“That thing has been going off every five minutes for the last hour,” she said. “I didn’t know if you wanted me to answer it or not.”

He shook his head, probably more abruptly than he needed to. “No, it’s my private phone. If they really need to get a hold of me then they can call the office.”

She nodded and then walked toward the door, her handbag over her arm, her briefcase in her hand, and her dark, shiny hair cascading down her back and pointing like an arrow ...