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  Now I need a job, probably one that puts some distance between me and Richard and—

  Caroline slammed on her brakes as traffic came to a standstill. She glanced at the clock again. “Move!” she shouted as she pounded her hand on the steering wheel in frustration. She honked at the car in front of her, whose driver didn’t notice the light turn green. I’m good at what I do, I know I could earn more money, so why can’t I force myself to leave Meadows Advertising? She knew the answer: She could never refuse Richard anything, and in fact felt guilty telling anyone no. Life was so much easier in college. Have I learned anything since then?

  In school she was always being asked to proofread other students’ college essays, for no pay of course. Despite the drain on her time, she’d managed to keep up with her own assignments and excelled in her classes. Junior year, Caroline’s academic advisor had suggested she sign up for a summer internship. Caroline had immediately called her father.

  “Dad, do you know any ad agencies or marketing firms where I can get on as a summer intern?”

  He said he’d give it some thought. The next day he called her back. “You know my friend Sharlene?”

  “Yes, Dad,” Caroline had said as agreeably as she could.

  “Well, she and her brother are willing to take you on as an intern in the family business.” Caroline cringed, just imagining what it would be like working for Sharlene. Friend indeed.

  Her dad had met Sharlene—what? four years ago?—and Caroline didn’t think for a minute that Sharlene had made the internship offer out of the goodness of her heart. Sharlene never did anything without an agenda. Naturally her gesture had impressed Daniel. At least Sharlene had been useful in getting Caroline the opportunity, but work for her? Just as Caroline was about to politely turn down the offer, she’d met Richard.

  Caroline rolled into the parking lot at eight-forty-five. She pulled the ponytail holder out and shook her hair loose, picked up her handbag with the now-warm yogurt, balanced her Peterson’s coffee and went into Suite 100. Meadows Advertising Agency was a small company consisting of Richard, the CEO, receptionist Lucy Rosen, a part-time sales associate who was rarely in the office, and Jack Anderson, Richard’s best friend from college and now his accountant.

  “Good morning, Lucy,” Caroline said.

  During Richard’s senior year at IU, his father’s sudden illness had forced Richard to commute back and forth from Bloomington, Indiana, to Indianapolis, finishing his last semester of school mostly online while keeping his father’s business running. His sister and business partner Sharlene was no help at all, since she’d all but abdicated her responsibilities when she met Daniel Benedict. Caroline couldn’t imagine how Richard had managed to juggle both school and work and still cope with his father’s death, but Meadows Advertising was thriving under his leadership four years later.

  Caroline knew what a difficult position Richard was in a year ago, what with the tight economy and Sharlene controlling the purse strings from home, but never bothering to step foot in the office. Caroline had thought she had a possible solution. “Richard, I know you need to hire an assistant, but the finances aren’t there right now, so what if I work for half-time salary the first year after I graduate? I live at home with Mom, and Dad pays most of my expenses anyway. It’s a win-win.”

  Richard had looked dubious. “That’s not fair, Caroline. You’re worth more than that.”

  “Just for a year, until the economy improves. Then we can renegotiate.”

  Richard had given that some thought. “Well, I guess Sharlene couldn’t object to that. She’d have to pay that much for a part-timer anyway.”

  Caroline had felt elated about getting to stay on with Richard. Sharlene had gleefully agreed to the low-ball salary, and then of course bragged to Daniel about how she’d helped launch his daughter’s professional career.

  “Morning, Caroline!” said a cheerful Lucy.

  Caroline snapped out of her head just in time to save her coffee from spilling onto the floor. “Hi, Lucy. What’s new?”

  “Not much, but the day is young,” Lucy said with a wink. “I’m ordering Chinese for lunch today. You in?”

  “Absolutely!”

  “The usual?”

  Caroline nodded.

  “I’ll meet you in the break room at twelve-thirty then,” Lucy said as she put her earphones back on and turned her attention to the caller on the line. “Meadows Advertising. May I help you?”

