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decided to do it April's way. "I know you're reliable. I'm going to get a pudding," she said, dismissing her concerns and jumping up.
    "Get me another milk please," April called to her back.
    While Heather was at the counter April bumped her napkin off the table for cover and reached down to get it and the scanner. She quickly substituted a note when she took the scanner. The note had a hundred dollar bill US attached and said, "Thanks for another nice job - a little bonus." April's grandpa had taught her a little lagniappe and a few kind words, went a long way toward a good business relationship. It would be less obvious if Heather left with the same bag she came in with.
    Heather returned and crashed her new tray on the table. "Here's your milk," she said, with a wrinkled up nose. "That stuff isn't good for you, you know?"
    "No," said April. "Nobody ever told me." The sarcasm was lost on Heather. "Don't forget to take your bag," she told her, then, after she thought about it a moment she decided she'd better be specific, or Heather might toss it in the trash without a glance. "Be sure to check inside it before you throw it away."
    "Oh, OK," Heather said surprised at the instructions, not used to deception and unexplained changes. But at least she picked up on it being a switch and didn't request an explanation why April didn't keep the bag. She worked on her pudding and banana with the same quick dainty precision which made the oatmeal disappear.
    She bangs around, thought April, but at least she is neat and quiet when she eats.
    "Do you do projects like this for other people?" April wondered aloud.
    Heather thought about it a little bit. "April, we do, but just like you wouldn't want me to talk to people about your scanner, I can't tell you much about what we do for other people. Jeff Singh is my partner for almost all of these projects. I do the hardware and he does the software usually. We often make a copy of things for ourselves."
    "I hope you're not upset," she said suddenly worried, "but the scanner was a great idea and it's almost as easy to make three as one, so we made another for each of us. You didn't ask for an exclusive, you know."
    "No, I know," April agreed. "I can respect your reasons. I'm reassured actually you'll keep my secrets. I just asked, because I have some other projects in mind. I'm not sure if they're really practical." That seemed to perk up Heather's interest.
    "It's always nice to have a bit of a challenge. Jeff definitely enjoys something difficult to do. You'd be surprised," she confided. "We've had a lot of people who've asked for snoop gear recently, not something interesting like this project, but plain old bugs and remote recorders. Jeff or I neither one want to make such simple stuff just to make a little money. There's risk if they are stupid and get caught with it and there's just no challenge in it.
    April, this guy is smart," she said and leaned forward assuming a confiding expression. "I mean he is so smart it is really hard to tell you how much. He's just off scale, actually scary. His dad works for Lucent and does nanoelectronic design. He gets ideas that are new to his dad, but his dad brings him back to earth when he gets too far out with bizarre ideas. He tells him to stop and prove out one idea, before he flies ahead."
    "I remember I saw Jeff at medical once. You stuck your finger where it didn't belong and got it pinched. He was thin and coppery dark and smiled a lot. Is he your boyfriend now?"
    "Oh no," she replied, more amused than embarrassed, "we're both too busy with our studies and how we will do business, to get all side tracked in an emotional morass right now. We see so much of each other I'm sure it would happen, but we both take the anti-bonding drugs, so we can keep romance out of the picture for now. I mean, he still looks nice and he's a great friend. I'm sure later, when we have ourselves established, we may stop the meds," she mused aloud.
    "If you get to the