Dana smiled. “For you, I always have time. Come in. What’s up?”
“I hate to impose, but I wondered if those flyers for the storytelling session are ready. I hate to rush you when I know how busy you are.”
Mrs. Finch was a sweet old lady, who’d given Dana a break more than once on books she needed for her classes. Dana liked helping her out now and then by doing the posters for her special events. She also endured the woman’s tendency to meddle in her life.
“I have the flyers right here,” Dana said, handing her the bundle of bright yellow paper.
“Oh, thank you, dear.” She looked at the design and beamed. “They’re lovely as usual. By the way, did you apply for that job, like you planned?” Mrs. Finch asked, practically on cue. She hefted her round body up on a stool next to Dana, clearly ready for a nice long chat.
“Yes.”
“You’ll get it,” the old woman said loyally. “Is that Mr. Lansing an attractive man?”
“Very.”
“Married?”
“I don’t know.”
Mrs. Finch sighed with obvious disappointment. “Dana, it’s time you started looking for a nice young man. You can’t ignore opportunities that come your way.”
“I don’t have time for a relationship,” she said for probably the hundredth time this month alone. Her social life—or lack of one—was Mrs. Finch’s favorite topic. She used inquiries about Dana’s job hunting only as an introduction to the more important subject of the men she’d met on the interviews.
“You have to make the time.” At Dana’s glowering expression, she held up her hands. “Okay. I can see you’re busy. You can’t talk about this now. You just remember what I said.”
“I’ll remember,” Dana said as dutifully as always. It was no surprise that this time an image of Jason Halloran crept into her mind. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes that would have made Mrs. Finch’s romantic fantasies turn downright steamy. Dana tried to banish the image, but Jason’s face lingered with the pesky persistence of a man on a mission. She didn’t dare to think what that mission might be.
She was still considering the possibilities when the phone rang.
“Dana, it’s John Lansing. Can you get over to my office this afternoon?”
She sighed. She could turn him down now or wait and turn him down in person. Waiting could be risky, especially once she saw the inside of that office again and felt those stirrings of creative energy.
“Actually I’ve reached a decision. I don’t think it will be necessary for me to come by. I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer.”
“Because of the Halloran situation, right?”
She doubted if they were referring to exactly the same Halloran situation, but he was close enough. “Right.”
“I think I’ve found a solution. Can you get over here to discuss it?”
All those dreams she’d had about a career in graphic design combined to overcome her doubts. “I can’t get there before five-thirty.”
“Then I’ll see you at five-thirty.”
For the rest of the afternoon and all during the bus ride across town, Dana was torn between anticipation and dread. What sort of solution could he possibly have found? Had he found some way of getting Brandon Halloran to change his mind about taking his business away from the Lansing Agency if he didn’t get his way? Brandon didn’t strike her as the sort of man to surrender so easily. Besides, would John Lansing even want to hire her if it weren’t for Brandon’s enthusiasm?
At the agency she was ushered into John Lansing’s office immediately. He stood up and held out his hand.
“Congratulations!” he said warmly. “You’ve got yourself a job and your first account. Jason Halloran has loosened up a bit. He’s very anxious to work with you.”
She stared at him blankly. “That can’t be.”
“Excuse me?”
“I spoke with him last night. He said…” She shook her head, trying to clear it. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. He wants to work with me directly? You actually spoke to him and he said that?”
Lansing regarded her oddly. “I’ll admit I never thought he’d go for those designs, but why does that surprise you so? Your work is good.”
“It’s a long story,” she muttered, not at all sure how she felt about this turn of events. Maybe Jason had simply decided he could put up with her temporarily. Later he would find some way to shift the account to another artist. That way everyone would be happy. Everyone except Dana. She couldn’t imagine working with a man who’d made it abundantly clear he couldn’t stand the sight of her.
“Tell me something, Mr. Lansing. Is it unusual for a beginner like me to be assigned to an account the size of Halloran Industries?”
John Lansing didn’t bat an eye at the question or its implication. “Unusual, yes. Unheard of, no. When an artist is as talented as you are, sometimes career moves happen very quickly.”
“But you were surprised by Mr. Halloran’s request,” she persisted.
“Surprised? Perhaps a little, but not displeased, Ms. Roberts. My goal is always to keep the client satisfied. Clearly Mr. Halloran is more than satisfied by what he’s seen so far, as is his grandfather. But you already knew that.”
“Yes. So you said,” Dana muttered.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing. Shouldn’t someone with more experience supervise this account? Lesley, perhaps? I’d be happy to work on smaller jobs at first.”
“Absolutely not. As long as the Hallorans are happy with your work, that’s all that matters. You will be able to start right away, won’t you?”
Dana had no idea what was going on, but she had to take a risk that things would work out. “I’ll have to give notice at my current job, but I could begin doing a few things for you in my spare time for the next two weeks if that would be helpful.”
“I’ll let you work your schedule out directly with Mr. Halloran. I got the impression he
