An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [65]
“I thought Stanhope was out of our lives once and for all,” Jerry was saying. “I should’ve figured he’d be back since we’re on the brink of a major product breakthrough. We should’ve been prepared.”
“No one could have known.”
“I should have,” Jerry said, his lips thinning with annoyance. “Only this time Roger knows he doesn’t have a chance of stealing anything, so he’s undermining our trust in each other.”
The marketing people rushed in with their displays. Most of what they’d be reviewing was geared toward television and radio advertising. The magazine ads had been done a month earlier and would be coming out in the latest issues of fifteen major publications.
The advertising executive glanced at his watch. Alek sighed. Jerry did, too. Everyone in the room was waiting for Julia.
“Virginia, please, I have a meeting with marketing.”
“But I’ve got Dr. Feldon’s office on the line. If you could wait just a few minutes.”
Julia looked pointedly at her watch while her assistant haggled for the first opening in Dr. Feldon’s already full appointment schedule.
“That’ll be fine, I’ll make sure she’s there. Thank you for your help.”
“Well?” Julia said when Virginia hung up.
“Five o’clock. The doctor’s agreed to squeeze you in then.”
Julia nodded. She wished now that she’d put her foot down about this appointment issue. A doctor wasn’t going to be able to tell her anything she didn’t already know. She was suffering from stress, which, given her circumstances, was understandable.
“You won’t forget now, will you?” Virginia called after her as Julia headed for the elevator.
“No, I’ll be there. Thank you for your trouble.”
“You do what Dr. Feldon says, you hear? We can’t have you getting sick every afternoon.”
Julia grinned. The never-married Virginia was beginning to sound like a mother. “I’ll see you in the morning,” Julia said. “Why don’t you take an early afternoon?” she suggested. “You deserve it for putting up with me.”
Her assistant looked mildly surprised, then nodded. “Thank you, I will.”
Every head turned when a breathless Julia burst into the conference room. “Sorry I’m late,” she muttered, sitting in the chair closest to the door.
The marketing director smiled benignly and walked over to a television set that had been brought in for the demonstration. “I thought we’d start with the media blitz scheduled to air a week from this Thursday,” he said as he inserted a DVD.
Julia couldn’t help being aware of Alek. His eyes were on her from the moment she’d entered the room. She expected to feel his anger; instead she felt his love. Tears clogged her throat. It would’ve been less painful if she’d found him with another woman than to learn he’d been talking to Roger, no matter what his reason.
“Our ad agency tested this twenty-second commercial and is very pleased with its effectiveness.”
The figure of a man and a woman came onto the screen. The husband was on a ladder painting the side of a house. The woman was working on the lawn below, painting a patio table with four matching chairs. Two children played serenely on a swing set in the background. The music was a classical piece she recognized but couldn’t immediately name. The announcer’s well-modulated voice came on but Julia couldn’t hear what he was saying.
The room started to spin. The light fixtures faded in and out as though someone was controlling a dimmer switch. She thought she heard a woman cry out but even that seemed to be coming from far away.
When she regained consciousness, Julia found herself on the floor. She blinked up at the ceiling. Alek was crouched over her, his arm supporting the back of her neck. His eyes were filled with anxiety.
“What happened?” she asked.
“You fainted,” Jerry said. He was kneeling beside her, holding her hand, patting it gently. “I’ll say this for you, Julia, you certainly know how to get a man’s heart going. You keeled right over.”
“Where is everyone?”
“We had them leave. Alek and I will review the commercials later.”
“I don’t understand it,