His inability to find out anything at all about Mandi through channels
seemed to bug the hell out of him. When official queries failed, he'd resorted
to overt friendliness, inviting her to lunches, dinners, and even a party, and
he seemed to take her continuous refusals as some sort of personal challenge.
"Well, hi, there, gorgeous!" said Stearns. "I'm about to go get a late
lunch. Care to join me?"
Returning his grin with a small, polite smile, Mandi said, "Thanks anyway."
"It's just a lunch, Mandi. I don't like to eat alone."
"Sorry, Frank. Get somebody else."
Turning to watch her walk past, Stearns asked, "Well, how about dinner
later?"
Without turning around, she said, "You're a coworker, Frank. It won't
happen."
He sighed, "Hey, I don't agree with that policy, y'know?"
With a slight nod, Mandi said, "Yeah, I know. Bye."
He must really have been hungry; for once, he didn't persist. Even if she
were interested in playing, it wouldn't happen with Frank Stearns. The guy was a
good team leader, but Mandi had overheard him talking to John Hartmann about one
of his dates.
Pages:
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33