Free Forever Young: Blessing or Curse (Always Young Trilogy) by Morgan Mandel Page B

said.
    “That’s
okay, Kelly. You have a right to your feelings.”
    “Thanks,
friend. I know it’s way too soon for you to even think about such a thing, but
I hope someday you’ll find someone special again.”
    “Larry
would be a tough act to follow. When you experience love like that, you can’t
settle for less. Right now all I can do is take it one day at a time, and try
not to think about sex.”  
    Dorrie
picked up her tray. “Well, I better get back to my desk. I’m sure I’ve got a
pile of dictation waiting, not to mention countless telephone calls from
prospective customers. We’ve been really busy lately, with all those
reservations pouring in.”
    After
a few hours of alternating between telephone calls and transcription, the
intercom rang, with a call from Roman to come into his office.
    “Dorrie,
you’re doing a terrific job. Why don’t you sit down here and rest for a minute.
I have a few items to go over with you before you get back to your desk.”
    The
words were casual, but something in the way he said them didn’t sound right.
She braced herself for what might follow.
    “I
know anything to do with your husband is a sensitive subject. I’m sorry to
bring this up again, but I need to know if you have any idea where his iPhone
went. It hasn’t turned up anywhere on the Institute’s grounds, and we’ve
scoured them thoroughly. That phone contains sensitive data belonging to the
Institute, and it’s essential I get it back. If such information got into the wrong
hands, you can imagine what a disaster that would be, especially at this stage
of the operation.”
    Dorrie
swallowed hard. Should she tell him the truth? No, it wasn’t as if she’d give
the phone up to anyone who’d harm the Institute. Besides, it would be way too
embarrassing to admit now that she’d lied in favor of keeping the phone for
sentimental reasons. She’d have to brazen it out.
    Evading
his eyes, she shook her head. “I wish I knew where it went. After you mentioned
the phone was missing, I searched the house, even under the beds, and between
the couch and chair cushions, in case Larry might have dropped it in any of
those places. It still hasn’t turned up. I would have told you if I’d seen it.”
    Did
he suspect she was lying?
    Roman
frowned. “That’s a shame. I was hoping you’d found it and forgotten to tell me.
Well, all right then, we better get back to work. Let’s hope it turns up
somehow.”
    Mixed
feelings of guilt and righteousness made it hard to concentrate on her duties
the rest of the afternoon. Dorrie sighed with relief as she stepped from the
Institute into the bright June sunlight. The hundred plus Arizona temperature
coupled with nervous guilt proved especially stifling. At times like this, she
longed for a magical transport to the cooler clime of her native town of
Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Since that was impossible for now, the artificial coolness
of the air conditioner in the Hyundai would have to suffice. Maybe someday
she’d revisit Tomahawk or even live there again, but for now her agreement with
Roman obstructed her from doing so.
    Stepping
into her hallway from the garage entrance, she thought again about downsizing
if the market picked up. The large empty house seemed doubly lonely with only
one person to fill it.
    Dorrie
reached into the refrigerator for the pitcher of ice tea and poured a heaping
helping into a tall frosted class, before retreating to the wrought iron chair
on the patio near the rose bush. Swallowing the cool, unadulterated beverage,
she enjoyed its bittersweet taste. A breeze stirred, offering a brief respite
from the heat. The relief did little to dispel the wave of homesickness hitting
her, not so much for a place, but for the way things used to be.
    Fiddling
with the condensation on the outside of her glass, she realized she may have
turned back her body’s clock, but could never turn back time gone. She’d carved
a new life for herself, offering bursts of