  The small break room down the hall was shared with the other office suites on the first floor of the Koffman Building. Suite 102 housed a law firm, Suites 104-120 were a branch office of Kinley Real Estate Company, and Suite 122 was vacant at the moment. It was rumored that the “investment” company that had been renting the office had fled overnight amid financial improprieties that were being investigated by the state Attorney General’s office. Lucy had gotten a lot of mileage out of that piece of gossip. In fact, Lucy seemed to know everyone’s business and was always happy to spread the news.

  Caroline headed to her desk in the far back corner of the suite, down a hallway and wedged between the file cabinets, adjacent to Sharlene’s former office. Sharlene had slowly removed most of her personal belongings, but there were still some photographs on the wall—Sharlene posing with the mayor, Sharlene posing with the runner-up of the Indy 500, Sharlene posing with Daniel in front of Truitt Wellness Corporation—all monuments to Sharlene’s social agenda. Caroline wanted the photos gone, as well as the dead plant in the window. She could make good use of that space, but it remained firmly “Sharlene’s Office.” Richard’s tastefully decorated office was right next to his sister’s nearly empty one. Above the mahogany desk, his father’s golfing mementoes hung on the wall along with Richard’s framed diploma and snapshots of him with family and friends. Four wingback leather chairs ringed the desk in a semi-circle, making the office both businesslike and inviting. Richard Meadows III—CEO read the sign on his open door.

  Caroline set her coffee carefully on her desk and then logged on to her email. She pulled the tab on her yogurt, found a plastic spoon in the desk drawer, and sat down to concentrate on her messages. First and foremost, she wanted to complete whatever task Richard had for her, so she opened his message right away. Just opening an email from him made her tingle.

  Good morning, Caroline.

  I have several appointments today and will be in and out of the office. I know you will handle any phone calls in your usual professional manner until I get back. Would you proof that Hamilton ad before sending it to the printer? It needs to be ready as an insert for this Sunday’s newspaper.

  Thanks! R

  Caroline smiled to herself as she replied to his email.

  Will do. Have a nice day. Hamilton ad will be a challenge—Mr. Hamilton can’t spell or punctuate!

  Caroline steeled herself before reviewing the proof. Hamilton Hardware was one of Meadows Advertising’s big accounts. Mr. Hamilton had several stores in the Indianapolis area, plus one in Belford and one in Muncie. The man had built his business from the ground up, so Mr. Hamilton was very hands-on. He even wrote his own print ads, emailing them to Richard weekly, and those ads were always in need of correction. The current one had a picture of a bathroom sink, with the following copy:

  If your in need of plumbing supplys, stop by Hamilton Hardware We have the best for lest!

  Caroline smiled to herself, knowing it was an easy fix, and went back to her emails. She went through them quickly but decided she could handle them later, since that Hamilton ad needed to be at the printer by noon, and Richard had asked her to get it done. Then one more message popped up, from Sharlene. She sighed as she opened it.

  Hi Caroline!

  I changed my email address to reflect my new status as your dad’s wife.

  Love, Sharlene

  P.S. If thirty-five is too young to be your stepmother, you can think of me as Mrs. Meadows-Benedict LOL!

  Caroline cringed and deleted that one.
“A thirty-five-year-old stepmother,” she mumbled to herself.

  Sharlene was youthful looking, medium-height with a Barbie-doll figure, and always wore the latest fashions bought at high-end stores. She was also a highly successful saleswoman and had been an asset to Meadows Advertising till she met Daniel Benedict, who was no match for her charms.

  Medical insurance companies had attracted some bad press in the deepening recession. CEOs like Daniel were earning huge salaries while their employees worked for low wages and their clients’ premiums skyrocketed. Sharlene had arrived in Daniel’s office four years ago to sell him on the idea of a positive publicity campaign for his mega-corporation, a bold move for so small a company as Meadows Advertising. She had flirted with Daniel, flattered him, and generally inflated his ego to the point that he could not resist her or her advertising proposal.

  Officially they were business associates, but when Dad divorced Mom a year later, no one was surprised. Sharlene had proclaimed her love for Daniel and her intention to marry him to anyone who would listen, and to some who didn’t care to listen, like Caroline.

