by P J Gordon
“I really like Richard. You know that. But I’m also aware of his reputation with women—he’s notoriously gun-shy—and I’ve seen the way you are with him. It’s understandable. He’s a great guy with everything going for him. I’m afraid you’re in over your head though, and as your friend I just want you to be careful. Okay? Look before you leap. Now, if you want to tell me to butt out you can.”
“Like that would do any good,” she snorted, but smiled to let him know she was just teasing again. “Thanks for looking out for me, but I promise you I’ve got my eyes wide open. I’m not entertaining any silly fantasies about Richard. We’re just friends. In fact, I don’t expect that to last once this project is over. They live in a different world than we do, after all...even if they are stuck in ours for now.” Manda had thought this before, but hearing herself speak it aloud lent an almost painful weight and credence to the idea.
David shrugged, as if he too had considered this and found it likely. “If we’re lucky maybe we’ll still get a Christmas card. Now, do you mind if I take off? I’m beat.”
“No. Go ahead. I’m just gonna wrap up and I’ll be right behind you.”
True to her word, she was on her way home soon after David left, and as she watched the world flash past the train window she considered the difference between knowledge and emotion. Logic and reason could sometimes have very little to do with one’s feelings. But you could choose to act according to the logic and reason rather than allowing yourself to be controlled by emotions. She did at least have that going for her.
******
The next day the storm hit with full force. A torrent of information poured in for Fieldings. Manda arrived early to find Josh waiting for her in the lobby.
“I promise not to get in the way, but maybe I can help. You know, fetch coffee, run errands, order lunch.”
Manda smiled at his eagerness. She imagined he was just looking for an escape from the hotel room. He seemed to enjoy hanging out in their space.
“Of course. You’re never in the way. And you don’t have to be our errand boy. We love having you around.”
The phone on her desk was ringing when they walked in and when she picked it up David was on the other end of the line, sounding like death itself.
“I’m sorry, Manda. I’m not going to be able to make it in today. I think it’s the flu. I hate to leave you hanging like this. If you send me some stuff I can try to work on some of it from home.”
Manda dismissed that idea immediately. From the sound of him he would be lucky if he was vertical. His health was more important than the work. “Don’t be silly. I’ll be fine. I can raid the graphics department if I need help. Just get some rest and feel better. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks. I’ll be fine. Stacey’s on her way over.”
“Well, good. Take care of yourself and take as much time as you need.” When she hung up the phone she dropped her head on her desk and groaned.
“David’s sick?” Josh guessed.
“He thinks it’s the flu.”
“So what do you do now? Can you handle it alone?”
“Now I start prioritizing. I’ll delegate what I can and do the things that absolutely have to get done right away. Hopefully David will be back on his feet in a few days. If not...well, I’ll push someone off of that bridge when I come to it.”
Manda buried herself in the torrent of e-mail in her inbox for the next hour, sorting the messages into lists according to due date and the level of personal attention required from her. The list of things she could delegate or postpone was discouragingly short. Most pressing of all—and something she would have to do herself –- was compiling the information for the auction catalog that Andrea would be designing. She would need to get that to her by the end of the following day. She didn’t dare put that off. Andrea’s work was bad enough without a tight schedule. Unfortunately there were several other things that she would personally have to attend to with the same deadline.
“Well, here goes nothing,” she muttered to herself, stretching her arms over her head.
“Maybe this will help,” Richard said, carefully setting her teapot back on her desk. “Earl Grey, right?”
Manda blinked in surprise. “Oh! Thank you. That’s perfect.”
“Josh told me you were holding down the fort alone today. I didn’t want to disturb you when I came in. I just thought I’d save you a trip to the coffee room. Let us know when you need a refill, or if we can get you anything else. We’ll stay out of your way.” He smiled his brilliant smile and slipped out of her office with a wink.
Manda stared after him and then down at her teapot in bemused wonder. She turned back to her computer with a small smile playing across her lips, and settled in for a long day of work.
