Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Nate smiled. “We can begin with the gardens, which are really beautiful right now, and then we’ll head into some of the workshops.”
It was a perfect way to start because Nate was a little nervous about taking Liz’s place, and it gave him some time before he showed Zach how the technical aspects of the wedding would work. It wasn’t so much that Nate lacked confidence in his code. It was just… Well, it was a little like having Jimi Hendrix critique your guitar playing. There was no one alive who could get through that without some nerves.
Nate took the happy couple the long way around the property, introducing them to the rest of Married in Malibu’s staff. It did a lot to steady his nerves, because it was obvious that Yuriko loved everything they were doing. And because Yuriko was happy, Zach was happy. Anne’s dress designs were finished, and as Meg talked them through it, Nate could see the way Yuriko leaned in, paying attention to every detail. The wedding hall was being transformed from a blank canvas to an elegant backdrop that combined elements of the couple’s two cultures. The effect was seamless.
Next, they went down into the kitchen to go over the details for the food and the wedding cake. As usual, Jenn had baked samples of cakes and pastries, using all of their favorite flavors, which included green tea and lemon meringue. The couple filled up on them, guessing at the flavors in each, then laughing at each other’s guesses when they turned out to be wrong.
“Pistachio?” Zach said. “How could you think that was pistachio?”
“I’m not the one who thought vanilla was cucumber.”
Zach and Yuriko seemed to complement each other perfectly. It was like they’d been friends forever, but it was also more than that. Nate would never have mistaken them for just friends; he would have known instantly how important they were to each other even if no one had told him. And their chemistry was palpable.
From Jenn’s kitchen, they went to see Daniel, who took some preliminary shots both to finalize the lighting and to give Amy visual references to work from. While Daniel was posing the happy couple and making final adjustments, Nate stepped out and called his brother to check the final details for the San Diego wedding. As he made a few notes, his brother sounded totally happy and excited. But then, with his family, weddings were always happy occasions. It was the divorces that were the problem.
Looking at Zach and Yuriko, he was reminded that not everyone had a bumpy road in terms of matrimony. It was possible to have a happy life with someone you loved and to have a marriage that stretched into decades. Even the details of his brother’s wedding showed him how smoothly these things could come together.
“Okay,” Zach said once the photos were done. “I think it’s time to look at some code. And maybe… have some coffee?”
It was a question rather than a demand. He obviously didn’t know if their coffee request had been fulfilled, so Nate was pleased to tell them he’d be serving up the special new blend. The mention of coffee actually had a kind of calming effect on Nate, because he knew it was one thing that was absolutely ready to go.
He suggested they head up to his office. “You can look through what I have so far for the interface between the stream and the patch, and I can make the coffee.”
“Sounds perfect,” Zach said.
“The coffee certainly does,” Yuriko agreed.
So, as Nate made drip coffee, one of his computing heroes sat at his desk and went through his solutions for the interface with a fine-tooth comb. Every so often, Zach paused at a line of code, checking the specifications against his phone.
Nate made as little noise as he could while he prepared the coffee. When it was ready, he placed the carafe and cream and sugar on a tray and took it to his office. He handed a cup to Yuriko and then set one beside Zach.
Ignoring his coffee, Zach looked at Nate. “This is good,” he said, referring to the computer screen. “No, it’s more than that, it’s elegant.”
Could there be higher praise than that, coming from someone Nate had admired as long as he’d been in the computer business? Anyone could write code that worked, but writing elegant code was far more difficult.
“Are you sure you don’t want a job coding for one of my startups?” Zach asked. “We could definitely use you.”
“He seems pretty happy here, Zach,” Yuriko said, saving Nate from having to answer the question. The truth was that he was happy. He wasn’t ready to give up working at Married in Malibu right now. Especially when it kept him so close to Tamara.