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mildly.
    “Damn it, Owen, did I do anything wrong?” Diana exploded suddenly.
    “You handled things marvellously, my dear. You closed the meeting just when you should have. The devil of it is, I can’t figure out why they didn’t just call and cancel the meeting.”
    “Did you see their faces, Owen? They were relieved when I got up to go. It was as if they’d been vague on purpose, and never intended to try to reach an agreement for a contract. They came here and didn’t even try!”
    “I wonder if they might have heard that the Pittsburgh workers were on strike. It’s hard to imagine where they would have heard that, because we’ve kept it very quiet,” he mused. “That’s the only possible explanation I can think of that makes any sense.”
    Diana rubbed her neck tiredly. The rest of the day seemed to suddenly become a burden that she didn't want to carry. She said her goodbyes to Owen as he reached his floor, and continued up to the top floor. When she reached the offices, she poured herself a cup of coffee and collapsed on the couch in Carrie’s room, smiling twistedly at the other woman.
    Carrie turned off her typewriter and asked, “How did things go in the meeting?”
    “Pretty bad,” Diana replied. “They didn’t even want to come to an agreement. The only thing Owen and I can figure out is that they somehow got wind of the strike in Pittsburgh and they’re afraid we won’t be able to make shipments on time. Nothing else makes any sense.”
    “Alex is going to be livid,” Carrie stated with conviction, “absolutely livid! I wouldn’t be surprised if he never worked with Nelson again. They never did like each other very much. Roger Nelson is an old man who inherited the business and who’ll give it to his son to inherit. Alex, to them, is just a cocky upstart who never belonged in the elite group of aristocratic businessmen in the first place. They always resented the way Alex was able to make Peter Jackmon’s dying business a highly powerful company. Of course, Peter Jackmon was their friend and neighbour, which didn’t help matters at all.”
    Diana whistled. “There’s a lot of history involved in this that I didn’t know about, then.”
    “Oh, yes. In a way it’s almost comical. All the businessmen’s wives and daughters absolutely love Alex, and all the businessmen—at least, the ones who are envious of Alex’s ability—hate him.”
    “And how does Alex feel?”
    “Oh, Alex loves the ladies. As for the businessmen, he couldn’t care less. He appreciates it when they avoid him. He never could stand incompetence.” Carrie smiled as she spoke.
    Diana groaned as she got up from the couch. “Lord, my head hurts! Will this day never end? I suppose it’s back to the grindstone again.”
    As she reached the door, Carrie spoke behind her. “Why don’t you make an early day of it today, Diana? You’ve been here early and gone home late for the past few days. Surely things can hold off until tomorrow, if you leave around four, can’t they? I’ll take care of locking up the office for you.”
    Diana turned. “That sounds really tempting. I’ll think about it and let you know, okay? I want to see how fast I can get through the pile of stuff on my desk.”
    In the end Diana did go home early. The drive home was accomplished in a hazy daze. She was too tired to even care when the traffic got maddeningly slow, or stopped altogether. She simply sat quietly until it was her turn to go. When she got home and let herself into the apartment, she took enough time to make a broccoli casserole to pop in the oven. Then she set her alarm and fell into bed to sleep until her dinner was done.
    The ringing went on and on and on… Diana jumped out of bed and, realising it was the phone, made a grab for the receiver.
    “Hello,” she sighed.
    “You were asleep, weren’t you?” Alex accused. “This is the second time I’ve woken you up. Considering that I’ve only called you twice so far,