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that’s a pretty high average.”
    “It also isn’t an accurate average, since you’ve only called twice!” she retorted.
    “I’ll have to keep track of my calls and your naps, then, to get an accurate estimate of how much time you spend in bed.” He chuckled deeply.
    She cleared her throat. “This,” she said severely, “can’t possibly be the reason why you called, can it?”
    “No, Madam Dragon, it isn’t.”
    “Madam Dragon!” Diana exclaimed, giving up all hope of ever getting Alex out of his teasing mood. “Is that how you see me?”
    “My dear, you might blush if I told you how I see you right now.” His voice had a definite note of amusement in it, and Diana felt a warmth on her cheeks, but forbore to tell him she was blushing anyway. He continued, “I talked with Owen just a few minutes ago. He told me about the meeting this morning.”
    “I’m sorry about the contract,” she apologised.
    “Don’t be,” he spoke crisply. “I’ve a feeling that we’re better off without it. Nelson’s an old lady.”
    “We thought that the only logical explanation would be if they heard about the strike and wanted to push us into breaking relations with them,” Diana told him. “We just couldn’t figure out who told them about the strike, because so few know about it. How are things in Pittsburgh?”
    He replied with enthusiasm, “I got everything worked out this afternoon. They start back to work in the morning!”
    “That’s terrific!” she exclaimed.
    “Terrific as far as production goes,” Alex replied hardly. “The whole thing looks as if it was rigged, except I could have sworn that those strikers were really worried. Now what I’m trying to find out is who would want to set me up?”
    “Can you think of somebody in particular?” she asked quietly.
    “I can think of quite a few people. I just have no way of proving it.”
    “What are you going to do about it?”
    “Come home. Will you meet me at the airport tomorrow morning at nine o’clock?” At her affirmative, he continued, “Good girl! I’m glad to be coming home. Did you miss me?”
    Searching for just the right note of light amusement, Diana was pleased with her reply. “Of course. I had a hard time filling in for you. Your shoes were too big for me!”
    He sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. I bet nobody missed me. Everyone was probably glad to have me gone.” Pathos oozed from his self-pitying tone.
    She laughed at him. “I think you’re nothing but a dramatist!”
    He sounded offended. “I beg your pardon!”
    They rang off after a few more minutes, and Diana went to take her casserole out of the oven with a lighthearted feeling. It would be good to see him again, she thought to herself. She searched her mind in an effort to understand just why it would be nice to see Alex. It was an odd feeling, one she had seldom felt before, this active desire to see someone else. Alex had such a charisma about him, an indefinable charm that made her laugh. He appealed to her sense of humour. She appreciated his wit. She marvelled at how compatible they both seemed to be, and how quickly a working relationship between them had been established.
    It felt like such a luxury to sit down at a supper before eight o’clock. Diana lingered over her meal and read the paper. Then she made a pot of hot tea and went into the living room in her dressing gown to watch television. There was a good mystery movie on and she enjoyed the suspense, the pleasurable tingle of fear that it gave her.
    When ten o’clock rolled around, she was still feeling alert and restless, so she locked up the apartment and went downstairs to the old double garage that Terry, Brenda and she used for storage. She unlocked the side door and, walking in, brought out a slim, gleaming bicycle. She climbed on it and wheeled out of the driveway.
    The wind whistled through her hair and she cycled down the street. The whole night was restless, the trees swaying and