Page 24 of Semantics

“Yeah… It was like there was something there. I don’t know. Maybe it’s me thinking too much about it, but it bothered me a little, so I’ve been trying to figure out how to talk to you, and I think it’s better to just stop now instead of going any further.”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that, but I get it, I guess.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I understand. And it was only two dates, so now is a good time to call it.”

“I guess I’ll say goodbye, then.”

“Goodbye, Amber.”

Stella hung up and set the phone on the table.

“Well, fuck,” she said to herself.

CHAPTER 7

“It’s too much.”

“What is?” Sarai asked.

“The price in this agreement. She’s saying she gave me a ten-percent discount and included some additional things during implementation, but it’s still way too much. At least twenty thousand more than we can afford.”

“We can’t stretch the budget a little?”

“Sarai, our budget is limited to begin with. I’m thinking about going with the other one. I liked them, too, and Arlowe said it was fine, just not as good as Cerebral.”

“Well, if they’re better, doesn’t it make sense to see if Stella can help us out a little bit? Maybe we can offer to do a testimonial for Cerebral or some interviews once we’re using the software. That sometimes gets them to knock down the price.”

“We’re an unknown company. What would us doing that actually do for them?”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try. Want anything from the kitchen? I’m grabbing a snack.”

“No, thanks,” she replied.

Sarai stood up and walked out of the garage, and Violet decided that since Enya was in the living room and Arlowe was sleeping in after another all-nighter, she might as well go work in her bedroom, so she carried her computer back to her room and set it up at her desk. Deciding to email Stella back, she opened her notes app and started typing a draft that she wanted to read and reread before actually sending.

The other night had been awkward, and she knew that it had been her fault. First, she’d said yes, which had been a mistake. Second, she’d invited her friends because she hadn’t wanted to go alone, but she hadn’t informed Stella that they would be there. Then, she’d gotten up and left when they’d all tried to leave her there alone with Stella Ross. Violet hadn’t exactly liked Stella in school, but she’d always been nervous around the woman. Stella was smart, and she had kept Violet on her toes, but she was still just as pretty, if not more, and she’d always exuded confidence, whereas Violet had talked about her girlfriend back home constantly just to try to seem cool.

When now-older Stella had tried to strike up a conversation at the bar, Violet had felt those nerves returning, and when her friends had decided to flee all at once because they hadn’t wanted to go in the first place, she’d reacted poorly. She’d turned back to see Stella putting the chair she’d brought over back in place and had felt awful, but she’d hoped that Stella would make good on her word to help her out with the pricing. What she’d sent over wasn’t much better than what they had listed, though.

Stella,

I’ve been reviewing the agreement with my team, and we’re still a little concerned about the price. There’s an upfront fee that seems to relate to the implementation, but the work that we’d need to do on our end feels pretty heavy there, so I’m not sure why a fee is necessary, even with the additional tasks you’ve mentioned your team would do for us. Can you please send me a few pricing options? Maybe a one-year, two-year, and a three-year option that I can review and take a look at the fees and the overall cost for us?

Violet

She hit send after reading it for the third time and went back to work, but only a few minutes later, she had a response, so she opened the email.

Violet,

I already came down by ten percent on a software that costs more than a hundred grand, so that’s a pretty substantial discount. On top of that, I waived two fees entirely. I’ll also be lending you Monique for more than thirty hours of implementation when normally, we only include fifteen hours in this kind of agreement. I can’t waive the rest of that fee, but if you want to go down on her hours, back to the usual fifteen, I can take something off it. Please let me know, and I’ll work up the options you want.

Stella

“She’s the SVP of Sales. She can’t take twenty percent off and still give me those thirty hours?” Violet said to herself and typed.

Stella,