Echoes of Summer Read Online Free Page B

need to work on anything like that.”
    Madison nodded. “Sounds reasonable.”
    They discussed the presentation for a while, then Stephen leaned forward and grabbed another one of her Butterfingers. What was with the man? Why couldn’t he pick one of the other kinds? She would have to stop filling the candy jar to keep his thieving fingers out of it, but that thought made her annoyed, and she fumed inside.
    “What do you say, Madison?”
    She lifted her head and stared into his eyes, completely lost on where the conversation had gone. “I’m sorry, what?”
    “I wanted to know if you’d like to do lunch. I’m starving.” He grabbed another candy bar, but at least this time it was a Snickers. “I always work better on a full stomach.”
    Madison shook her head. “No thank you. I brought something from home because I planned on working through lunch again. I’ve got a lot of accounts that have been neglected with this Doewin thing.”
    “Maybe another time,” Stephen said.
    Madison didn’t respond but stood and motioned for Stephen to leave the office ahead of her. “I’ll see you in the conference room.”
    Once he was out the door, she walked to the breakroom hoping he would head to his office or go out to one of the nearby restaurants for lunch like he’d indicated, but he followed her.
    “I think I’ll check the vending machine,” he said when she looked at him for an explanation of why he was behind her.
    She nodded, grabbed her leftovers from the fridge, heated them in the microwave for less than a minute, and left the breakroom as fast as she could before he tried talking to her again.
     
    ***
     
    Stephen couldn’t decide if anything in the vending machine was worth buying. The sandwiches didn’t look very fresh, and he wasn’t in the mood for any of the frozen entrees. He wished Madison would have agreed to go to lunch with him. Or that he had gone alone. Instead, he’d had the stupid idea to follow her into the breakroom in an attempt to spend more time with her. He turned around to see where she’d sat and was surprised to find himself alone.
    He hadn’t even heard her leave. This woman was good at disappearing.
    He was going to have to step up his game and figure out a way to talk to her. Something about her was so familiar, and he wished he could place it. Maybe it was just that she was the kind of person he’d always wanted in his life. Beautiful and kind. And the fact that she wasn’t threatened by having him observe the project she’d been working on. Showed she was confident, and that was what an ad exec needed. Yet she’d seemed relieved he was there to take over and let her get back to what she preferred doing. He’d have to stretch her. Mold her into the best Carlson had. She did have talent, though. He wouldn’t have to work too hard to get her to the point she could take the business in the right direction.
    It was refreshing to work with someone of her transparency and openness.
    He hoped they’d be able to collaborate on many of the new accounts he’d be working on. Not that Robert didn’t seem capable, but Madison was younger, and she’d be able to adjust to the changing market easier.
    He punched in the number for one of the less-offensive-looking sandwiches and sighed when he opened the package. Yeah, roast beef on white bread with a pathetic slice of tomato and some sort of white cheese really wasn’t going to cut it. He glanced at his watch and called for some spicy Indian curry.
    He arrived to the conference room at 2:15 so he could be early and get set up, but Madison was already there with the presentation out and the flat screen opened to the slide show.
    This woman was on fire.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
    As the representatives from Doewin arrived, Madison greeted them and introduced them to Stephen. He schmoozed them right out the door, and Madison wondered if he was going to keep things the way they’d planned. After the initial introductions