Unfortunately, Manda’s long day evolved into a very long week...and then some. She worked late into the night every day that week and throughout the weekend. By Friday she’d recruited Kerry, one of the designers from their small graphics department, to help her. While not as talented as David, she was at least reliable. More importantly, she was sensible enough not to let her initial awe of Richard and Josh interfere with her work.
The brothers were always around. They unobtrusively made themselves useful, ignoring Manda’s brief and distracted initial protests and taking on the role of errand boys. The sheer ridiculousness of these two famous, rich men fetching and carrying for her would have made Manda laugh if she’d had time to think about it, but she was single-mindedly focused on the avalanche of work threatening to overwhelm her and was just thankful for the two men’s thoughtfulness. She did have to laugh at Kerry’s reaction the first time Josh brought her a cup of coffee though. The other designer had gazed up at him in wide-eyed shock, then mumbled a thank you and turned back to her computer screen, pink-cheeked and still wide-eyed, but trying for all she was worth to act unaffected.
As usual, Josh entertained himself by quietly watching television, playing video games, and surfing the internet between errands, while Richard was occupied with business, often on the phone or working on his sleek laptop computer at the conference table. They did insist that Manda and Kerry take at least a short lunch break every day, as well as a dinner break when they were in the office late—which was every night. Manda had to admit that these forced breaks went a long way toward boosting flagging spirits and energy.
Manda checked in with Stacey periodically for updates on David’s condition, and was beginning to worry about him when he showed no sign of improvement by the weekend. She was not surprised, therefore, when Stacey called her late Monday morning to tell her that she’d taken David to the doctor and found out he was suffering from pneumonia. It wasn’t too serious but he would probably be out the rest of the week. Stacey was taking more time off of work to take care of him.
After sending David her get-well wishes and admonishing Stacey to take care of herself as well, Manda joined Richard and Josh in the common area, gestured for Kerry to join them, and dropped onto the sofa between the two men. Josh’s arm, which had been stretched out along the back of the sofa, dropped around Manda’s shoulders and gave an encouraging squeeze.
“Bad news? How’s David?” he asked.
“Well, the bad news is that David has pneumonia. The good news is that he should be fine. Stacey’s taking good care of him. More bad news is that he’ll be out the rest of the week. More good news is that we’ve made good progress on the project and I don’t think we’ll have to stay late anymore. I should have everything wrapped up by Friday.” Manda was essentially telling the truth. She did think they could be done by Friday—at least she desperately hoped so. Regardless, however, she didn’t intend to stay late in the office anymore this week. She’d gotten Kerry familiar enough with what was needed that the other designer no longer required Manda’s constant guidance and direction. They would still be working late, but they could work from home. She would miss Richard’s company—and Josh’s too of course, she hast
ily reminded herself—but she had begun to feel guilty about monopolizing all of their time. She was also getting a little too accustomed to Richard’s constant companionship for her own good.
The two men had insisted on staying every night until Manda and Kerry left. Each night they had brought in dinner for the four of them and then later saw them safely down to meet the limousine that waited outside the hotel to take them home. Manda had protested this extravagance, but Richard had overridden her, declaring that he wouldn’t be able to sleep well if he didn’t know the two of them had made it safely home. Manda had put her foot down when he suggested that he and Josh should escort them home personally though. She feigned offense at his “chauvinistic overprotectiveness” until he relented.
Well, they wouldn’t be needing the limo this week. Manda would make sure she and Kerry were out of the office by five o’clock, freeing Richard and Josh to get back to their regularly scheduled lives. She would miss them though. She was exhausted and burned out, and it had only been Richard and Josh’s more than pleasant company that had kept her energized. She just had to get through one more week, she reminded herself. Everything should be done by Friday. One more long, grueling week...and it would be even worse than the previous one. That was the other reason she wanted to work from home. It would allow her to work even later into the night and then fall into her waiting bed to catch a few hours of precious sleep before morning came and she had to start all over again. One more week. She spared a brief, worried thought for David, and then stood.
