Read In the Blind for Free Online Page B

concentrating. There was a deal to be made.
She pushed back her worries and reviewed her spiel. A tumble of thoughts left
her frozen. She hoped neither would notice.
    Keller
turned his focus to Rob. “I’m pleased to see you here today. I thought you
weren’t considering a change.”
    “Thanks,
Mr. Keller. All the credit is Jane’s. She convinced me to take a closer look.”
    “Please,
call me Keller.” He turned to her. “I think I’ve been underestimating your
talents. I’m going to have to call you more often.”
    All
the praise swept right past her. She wanted to wrap up this meeting and bend
Anne’s ear. Her career might be on the edge of flight, but she was teetering
too close to unbelievable personal embarrassment to enjoy any of it. She took a
deep breath. Work first, play later, she reminded herself. It was time to get
the boys talking so she could think.
    “Please
tell Rob a little more detail about the open position.”
    As
Keller prattled on, she reviewed her situation. Just because Marcus worked at Club
Blind didn’t mean Rob knew she’d been there. Wait . She wasn’t ashamed of her decision, quite the opposite. She took
a slow breath and released her overreaction, but on the inhale, she flooded her
system with nervous energy.
    “That’s
the job in a nutshell. Normally, I’d take some time to grill candidates Jane
brings me.”
    She
remembered the first candidate she’d brought in. Keller had the woman running away
in tears.
    “Are
you still interested?” Keller asked.
    “I
am,” Rob admitted.
    “Could
you start immediately?”
    She
took a loud breath. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You still need to make the
change worth his while.”
    “That’s
right.” Rob gave her the “I’m glad you’re on my team” smile. “I am pretty
comfortable working as a contractor. I work when I want and take vacation whenever
I choose.”
    “All
right, I think I can take that into consideration.” Keller waited a beat, probably
drawing out their anticipation. “I’ll write a proposal and send it to Jane this
afternoon.”
    “Remember
how determined you are to add Rob to your team and I’m sure we’ll be able to
come to an agreement.” Her smile cracked through her anxiety.
    “I
guarantee I’ll bring my best offer.” Keller reached out his hand.
    “Thank
you.” She’d make sure Keller delivered on that promise.
    After
giving his hand a firm shake , she turned to exit the
office and practically ran to Anne, leaving Rob and Keller alone for a second. She
immediately chastised herself. A candidate should never be left alone with a
client. It was a rookie mistake, one she’d made only once years ago. Later she
learned the candidate had made the deal behind Jane’s back. Now, her personal
life felt like it had a deal going on behind her back.
    “Anne,”
she whispered and tugged on her arm. When Anne looked up from her computer
screen, she added, “Did you know Marcus worked at Club Blind?”
    “Sure,
he’s escorted me in a time or two.”
    “Why
didn’t you tell me?”
    “Tell
you what?” Rob said from behind her.
    “Oh.”
She took her time straightening her back and turned to face him. “She’s already
seen the new romantic comedy that came out last weekend.”
    “I
haven’t seen it. Do you want to go?”
    “Sure,”
she said without thinking.
    Keller
cleared his throat from behind them.
    “Thank
you, Keller, for meeting with us today.” She was thankful for the change of
subject, but she hadn’t gotten enough answers, just more questions that needed
asking. “Be sure to send your proposal this afternoon.”
    “My
pleasure and I’ll do just that.” He reached out to Rob, and they shook hands. “I
have a car waiting downstairs that I'm not going to need. Do either of you need
a lift? He's going downtown anyway.”
    “Thanks,
Keller, we would.”
    A
quiet ride into the heart of the city sounded nice. She let go of her anxiety
and let herself enjoy the moment she’d