Chapter 1

At 2:11 Tuesday afternoon, a message popped up in the company-wide group chat.

It was from Chloe Lane, an intern who had been here less than two weeks.

Chloe had one defining trait.

She worshipped Cookie.

On her first day, she'd actually announced from her desk, "Cookie is my best friend."

I was sitting at my desk working through the schedule for next month's annual staff retreat when my phone buzzed several times in a row.

I opened the chat.

Chloe: "@Ryan Parker, I was looking at the retreat budget. Two hundred dollars per person? For a country lodge where we're basically eating lunch and picking fruit? Isn't that kind of expensive?"

I stared at the message without moving.

Eight seconds later, another one appeared.

Chloe: "I asked Cookie about Cloudrest Lodge. It says they can do $150 per person."

There were 120 people in that group.

And she'd just put Cookie up against me in front of all of them.

I didn't know whether to laugh or put my head down on the desk.

The chat exploded.

Leo from Sales: "Honestly, AI knows more than people these days. If it says $150, it's probably right."

Mia from reception added, "Yeah, $200 for one meal does sound steep. My last company did our annual party for around $150 a person and it was great."

Message after message rolled in.

Come on.

Cloudrest Lodge belonged to my dad.

I'd spent three months working there as a server before he agreed to give us the place at cost.

But none of that was something I could say in the group chat.

I had just started typing when my boss, Greg Turner, sent a message first.

Greg: "Chloe's comparison is useful. If Cookie says we can save fifty dollars per person, we should test it. Chloe, you take the lead on this year's retreat. Ryan, support her."

He added a thumbs-up emoji.

The chat immediately came alive.

"Good call, Greg!"

"Go, Chloe!"

"Why waste fifty bucks a head if we don't have to?"

I set my phone on the desk.

Messages kept scrolling upward.

I put my fingers on the keyboard and typed:

"Sounds good."

Then I sent it.

Wendy Kramer, who sat beside me, leaned over and lowered her voice.

"Ryan, you're just letting this go? She's trusting some random AI answer. Can that thing even make a real venue reservation?"

I smiled at her.

"It's fine, Wendy. Let her try."

She opened her mouth, then closed it.

Finally, she sighed and went back to work.

I leaned into my chair and looked down at the schedule in my hands.

My phone buzzed again.

A private message from Chloe.

"Ryan, don't take what I said in the group personally. I just think Cookie found a better price. Can you send me the lodge's contact number?"

A pleading sticker followed.

I opened my contacts and sent her Cloudrest Lodge's public reservations line.

"Got it! Thanks, Ryan! You'll see. Cookie is super reliable!"

I turned my phone facedown on the desk.

It landed with a dull thud.