“Back to work.”
Chapter 11
The bear backed away from the screaming and battered man who was scrabbling across the blood-soaked carpet of pine needles. His fear was exciting, but the brown-furred hunter craved more. Real terror required more than simple physical violence.
The bear had picked its target carefully. With autumn edging quickly toward winter, hikers were scarcer. This meant there were fewer potential witnesses, but also fewer targets. Finding one who was alone and far enough into the back country to allow the bear to truly enjoy the encounter was challenging.
The bear had spent the morning as a magpie, following potential prey from above until finally deciding on this lone man. It had taken a few hours for the hiker to reach an area remote enough to suit his unseen stalker, and with so much time invested in the hunt, the bear was determined to savor the experience.
Keeping the man from escaping had been simple enough. Making him suffer without killing him was more difficult, but worth the effort. The man’s fear was delicious, but the true payoff was still to come. Fear was easy—abject terror required something special.
The bear charged forward again and dragged the man backward, flipping him over with one strongly clawed paw. Time for the real fun.
Stepping away once more, the bear transformed into human form and watched as fear turned to confusion and disbelief on what was left of the hiker’s face. Then, the man’s confusion turned into exquisite terror as death came for him.
Chapter 12
Richard checked the time on his cell phone and walked a little faster. He hated to be late. It shows a lack of respect for other people, he could still hear his father saying. Well, that certainly wasn’t the case in this instance. He had tremendous respect for the three people he was rushing to meet—and even more for the fourth who would be missing—but he’d been held up and now was late for his lunch with Josh, David, and Jen. He’d called to let them know he was on his way, but being late still irritated him.
Truth be told, he’d been uncharacteristically irritable lately anyway, especially with Josh. Richard felt guilty about that. He loved his brother and they usually got along very well. He’d been short tempered with him lately though. He had to keep reminding himself that Josh was still very young...and in love.
Richard noticed a group of young women watching him and whispering excitedly as he waited for the walk-signal. He pulled his collar up a little higher, ducking his head and hunching his shoulders as if against the cold. He was glad the sun had finally come out after several days of overcast. His sunglasses were less conspicuous in the bright sunlight. The cold windy weather that had chased away the clouds gave him a good excuse for the jacket whose collar he was currently hiding behind as well. The light changed and Richard hurried on across the street, his long strides quickly leaving the women behind.
Josh had been edgy that morning when Richard left the hotel. No doubt he was missing Manda, who had taken the day off and wouldn’t be joining them for lunch. She needed the time off. She’d worked much too hard over the last two weeks. It was good that David was back on his feet so that he could carry the load for a bit. Richard hadn’t seen Manda since five o’clock on Friday. He suspected that Josh had been at her house every night though. He frowned at that thought. He didn’t approve. Josh should know better. He knew he was going to have to talk to his brother about it, but he dreaded it.
He needed to talk to him about shirking his business responsibilities as well. It was almost impossible to pry him away from the Aronson office—and Manda—to attend to other things these days. Not that Richard could blame him. Manda was amazing. Josh couldn’t have chosen better.
Josh had been very low-key about his feelings for Manda, which was probably the best approach. It was the surest way to get past the protective walls she hid behind. An all-out frontal assault would probably just scare her away. Better to go slowly and let the walls gradually fall.
Richard rounded the corner and spotted his destination. He checked the time again. Eight minutes late. The waiter was just bringing drinks when he joined the others at a sunny and private booth on the second floor of the restaurant.
“I’ll just have water, please,” he replied to the waiter’s query, sliding into the booth beside Josh. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Don’t worry about it. We barely just sat down,” David said dismissively. “How’d your meeting go?”
“Long!” Richard replied with feeling. “How are you holding up on your first day back?”
“I think I’ll make it. I’m probably in better shape than Manda at this point.”
Richard frowned. “Why? Did she come down with something too?”
