Page 4 of Too Good to Be True

“Stop it,” she reprimanded herself.

Just like she’d told Kelsey earlier, she had a job that she loved, a nice house in a respectable neighborhood, friends, family, and books. Books offered the best escape of all. When she was reading, she forgot about the affair, the divorce, and the fact that she was getting older and her ovaries were shriveling up.

Instead, she let herself get swept away in stories packed with hope, love, and happily ever afters. That was why she enjoyed reading romance novels so much. They reminded her of everything good in the world and that things like age didn’t matter. Love was for everyone.

On that note, she delved into the story of Samantha and Jason, an older woman and younger man…

Two

Stacy was in the employee lounge the next morning when her boss swept in.

“Just the person I wanted to see,” Fran said.

Stacy had worked for Fran for the past six years, but she still couldn’t get a read on her. The woman rarely smiled, yet she wasn’t mean. She almost always wore the same serious expression as if everything in life merited equal importance. Her lips were often pursed, but who knew if it was due to a serious problem or because she’d eaten a rotten piece of fruit?

“Come to my office when you’re done in here,” Fran said, and then she left without waiting for a reply.

Stacy poured herself a cup of coffee and added a splash of cream. Whatever Fran wanted, it hadn’t seemed urgent, so she didn’t rush. She was stirring her coffee when Kelsey came in.

“Morning,” Kelsey muttered.

“Something wrong?”

“Need coffee.”

Stacy chuckled. Kelsey was not a morning person, while she was. She poured Kelsey a cup and handed it to her, black, just the way she liked it.

Kelsey took a long sip and then said, “Ahhhh.”

“Better?”

“Um-hmm. Hey, did you start the book last night?”

“You know it.”

“How is it so far?”

“You know the rules. We don’t talk about the book club pick until the next meeting.”

“Ugh. You’re such a rule-follower.”

“Speaking of that, I have to go. Fran’s waiting for me in her office.”

“Suck-up.”

Stacy laughed and hurried out of the lounge. Whatever Fran had to say might not be urgent, but she was still the boss. On her way down the hall, Stacy nodded and said hello to some of her coworkers. Most of them were friendly, but there were always a few bad apples in every batch.

What is it with the fruit metaphors today? Maybe I need to eat a banana.

“Close the door, please,” Fran said when Stacy entered her office.

Uh-oh. It wasn’t often that Fran conducted a closed-door meeting. Whatever this was, it must be important.

Stacy sat in the chair across from Fran’s oversized desk, clutching her warm coffee cup. “Should I have brought a notepad?”

“No, no,” Fran said, flapping her hand. “This won’t take long.”

Stacy’s curiosity was piqued, but there was no rushing Fran. Even though she claimed it wouldn’t take long, she could be long-winded. Stacy settled into the chair, thinking she might be there a while.