Her father’s three-thousand dollar, imported Italian espresso machine made the best coffee she’d ever tasted, but she’d balked at the thought of tearing apart the beautiful machine and wiring it into ERIC.  She’d disassembled a pod-style brewer and turned it into a coffee jukebox of sorts.  ERIC could brew a cup of any one of four blends of coffee, three types of tea, and two types of hot chocolate.   The Pep blend, a mixture of dark roast coffee and ginseng, got her through the day, but it was nothing compared to her father’s liquid ambrosia.
    While Georgiana brushed her teeth and showered, ERIC read off the local headlines and weather forecast.  The stock futures for Collier Analytics were up, she’d probably need her umbrella in the afternoon, and the Astros had lost their second game of the season.  She instructed ERIC to flag the recap of the baseball game for Tab.
    “Incoming call from Yvonne Ruiz.”
    Georgiana uncapped the mascara wand and leaned closer to the mirror.  “Put it on the speaker, ERIC.”  She swept the wand of emerald mascara across one set of lashes as she waited for telltale click of a connection.  “Good morning, Yvonne.”
    “Good morning, Ms. Collier.” 
    Georgiana’s fingers flexed around the mascara wand.  Yvonne’s formality came and went depending upon her mood.  Georgiana didn’t mind.  She didn’t feel old enough or qualified enough to be the big boss.  The other woman was only three years younger and actually working towards her MBA.  Her father’s assistant Mrs. Davis had been promoted to Director of Human Resources shortly after his death because Georgiana hadn’t been comfortable ordering around the woman who had gone with her to buy her first box of tampons. 
    “We have a meeting at nine to review the newest NS contract, and then you’re scheduled to watch a demo of the guidance system for the HXJ defense contract.”  There was a pause and the sound of fingernails clicking on a keyboard.  “Lunch with the heads of payroll, finance, and HR is the last thing I have for today.  Wepfer in Media Relations wants to get a comment from you he can pass along.”
    “Comment on what?”
    “The story in the finance section.”
    Georgiana bit back a sigh.  The finance section was one section she had ERIC avoid during their morning read through.  She needed at least two cups of coffee before she dove in to that mess.  “Yvonne, you know better.  What story?”
    “‘ Collier Analytics is not and will never be for sale!’ asserts CEO and engineering wunderkind Georgiana Collier. ” Yvonne quoted. 
    Georgiana’s arm jerked.  “Damn!”  The mascara wand fell on to the vanity.  Emerald green smeared across the gray marble.  She snatched up a wad of tissues and held them against her watering right eye.