  Richard was as unlike his sister as two people could be and still share DNA. Both were very attractive people, even resembling each other somewhat. Both had dark brown hair and deep blue eyes, and since Richard was just under six feet tall and Sharlene always wore very high heels, they often appeared to be the same height. However, Richard was definitely overshadowed by his domineering older sister.

  Despite losing Sharlene’s capable sales acumen to her social ambitions, Richard pulled in clients of his own, including the large contract with Hamilton Hardware. Sharlene no longer wanted to work, and she didn’t need to anyway, having the use of Daniel’s credit cards, the run of his penthouse, and soon, the Benedict family home.

  Caroline laughed to herself, remembering what her mother had said. “Sharlene will fit in nicely with the suburban housewives in Belford.”

  ****

  Caroline rushed back into the air-conditioned office a few minutes late for her Chinese lunch with Lucy. The late May temperature was hotter than normal, and she was already overheated, but she hurried down the hall to her office nook to deposit her handbag and the mail from the post office. She stopped to dig through her desk, looking for that half-drunk bottle of water she’d stashed in there yesterday, but after opening and closing every drawer, she came to the conclusion she’d either accidentally thrown it out or the custodian had gotten it off her desk for the trash bin. She sighed and dug two dollars’ worth of loose change out of the bottom of her handbag to buy a fresh bottle, and then headed down the hall to the break room to join Lucy. As she walked by Jack’s office she heard Richard’s voice, and they probably should have closed the door, judging by the conversation they were having. Caroline paused in the hall just out of view. She knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but she couldn’t make her feet move.

  “…and anyway I have a date with that hot new attorney down the hall, the one with the long brown hair,” Jack said.

  “Yeah, women always go for tall, blond, blue-eyed charmers like you.” Richard chuckled.

  “You don’t have to settle for Misty, you know. There’s a certain petite redhead…”

  Caroline saw Richard blush. “Caroline Benedict is my assistant. My intelligent, efficient, creative assistant.”

  “Not to mention attractive,” Jack said with a wink.

  “I like her business sense,” Richard shot back.

  “Business sense. Yeah, right.”

  Richard narrowed his eyes at Jack. “So did you figure out yet if we can afford to take her on full time or not?”

  “Not with your assets alone. You’ll have to talk to your sister again, since you’re required to get her okay on company financial matters.”

  Caroline thought she’d already heard too much, so she cleared her throat. Richard turned to face her and blushed.

  “I just wanted to let you know I’m back from the printer and I’m going to lunch,” she told them, trying to sound breezy. But she didn’t fool anyone, least of all herself, because none of them wanted to discuss the elephant in the room—her lack of salary and status with the company.

  Lucy was already in the break room, unpacking the just-delivered Chinese food in white cartons. Caroline shoved the change into the vending machine and pulled the bottle of water out of the tray when it landed with a thud.

  “It’s getting hot outside,” Caroline said, fanning herself with a copy of the menu lying on the table and taking a swig of water. “And I’m starved. Where’s that moo goo gai pan?” She tossed aside the menu and began rummaging through the sack. “How much do I owe you?”

  Lucy smiled. “Never mind, you buy lunch next week.”

  Lucy Rosen had been working at Meadows Advertising for about five years. She and her husband Jonathan had a two-year-old son and another baby on the way. Even when not pregnant, Lucy was short and round, but despite her penchant for gossip, to Caroline, Lucy was a voice of sanity who could advise her about her insane family situation.

  They sat down at a table under an air conditioning vent. Caroline tore open her chopsticks and began eating out of the carton.

  Lucy handed Caroline some napkins. “How are things in Bel-ville?”

  Caroline snickered and nearly choked on her food. “What?”

  “Well, I’d have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to know that Sharlene is moving into your—I mean, Daniel’s house.” Lucy bit into her egg roll. “So how’s everyone handling it?”

