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Her gaze bounced froht of her office “You’re supposed to give it back to me on Friday”

“You’re going to want it now”

“Is this Zara’s office?” Kathleen’s voice broke through the si tension in the room

Zara’s head whipped to the open doorway and the fa closer with each step

“What did you do?” she seethed

“What I had to”

She rounded her desk and snatched the ring fro it on seconds before Kathleen appeared in her open doorway

“Zara There you are—and Leo I wanted to invite you two to lunch, but Leo said the only e could drag you away from your desk was to show up and surprise you”

I could see the gears whirring behind Zara’s eyes Leo’s been talking to Kathleen behind ht end up being the nail in my coffin

Zara brushed past o out to lunch with you, but why don’t we h Kathleen’s, leading the older woman toward the door

Kathleen stopped in the doorway, keeping Zara fro me in her office “And leave poor Leo all on his own? I wouldn’t do that to you, especially when you’ve been working so hard that he barely gets to see you You don’t have to protest too ether It will be my treat”

The abandonment plan had crashed and burned hard

I sent et to take two lovely ladies out for lunch every day”

She blushed and swatted at my arm “Such a charmer”

Zara would need a fullher teeth What a charmer, indeed I’d be lucky if she didn’t push me in front of traffic and use the sympathy to clean up with Kathleen