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“Hard to ave birth to it”

“I’et balanced”

She lifted her cup to herit out to me “Do you want this? You look like you could use it more”

“No, I’ll get one fro”

“Lucky, lucky you You knohere to findbehind her once “My IT cave is quiet and I have candy and gold stars in my drawers”

I walked down the hallway toward the glass-walled office with the panorah to his office door Bill stood inside, pacing, with an earpiece in, tossing a baseball from hand to hand He was an inch or so taller than ame-show-host suit If I’d seen him on the street, I’d have pictured hi people into overpriced cars while he fanned himself with his commission checks

He stared atto placehere for two years

My as ht head tilt before he turned his back to

A full seven , he opened his door and rushed me inside, still on his call

“Pebble Beach is so much better this ti, I’m sure he and Valerie have tons to catch up on”

Poor guy, whoever he was I sat in the overly slick office chair in front of Bill’s oversized glass-top desk The leather squeaked and edn of his office screa to shove et!’

“Zara” He’d finally hung up, and now he sat behind his desk and steepled his fingers in front of his face A glance down at the papers on his desk and back at me

“Bill” I pinched ether My stomach knotted and I forced a neutral but pleasant curve to htened “If there was a problem with the reports…”

His gaze swung from me to his wall of accolades He kicked up his feet on the desk and leaned back in his chair

“I have an assignment for you” And he didn’t sound the least bit happy about it