  Caroline put her chopsticks down and frowned. “Mom’s got a job interview today, Megan’s in denial mode, and Allie doesn’t even know yet. As you’d imagine, I’m crazed. And broke.”

  Lucy pointed a chopstick at her. “You, dear crazy girl, need a career path. Like I’ve been telling you for a while now.”

  “I need to do something fast,” Caroline admitted. “The last of my allowance from Dad is almost gone, and I can’t stay at Meadows indefinitely, at least not without a pay raise. And I really don’t know if I can stick around after the wedding. Talk about painful…” She pushed her food aside, her appetite suddenly gone.

  “So what’s the plan? Tell Aunt Lucy all about it.”

  Caroline laughed in spite of herself but shook her head. “I don’t have a plan.”

  ****

  Susan walked in the back door dressed in her workout clothes: black calf-length capris, sleeveless t-shirt, and worn athletic shoes, her hair pushed back from her face with a headband.

  “Megan? I’m back!” she called out. “Fresh from the gym!” She laughed at herself. Well, okay, not so fresh.

  After the tension she’d built up this morning before her interview, a workout had been just what she needed. Susan never felt like she fit in with those suburban moms at the gym, but she should have. She had everything they had: good looks, a wealthy and influential husband, a large home in the right neighborhood, gifted children. When she and Daniel had first moved to Belford, she’d tried to make friends with the other moms, but Susan just couldn’t stand the incessant chattering about clothes, money, the country club, the latest parties, and the vicious innuendoes about each other. So she began spending more and more time with her old friend Emily Martin, who was then living in Indianapolis.

  Megan was sprawled on the living room sofa, watching TV and munching popcorn. She was long out of her school uniform, lounging in shorts with her bare feet propped on the coffee table.

  Susan walked over and tousled her daughter’s hair. “Hey, Megs. I have some news.” She waited for a response, which didn’t come. “I don’t suppose I had any phone calls?”

  “Mom! You’re in the way!” Megan never took her eyes off the television but shifted her position to regain a clear view of the program, some rerun of a reality dating show. “No one ever calls you anyway, except Caroline or Emily.”

  “Gee thanks.” Disappointed at not getting the important conversation started about her job, Susan went back into the kitchen t
o wait till her oldest and most mature daughter got home. Caroline will care.

  ****

  Caroline pulled her year-old Kia, a birthday gift from her dad, into the garage right next to Susan’s five-year-old Jeep Cherokee, hit the garage door closer, and walked in the back door. She dropped her handbag on the kitchen counter, tossed her jacket on a chair, and went to the refrigerator for a bottled water.

  “How did the job interview go, Mom?” Caroline twisted open the bottle and took a swallow.

  Susan looked up from the stir fry on the stove and smiled. “Well, I was nervous at first, but Mrs. Renfrow put me at ease. I really liked her, and I also felt very comfortable inside the school itself. You know, it has a fabulous history.” Susan paused and a sly grin spread across her face. “Anyway, it turns out being a substitute teacher was pretty good experience after all—that and all my volunteer work…”

  “So?”

  “So—I got the job!”

  “That’s great!” Caroline gave her mom a big hug and then called out, “Hey, Megan, did you hear that? Mom got that teaching job!”

  Megan slowly got up off the sofa and ambled over to the kitchen island, popcorn bowl in hand. “What kinds of kids are you going to be teaching there anyway?” she asked. “Aren’t all inner-city kids, like, losers?”

  Susan shot her daughter a withering look. Megan shrugged her shoulders and went back to the sofa.

  Susan frowned but turned back to Caroline. “I report to work sometime in the middle of August, and school starts about a week later. Your mom has officially joined the working world! Well, almost.”

  “Congratulations, Mom.” Caroline reached into the fridge for another bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to her mother. The two of them clinked the plastic bottles together in a toast.

  Susan motioned for Caroline to follow her into the living room. “There’s one more thing.” Susan approached Megan on the living room sofa. “I drove around Rosslyn Village after the interview and wrote down some addresses of houses for sale near the school. Emily’s coming down from Chicago tomorrow, and we have an appointment with a realtor.”