Turnaround Read Online Free

Bingo
before their heads exploded.
    Finally the meeting ended and Becca could fly
home to take a lightning-quick shower and then put her hair up in a bun, since
she didn’t have time to dry it. She didn’t normally wear much make-up, but put
on a little blush and a light pink lip gloss she’d found hiding below the blush
in her bag. Yeah, I need to go through that bag soon, so the stuff doesn’t
walk into the garbage on its own. James had insisted on picking her up, and
when the bell rang she’d just put her cell phone and wallet into a smaller
purse than the gargantuan messenger bag she carried to and from work.
    She opened the door and smiled. God, he’s
gorgeous. James was slim but not skinny, and clad in dark jeans and a
bright blue button-down shirt. His short, dark hair curled the slightest bit
and Becca had already noticed he ran his hands through it a lot, as if he was
nervous or maybe his hair was annoying him. It was kind of adorable to see him
do it and know he wasn’t perfect, since in so many ways it seemed like he was.
    “Hey, you ready?”
    “I am. Let me lock up.” With that task
completed, Becca preceded him down the walk to his car. She’d told him to pick
the restaurant, as she’d chosen the one for brunch, and yet he hadn’t said a
word about it except to tell her it was upscale casual, whatever that meant.
    James steered them into the heart of the city and
swung into a parking ramp. They walked down to street level and soon came to a
wine bar Becca had been dying to try. They served a variety of appetizers, each
paired with a wine, and she couldn’t wait to see what was on the menu. James
put a hand on the small of her back as he led her to the table. A waitress
appeared, as if summoned from thin air, and presented them with the night’s
offerings. Becca didn’t need much time to pick, deciding on a Sauvignon Blanc
from the Alsace Valley, along with side plates of cheese and spreads, mussels
and a Chinese chicken salad. James chose a Shiraz with beef tartare, spicy
calamari and sweet and sour meatballs.
    “So you were stuck in a staff meeting all day?”
James said, when they were alone once more.
    “Yeah. Not much fun, but I guess management
feels they’re necessary.”
    “Management usually likes to hear themselves
talk, in my experience.” He smirked and Becca agreed with a nod and a smile.
    “How was your day?”
    “I got the coolest project. It’s a puzzle box.
You have to solve it to find the product inside. The awesome thing about the
box is that it’s one big piece, folded to become the puzzle. And the company
wants a different fact about their product on each square, so when it’s
completely opened it reads like an FAQ.”
    “Wow, that does sound really interesting. Better
than hearing about how the glossy magazine we send to clients is going from
twelve pages to eight, along with extensive discussion about what would be
included in the more condensed version. That by itself took over an hour, while
the heads of the different departments played ‘my stuff is more important than
your stuff’. My co-worker, Grace, and I were ready to stab our eyes out with
the sporks from the catered lunch. I kept wishing I had a flask.”
    James threw his head back and laughed. She loved
that he seemed to think she was funny. Most of the things she said sounded
dorky to her. Just the fact he laughed at her jokes was a reason to date the
man. Becca eyed him surreptitiously. Certainly not the only one.
    “Been there. We had a client a few months ago
who spent most of a morning describing how he wanted his annual report laid
out. After a while I felt like saying, ‘Dude, we’ve done about two hundred of
these. We’ve got it,’ but of course I couldn’t. You know, that flask would’ve
been helpful right about then.”
    The server was in the process of dropping off
their glasses of wine, and gave James a strange look. Becca giggled.
    “If I’d had one I would’ve given to