Josh answered him with an exasperated growl. “No, she’s just a sneaky little brat! David was just telling us that Manda worked almost all night, every night last week, and she worked all weekend, too.”
“Kerry forwarded me an e-mail from Manda from two o’clock Friday morning so I asked her about it,” David explained. “She told me that she herself worked until almost midnight every night, and she knew for a fact that Manda stayed up a lot later than that. And when I talked to the printer we use on this project he said he didn’t get the final files from Manda until last night.”
Richard clenched his jaws as a wave of slow anger threatened. He breathed deeply, willing himself to stay calm. He had a very strong urge to shake the stubborn girl! He took another deep breath. She was an independent little thing. No wonder she’d looked so tired—yet she’d never lost her good humor, never once let on that she was under that kind of pressure.
“She must be exhausted,” he said with a grimace. “Poor kid.”
“It’s so typical of her,” Jen commented.
“Yeah, she’s always pushed herself like that for as long as I’ve know her,” David agreed, sounding both fond and aggravated. “She’s such a perfectionist.”
“How long have you known her?” Richard asked.
“We met in college. When I was an undergrad and she was a grad student she was my independent study advisor.” He shook his head and laughed. “When the professor told me she was going to be my advisor I was furious. I was the only student she advised and I thought the only reason I got stuck with her was because the professor disliked me. I mean, come on! She was just a kid!”
“I assume that wasn’t really the case?” Richard guessed.
“No. As it turned out, that was probably the best th
ing that could have happened to me. Not only did she help me learn a lot about design, she also helped me improve my attitude. In case you haven’t noticed, she has a very ‘glass half full’ mentality—even then, when she was going through some really tough stuff. I went back and thanked that professor afterward.”
“So, you’ve been friends ever since,” Josh surmised.
David grinned sheepishly. “Not exactly. We weren’t really friends then. It was more of a mentoring relationship...and the one time I did work up the nerve to ask her out she very politely but firmly shot me down.”
“Smart girl,” Jen teased.
David pointedly ignored her. “We got to be friends after I came to work at Aronson...and then all my other friends begged me to fix them up with her. It does wonders for my scarred ego to watch her politely shoot them all down, too.”
“She’s gone out with a few of them, hasn’t she?” Jen corrected.
“But never more than once. I can’t blame her. None of them are good enough for her anyway.”
Richard laughed along with Josh and Jen, but he thought it was probably a true statement. The waiter returned with Richard’s water and took their orders. When he’d gone Richard took a drink and asked something he’d been curious about.
“So, how did she became creative director so quickly? It’s obvious that she deserves the title, but it is unusual for someone her age. Who was it that was sharp enough to spot the talent?”
“That would be Jen,” David said, nodding toward her.
Jen examined her elegantly lacquered fingernails ostentatiously, as if waiting for well deserved applause, then took a sip of soda. Manda kept her fingernails neatly trimmed, Richard thought idly. Much more practical than Jen’s long manicure.
“Curt hired her right out of school to work in the graphics department,” Jen explained. “You know, proposals, presentations, some posters and invitations and things for some of our smaller clients. Most of the big stuff is sent out to an agency. Curt got lucky. She was completely overqualified. She could have had her choice of jobs anywhere in the country, but she wanted to stay here, near her family. Besides, I think she was a little lacking in self confidence and was intimidated by the big design firms. It didn’t take long to realize what a find she was though. I really started to rely on her, but after the first year I think she was getting pretty bored. She was going to leave for one of the big agencies then, but I convinced Curt that he couldn’t let her get away. He didn’t really see what the big deal was, but he trusts my judgment so he asked her to stay. He thought I’d gone around the bend when I talked him into giving her a team of her own and letting her pick most of her own projects. David was the only person she wanted on her team, though. She could have had a few more people but she didn’t want them. Anyway, that’s basically how Aronson’s special events business got started, and you know how successful it’s been. That’s why you came to us. It was pretty much all built around Manda. Curt owes me big and knows he it, too. He would have just let her quit!” She looked positively scandalized by the idea.