Cognizant of the fact that someone was watching her, she turned her head slightly to stare into big brown eyes, just inches from her own. She smiled slightly at the child and patted her softly on the head. She realized her mistake immediately. The little girl broke into a big grin and began to chatter incessantly. Jessica placed her memo pad aside and engaged herself in childlike conversation for the duration of the trip.
By the time she arrived at work, she felt as if she had already put in a whole day of hard labor. She laughed aloud and thought about the child’s poor mother. No wonder the woman had looked so weary. She was still laughing when she entered the building.
“ My, aren’t we in a good mood this morning,” Sandy said as Jessica walked in the door. “What has put you into such a chipper mood?”
“ I think I have just discovered the shortcut to premature aging.”
Sandy looked at her, puzzled. She pointed toward the door.
“ A little girl I sat next to on the subway; I think she’s still talking.”
Sandy frowned and nodded her head. “I have one just like that.”
“ You poor thing,” Jessica sympathized. “How on earth do you stand it?”
Sandy grinned. “Why do you think I work?”
Jessica chuckled and headed to her office. “I’m expecting a phone call,” she called back over her shoulder. “I’ll be in either my office, or in the studio, but buzz him through, okay?”
She tried to keep her mind on her work, but it was impossible. She looked at her watch every half hour. By ten o’clock, she was feeling hopeless. At eleven o’clock, the phone rang. She picked it up immediately.
“ Hello,” she shouted into the receiver. She slumped back into her chair, disappointed. “Oh, hello, Mr. Stewart.—No, I didn’t know it was you. I was hop—um—I mean, I thought it was someone else.”
She rolled her eyes upward. “Of course, I’m not disappointed it’s you. What can I do for you?—Yes. I have worked hard on the project, thank you, Mr. Stewart.—All right.—Thank you, Phillip.—Yes, it’s coming along fine.—A location?” She bit her lip. “I’m working on that as we speak. I have some wonderful ideas in mind,” she lied.—“No, I don’t think dinner will be possible.—Because, I don’t date clients, Mr. Stewart, I mean, Phillip,” she corrected.
She raised her eyebrows in alarm. “But I thought you weren’t going to be handling this account. You said that your staff would be overseeing it.—No, of course, I’m not disappointed, but I still have to say no to dinner.—Okay, lunch tomorrow, but it’s strictly a business meeting.—Yes, I know the place.—No, that’s all right, I can get there by myself.—No, there’s no need for you to pick me up.” She hung up the phone and shivered. She was still sitting there staring at the phone when Amy rapped on the door and poked her head inside.
“ Knock, knock.” Amy noticed her worried frown and her heart thudded. “What’s wrong? Is your mother okay?”
“ She’s fine. In fact, she couldn’t be better. Something else is bothering me.”
Amy came and took the chair on the other side of her desk. “Then what is it? You look absolutely frightened.”
“ I just got off the phone with Phillip Stewart. He has changed his mind and decided he wants to work with us on the project, after all.” She nodded at Amy’s shocked expression.
“ But I thought he wasn’t interested in this project. Didn’t you say he was going to let his staff run it?” Jessica nodded. “Then what happened to change his mind?”
“ I’m afraid I did. He called and invited me to dinner tonight. I turned him down.”
“ Good for you, Jess.”
“ I’m not so sure it was the right thing to do. This man does not take rejection lightly. I think I angered him. It was after I turned him down that he informed me about his decision to work with us.”
“ Did you tell him that most of the work is almost completed?”
“
By the time she arrived at work, she felt as if she had already put in a whole day of hard labor. She laughed aloud and thought about the child’s poor mother. No wonder the woman had looked so weary. She was still laughing when she entered the building.
“ My, aren’t we in a good mood this morning,” Sandy said as Jessica walked in the door. “What has put you into such a chipper mood?”
“ I think I have just discovered the shortcut to premature aging.”
Sandy looked at her, puzzled. She pointed toward the door.
“ A little girl I sat next to on the subway; I think she’s still talking.”
Sandy frowned and nodded her head. “I have one just like that.”
“ You poor thing,” Jessica sympathized. “How on earth do you stand it?”
Sandy grinned. “Why do you think I work?”
Jessica chuckled and headed to her office. “I’m expecting a phone call,” she called back over her shoulder. “I’ll be in either my office, or in the studio, but buzz him through, okay?”
She tried to keep her mind on her work, but it was impossible. She looked at her watch every half hour. By ten o’clock, she was feeling hopeless. At eleven o’clock, the phone rang. She picked it up immediately.
“ Hello,” she shouted into the receiver. She slumped back into her chair, disappointed. “Oh, hello, Mr. Stewart.—No, I didn’t know it was you. I was hop—um—I mean, I thought it was someone else.”
She rolled her eyes upward. “Of course, I’m not disappointed it’s you. What can I do for you?—Yes. I have worked hard on the project, thank you, Mr. Stewart.—All right.—Thank you, Phillip.—Yes, it’s coming along fine.—A location?” She bit her lip. “I’m working on that as we speak. I have some wonderful ideas in mind,” she lied.—“No, I don’t think dinner will be possible.—Because, I don’t date clients, Mr. Stewart, I mean, Phillip,” she corrected.
She raised her eyebrows in alarm. “But I thought you weren’t going to be handling this account. You said that your staff would be overseeing it.—No, of course, I’m not disappointed, but I still have to say no to dinner.—Okay, lunch tomorrow, but it’s strictly a business meeting.—Yes, I know the place.—No, that’s all right, I can get there by myself.—No, there’s no need for you to pick me up.” She hung up the phone and shivered. She was still sitting there staring at the phone when Amy rapped on the door and poked her head inside.
“ Knock, knock.” Amy noticed her worried frown and her heart thudded. “What’s wrong? Is your mother okay?”
“ She’s fine. In fact, she couldn’t be better. Something else is bothering me.”
Amy came and took the chair on the other side of her desk. “Then what is it? You look absolutely frightened.”
“ I just got off the phone with Phillip Stewart. He has changed his mind and decided he wants to work with us on the project, after all.” She nodded at Amy’s shocked expression.
“ But I thought he wasn’t interested in this project. Didn’t you say he was going to let his staff run it?” Jessica nodded. “Then what happened to change his mind?”
“ I’m afraid I did. He called and invited me to dinner tonight. I turned him down.”
“ Good for you, Jess.”
“ I’m not so sure it was the right thing to do. This man does not take rejection lightly. I think I angered him. It was after I turned him down that he informed me about his decision to work with us.”
“ Did you tell him that most of the work is almost completed?”
“
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