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sure.”  I hesitated, then added, “Unless it’s important
to you that I be there.”
    “No, not at all,” he assured me.  “It was just a thought. 
You’ll meet him next week in any case.”
    “Okay.  And thanks for the offer.”
    “Sure thing.  See ya, Ange.”
    “See ya, Jack.”
    I hung up the phone and turned to see Frank striding
purposefully toward my cubicle. 
    Oh, God.  Not again.
    “Was that Jack?” His question annoyed me since I was sure he
had heard the end of that conversation.
    “Yep.”
    “Did he say if he was planning to come back to the office
this afternoon?”
    “No, he’s not,” I lied smoothly.  I knew Frank would scuttle
out early if he thought Jack wouldn’t be there to see him do it.  And I was
pretty sure Jack wouldn’t want Frank hanging around when there was a mysterious
private meeting on the agenda.
    “Are the paychecks ready to go?”
    “Yep.  Heather gave them to me about an hour ago.” I reached
into my desk drawer and pulled them out.  Anticipating his next question, I
added, “And, yes, the ones that have to be mailed have already gone out.”
    He gave me a little glare, which I ignored, as I handed the
checks over.  Frank never let anyone else distribute the paychecks. He acted
like it was such an important job, only he could be trusted to do it correctly.
    As he walked away, I was tempted to call out, “You’re
welcome” but decided I had pushed my luck far enough for one conversation. 
Instead, I headed back to the break room, grabbed my sandwich and a bottled
water out of the refrigerator and returned to my desk to eat it.
    I was back to my spreadsheet, still chewing the first bite
of my sandwich, when Heather, the final member of our little accounting
department, appeared at the opening to my cubicle. I wasn’t really surprised
that I hadn’t seen her much all morning. She was a nice person, but not really one
for socializing.
    “Hey, Angie,” she said as quietly as she said everything. 
“I was just heading out to pick up some lunch and was wondering if you needed
anything while I was out.”
    Typical Heather.  Although she was hired by Frank, she was
the only employee who reported directly to me.  She was part-time, and worked
three days a week preparing the payroll.  She was sweet and considerate, but
very quiet.  She was also one of my favorite people in the office. 
    We were close in age and were often told we resembled each
other.  I couldn’t see it, myself, except that we had the same unfortunate hair
and were similar in height and general build. She had a bigger chest but,
frankly, I had a better ass. If she didn’t have a husband and a small child who
took up a lot of her time, we would probably be good friends.
    “Thanks, Heather, but I brought my lunch today,” I said, holding
up my sandwich as proof.
    “Okay, well, I’m off then.  See you in about an hour.  Give
me a call if you think of anything you need.”
    “Will do.  Enjoy,” I said and returned, yet again, to my
spreadsheet.
    The remainder of the afternoon was blessedly quiet, as most
Friday afternoons tended to be. The financials were on Frank’s desk, intentionally
deposited there when he had stepped away from his office.  As predicted, I saw
him sneaking out at around 3:30. 
    I looked at the clock when I finished the union reports and
saw it was already 4:50, so I cleaned up my desk and sat back to wait for Jack.

Chapter 3
     
    Jack hurried back into the office at exactly 5:01.  He swung
by the opening to my cubicle and started apologizing.
    “Sorry to keep you waiting like this; I lost track of the
time.”
    “It’s 5:01.  You hardly kept me waiting.”
    “Well, I feel bad anyway.”  He stretched up on his toes and
looked out over the tops of the cubicles.  “Is everyone gone already?”
    “Of course.  It’s Friday afternoon.  There is no lingering
on Friday afternoons.”
    “Okay, good,” he said, sounding a little distracted.