didn’t think I could stand that place another day, another hour.” Casey lounged on her comfortable reclinerand looked around her apartment. “Thanks for watering my plants, they look great.”
“Sure.” Judy curled up on the end of the couch. She had eight days off, a break in her schedule with the airline that occurred every few months. “Okay. Bring me up to date on everything. And by the way you look great, considering what you’ve been through.”
Casey cast her a wary look. They had been friends for too long for there to be any pretense between them. “Since when did death warmed over look great?”
“No need to say you were damned lucky. You know it.”
Judy was a small blonde girl with an infectious grin and boundless energy. She was not exactly beautiful, but pretty. Casey had taught her to do the best with what she had—large brown eyes and a flawless complexion.
“I’m lucky to be alive, but everything else in my life has fallen apart.” She closed her eyes briefly, then looked straight at Judy. “You sure find out just how indispensable you are when something like this happens. I still can’t believe Neil would fire me after so many years with the company.”
“Neil Hamilton’s a creepy son of a bitch! You’d already been with the company several years when he came on the scene. He’s jealous of your ability and when you rejected his advances that was the last straw. He was waiting for the opportunity to ease you out.”
“The hardest part of it is that he’s right. I can’t demonstrate anymore.”
Judy looked appalled. “Not now, but how about later? Good heavens! Thousands of women have blemishes on their faces and hands. If you could show them how to look good, despite an imperfection, they’d knock each other down to reach the counter and buy Allure.”
“Sounds nice, but Neil won’t buy it.”
“Allure isn’t the only cosmetic firm in the world,” Judy said heatedly. “There’s a Japanese company trying to gain a foothold in the States. I’ve met their representative and I know I can get you an interview.”
Casey’s hand involuntarily crept up to her cheek and nerves knotted in her stomach as she imagined the interviews she would have to go through to get a job. Would she be able to bear the curious stares, the nosy questions? Would the old confidence in her abilities ever return?
“Maybe later, but not now. Just the thought of interviews makes me cringe. I need to get my act together and decide what I’m going to do to support myself. My insurance will cover the plastic surgery, and Dan’s taken care of the hospital bill. I’ve got some savings and Eddie came through with the five hundred he owed me, but I need something to do.”
“Okay. I can understand that. What do you want to do? There are other facets to the cosmetic industry besides demonstrating.”
“I want nothing more to do with the cosmetic industry,” Casey said flatly.
“But … look what you’re throwing away! All that know-how, all that experience!”
“You can’t throw away experience. I’m just walking out on it. I may use it again someday, but not now. Definitely not now.”
Judy emptied her glass and unfolded her legs from the couch. “Need another?”
“Sure. Why not? I may sit here and get soused.”
“That’ll be the day.”
Casey closed her eyes while Judy prepared the drinks. The sudden decision to leave the hospital, the argument with Dr. Masters, who reminded her time and again that Dan Murdock wanted her to stay until he returned, the packing, the call to Judy, and the ride home, had tired her more than she expected.
Casey opened her eyes to see Judy standing in front of her with a glass in her hand.
“I had to get out from under the influence of that man or I’d be jumping through a hoop before long,” she blurted out.
“You’re talking about Dan Murdock, I presume. I’d jump through his hoop any day!” Judy curled up on the couch again and looked
“Sure.” Judy curled up on the end of the couch. She had eight days off, a break in her schedule with the airline that occurred every few months. “Okay. Bring me up to date on everything. And by the way you look great, considering what you’ve been through.”
Casey cast her a wary look. They had been friends for too long for there to be any pretense between them. “Since when did death warmed over look great?”
“No need to say you were damned lucky. You know it.”
Judy was a small blonde girl with an infectious grin and boundless energy. She was not exactly beautiful, but pretty. Casey had taught her to do the best with what she had—large brown eyes and a flawless complexion.
“I’m lucky to be alive, but everything else in my life has fallen apart.” She closed her eyes briefly, then looked straight at Judy. “You sure find out just how indispensable you are when something like this happens. I still can’t believe Neil would fire me after so many years with the company.”
“Neil Hamilton’s a creepy son of a bitch! You’d already been with the company several years when he came on the scene. He’s jealous of your ability and when you rejected his advances that was the last straw. He was waiting for the opportunity to ease you out.”
“The hardest part of it is that he’s right. I can’t demonstrate anymore.”
Judy looked appalled. “Not now, but how about later? Good heavens! Thousands of women have blemishes on their faces and hands. If you could show them how to look good, despite an imperfection, they’d knock each other down to reach the counter and buy Allure.”
“Sounds nice, but Neil won’t buy it.”
“Allure isn’t the only cosmetic firm in the world,” Judy said heatedly. “There’s a Japanese company trying to gain a foothold in the States. I’ve met their representative and I know I can get you an interview.”
Casey’s hand involuntarily crept up to her cheek and nerves knotted in her stomach as she imagined the interviews she would have to go through to get a job. Would she be able to bear the curious stares, the nosy questions? Would the old confidence in her abilities ever return?
“Maybe later, but not now. Just the thought of interviews makes me cringe. I need to get my act together and decide what I’m going to do to support myself. My insurance will cover the plastic surgery, and Dan’s taken care of the hospital bill. I’ve got some savings and Eddie came through with the five hundred he owed me, but I need something to do.”
“Okay. I can understand that. What do you want to do? There are other facets to the cosmetic industry besides demonstrating.”
“I want nothing more to do with the cosmetic industry,” Casey said flatly.
“But … look what you’re throwing away! All that know-how, all that experience!”
“You can’t throw away experience. I’m just walking out on it. I may use it again someday, but not now. Definitely not now.”
Judy emptied her glass and unfolded her legs from the couch. “Need another?”
“Sure. Why not? I may sit here and get soused.”
“That’ll be the day.”
Casey closed her eyes while Judy prepared the drinks. The sudden decision to leave the hospital, the argument with Dr. Masters, who reminded her time and again that Dan Murdock wanted her to stay until he returned, the packing, the call to Judy, and the ride home, had tired her more than she expected.
Casey opened her eyes to see Judy standing in front of her with a glass in her hand.
“I had to get out from under the influence of that man or I’d be jumping through a hoop before long,” she blurted out.
“You’re talking about Dan Murdock, I presume. I’d jump through his hoop any day!” Judy curled up on the couch again and looked
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