Free Unravelled by Kirsten Lee Page B

security gate.
    “As you wish.” He gives the hole a last look before he walks over to his booth and opens the gate for me. No sooner have I gone through the gate, that I see Roger pick up the phone to share my latest mishap with Rose and everyone else with one functioning ear and a phone. I park Bomb and hope to blazers that it doesn’t rain today.
    Ray’s reaction when I step into my office does not surprise me. “You look...um...interesting.”
    Interesting. This is the word everyone uses when there is no diplomatic way of telling you exactly how bad you look. I give Ray a dirty look and throw myself down in the chair behind my desk. He’s sitting at his desk looking decidedly fresh and ‘designed’.
    “I’m going home to change before the meeting, don’t worry. And I’ll do my hair,” I add when I notice the focus of his Ray’s obvious concern. So much for dressing with such great care this morning. I especially spent extra time on my hair and now it looks like the dust monster sneezed on it.
    “Have you seen it?” He talks about my hair as if it is an alien life form.
    “As a matter of fact, I have and I’ve tried to flatten it, but this,” I point at my head, “is the result and since I don’t have to look at it, I don’t care.” Not totally the truth, but it sounded good when I said it to my reflection in the mirror in the lady’s wash room. I desperately need to change this topic and choose another just as annoying topic. “Have you seen Mr Wall...um... Mr Montgomery?” Blast! I need to keep that name only in my head and never let that slip again. See what happens when a city girl gets too much fresh air. Ray looks at me strangely for a moment and then decides that it is not worth pursuing.
    “No, he’s not back yet, but Agatha says he’ll be back in time for tonight’s meeting.”
    “Well, he’d better.” I swear, if that man leaves me alone tonight to run the meeting, I will paint his bedroom walls with the glue they use for flypaper. I give myself a moment to think up other ways of executing revenge on Mr Wall Street if he does not show up tonight, but then turn my attention back to my desk. I double check the agenda for tonight on-screen before I print it out and then print enough copies of the current progress report, so that we can go through it and discuss it at length tonight. Hopefully with Mr Wall Street present.

 
    Chapter 7
     
     
     
     
    I look fantastic. I know it, because I am wearing an outfit that had Juan gasp for air and Erin frown the first time I wore it. Apparently it is the perfect mixture of sexy, feminine and professional wear. I did as I promised and went home to clean up before the meeting. I donned this little power suit, put my feet in the appropriate shoes and carefully did my hair and make-up. I even refused to drink any of the juices on the conference table in fear that I might spill on my still pristine look.
    Ray and I arrived early to set the conference up. Not that there is much to set up. In small towns like Villsburg, the conference room in the municipal building seems to take us back to the time warp so many of its citizens seem to be caught in. I am sure that not a single piece of furniture in this room had been put together in this century. I brought my laptop for the presentation and that is the only piece of technology in the whole room. I find such simplicity rather quaint. Since the committee exists of only four members, Mr Wall Street and myself, I am not worried that my laptop screen would be too small for the presentation and place it at the head of the table where I will be sitting.
    What I am worried about is that the buttons of my suit-jacket will pop off. I can’t remember this particular suit sitting so tight the last time I wore it. Maybe that is why Juan gasped for air and Erin frowned. A flood of doubts wash through my head. Is this outfit too sexy for this meeting? Should I go home and change? Why is the jacket so tight? Have