I stole
some for you," she said with a mischievous chuckle.
"Thank you," he said, able to meet her eyes only for a second.
Her unanticipated arrival and the gift she had brought made him
suddenly feel awkward and boyish. It was as if the room, his
heart, had all at once changed seasons, going from the promise of
spring to the all-out heat of summer. He watched her flip through
his collection of slides, and he felt the light tingle return,
this time in another place, as she keenly examined his
illustrations.
She beamed at him and tapped the topmost slide. "Matthew, it's
brilliant. Just three months, and you're already making important
changes."
"Thank you. But you deserve some of the credit. Your coaching has
been a great help."
"That's my job," she said. "Eileen said you have no other
meetings this afternoon."
"None. I didn't know how long this would take."
She returned the slides to the manila folder, then circled her
hands around the neck of the overhead projector. "Then how about
lunch?"
"Good idea."
"Great. What do you say to San Francisco? I've got to run a few
errands, and you can drop me off at home later in the afternoon
since I don't have my car. It's being serviced."
He hesitated, then shrugged. "Why not. I think I deserve the rest
of the day off. And I haven't been to the city for lunch in a
long time.
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