Tom Hartman sat across from Veronica Channing and tried to study her face as discreetly as possible. She still looked good. True, her face was a couple of decades plus some change older than it had been the last time Tom had seen her but Veronica had always been a beauty. She had always reminded him a little of Jane Fonda with her big eyes, high cheekbones and wide smile. When he had known her way back when, she had looked like Jane Fonda in her Barbarella stage--all long blonde hair and big green eyes. Now she looked more like Jane Fonda in her Early Workout Days--older but still gorgeous with a dynamite figure too. One thing Tom especially remembered about Veronica was that she was friendly, even to accounting nerds like him.
Back in those days there had always been rumors swirling around the company about her and Ron Schuyler. The whole firm had been buzzing over the fact that Ron Schuyler was once again banging one of his employees. For the longest time Tom had refused to believe those rumors.Veronica struck him as too smart to fall for a sleazeball like Ron. That was what he'd thought until the day he had happened to witness Veronica leave the Drop On Inn motel located on the outskirts of Schuyler Square. Tom had been at the Dairy Queen across the street when he spotted Veronica walk out of the motel and get into her car. For a split second he had sworn that she had seen him too, that their eyes had met across Center Avenue. But Veronica had thrown her beat up Honda Civic into gear and zoomed out of the gravel parking lot, leaving behind a small cloud of dust and Tom across the street holding a melting Dilly Bar in his hand. Ten seconds later, Ron sauntered out and swaggered to his own car looking like cock of the walk. Tom never did eat his Dilly Bar that day. He was too sickened by the mental image of a pretty, young girl like Veronica romping underneath the stiff cheap sheets of the Drop On Inn with Ron Schuyler. Veronica seemed like such a nice, decent girl and Ron Schuyler was pond scum.Tom never told anyone what he saw that afternoon but he never forgot it either.
"I came back looking for work," Veronica said, pulling Tom back to the present. "How about you? Have you lived in Schuyler Square all these years, Tom?"
"Yes, but I don't work the Schuyler's anymore. I have my own accounting firm."
"I suppose you're married and your kids are about grown up." Was he imagining it or did Veronica actually look wistful? That was unlikely. A beautiful woman like Veronica Channing wouldn't be wistful over him or his life.
"I'm divorced. No kids. My ex-wife--" Tom stopped, still unable to believe what had happened to Lynette. "My ex-wife died in a head-on collision the week before."
"Tom! I'm so sorry." Veronica reached out and put her cool hand over his. "How awful. My husband died a few months ago so I have an idea of what you're going through. But Jeff died of cancer. It must have been terrible to lose someone so suddenly."
"Well,we've been divorced for a long time but it was pretty bad. Do you have any children, Veronica?"
Veronica removed her hand. "I have a son--Kirk--he's twenty-seven."
Being an accountant, Tom was able to do the math in his head pretty quickly. Veronica had left Schuyler Square twenty-seven years ago. Unless she met her future husband on the ride out of town, it was more than a little possible that when she'd left she was pregnant. Tom stared down into his mug of coffee, not liking the turn his thoughts were taking. Was Veronica's baby also Ron Schuyler's baby? Was that why she was back in town? It's none of my business. Tom changed the subject. "What kind of work do you do, Veronica?"
"I was an administrative assistant back in Minnesota but I was laid off. I'm back here looking for a job, actually." Veronica sat up straight and smiled at Tom. "Know of any good openings?"
"Do you want to work for the Schuyler's again?"
Veronica shrugged. "Not especially but I do think that I'm desperate enough to consider it. I've been on more interviews than I can count--when I can get an interview, that is--and no one seems to want to hire a middle-aged lady with only an associates degree. I thought maybe I could cash in a few favors left over from the days when I worked for Ron Schuyler."
Tom watched as Veronica's green eyes darkened until they were almost emerald. She didn't look to thrilled to be asking for favors. A shadow fell over the table and a deep voice interrupted their conversation.
"You aren't an easy lady to find."
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