In a Heartbeat Read Online Free Page B

forgets I’m not the little invalid I once was.”
    “Angie, I didn’t mean to—”

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    Donna Richards
    She held up her hand to silence him. “I know, I know. If ever I feel I’m in need of medical assistance, I’ll let you know. But I promise you, this isn’t one of them.” Max looked so mournful she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
    She picked up the stack of telephone messages. The one from her mother probably was to make sure that she was dressed warm enough, or that she had taken her meds, or that she had gas in the car. Angie sighed. She thought a thousand miles between them would have eliminated this daily game of twenty questions. Apparently not.
    She picked up the next pink sheet. Panic spiked through her. “The office called?”
    “Yeah, Falstaff wants you to stop by tomorrow morning.”
    She recalled Renard’s threat. A tremor sped down her spine. He couldn’t have. Not this fast.
    “How’d the interview go?” Max asked.
    “Hmm… The interview?” She glanced up. “Not so well. And,” she frowned at her watch, “I have a whole twenty minutes till the next one.”
    She slumped in her chair. “I may not survive.” Her fingers slipped to her chest, lightly sliding up and down the scar beneath her blouse, while she pondered alternatives. “Max?”
    “Yeah?”
    “What do you think would happen if I asked Falstaff to transfer me to another job?”
    “I think it would be rotten timing, looking for work right before the holidays,” he said, half-in-jest.
    “I’m serious, Max.” Maybe she could prove her marketing skills on a job without the insufferable Mr. Renard.
    Max leaned back in his chair. “One of the secretaries told me that Bennett did that once.”
    “Bennett? Why, he’s been in the same position since Falstaff was a manager.”
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    In a Heartbeat
    Max nodded. “That’s what I heard. He asked for a transfer and they transferred him right off the promotion track.”
    Ouch. If that were true, she’d have to tough out this assignment. A promotion was more than a financial brass ring. It would prove to her family that she was independent, capable of handling everything that came her way, including the Renards of the world. That thought pulled at the corners of her mouth.
    She picked up the phone handset and punched in the numbers to the office. All too quickly Falstaff’s voice rang in her ear.
    “Angela, how are things progressing?”
    “Fine, sir. Max and I are right on budget.”
    He sighed in her ear. “I’m not talking about the budget. I was a little concerned about Renard’s reaction when he met you earlier. Is everything going smoothly?”
    “Smoothly, yes, sir.” Her stomach tightened with the lie.
    “I don’t need to remind you how important Hayden is to this firm, Angela. I’d like to impress Renard with a good strong letter of recommendations. Keep your eyes open.”
    “Yes, sir.” She replaced the receiver after cursory goodbyes.
    “What’s up?” Max asked.
    “Falstaff wanted to remind us to document points for the rec letter.”
    She scrambled around for prior year’s files. “I want to track my notes against the documentation from last year. No one initials the vendor masterfile report for changes, and I didn’t see any signoffs on the bank reconciliation.”
    “The ol’ lack of documentation review point.” Max shook his head.
    “Those always seemed so lame to me.”
    Angie stopped her shuffling and looked hard at Max. She would have choked him if she could reach him. “It’s still important.”
    “Maybe, but it sure isn’t sexy.”

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    Donna Richards

Chapter Three
    The brisk chill winds of the workweek gave way to a warm weekend, uncharacteristic of early October. Only a fool would not take advantage of nature’s early gift, and Angela was no fool. After her stress-laden week, a walk in the flame-splashed woods that bordered the reservoir seemed