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umbrella off the whiteboard. “I’ve got a meeting with our CEO, Dan Hammersmith, in a few minutes. He’ll want to meet you on Monday when you come in. You can go through all the Human Resources rigmarole then, all right?”
    â€œSure,” said Melissa. “That sounds great. I’ll be here when the doors open.”
    Getz reached toward her and took her hand before she could withdraw it. He held on to it as he looked into her eyes, eyebrows slightly raised.
    â€œI’d like to talk to you more before then. There’s a lot weneed to discuss before we . . .” He grinned, mirthlessly. “Before we get down and dirty, so to speak.” He paused. “I could, say, meet you for dinner tonight? Just talk through some things? I think it’s going to be important to know we’re compatible, that we think the same way about things, don’t you?”
    Here it is. Oh, I know you, Getz. Down, dirty, and compatible .
    She looked at his left hand. No wedding ring. She didn’t want to lose this job before she got it.
    No matter. If it went wrong, she knew what to do. “Sure, Mr. Getz. What do you have in mind?”
    â€œAaron, call me Aaron,” he said. He still gripped her hand. “I’ve got your address from your résumé. How about I pick you up at six-thirty and we go out to the Tuscan Villa? It’s in downtown Indianapolis near where you live.”
    She hid a shudder, as if she were in the coils of a venomous serpent.
    Getz hesitated. Had he seen her react?
    â€œDon’t worry. Strictly professional. Do you like Italian okay?”
    She withdrew her hand. “That will work. I’ll expect you then. And thank you for working out the job.”
    Melissa could still feel Getz’s green eyes on her as she walked through the double glass doors to the street outside.

CHAPTER TWO
    Problem Solved
    T hrough the large bay window in the living room, Melissa glanced down at the street in front of her house. The glowing blue numerals on the mantel clock read 6:20. Getz would be here soon.
    She straightened the dark gray pantsuit she’d chosen for the evening. It looked businesslike, efficient. If Getz was going to get weird on her, it wouldn’t be because she encouraged it.
    She strode into the kitchen and opened the wide drawer under the breakfast counter. It rattled as she pulled it open. The nine-inch Gingher scissors had been purchased for a craft class the year before. The knife edges on the blades were like new, and the scissors slipped easily into her handbag.
    A car horn sounded outside. She could see Aaron Getz waiting in front with his hazard lights flashing. I’m just a piece of meat to him. He doesn’t even bother coming to the door . She turned off the lights and descended the steps to the curb.
    Getz smiled at her as he opened the passenger door of his SUV. “Good evening, Miss Montalvo,” he said with mock courtesy. “I’m happy to see you again so soon.”
    â€œThank you.” She held up her purse. “I’m ready to take notes,” she said, moving quickly to keep the conversation focused on business.
    Melissa settled down in the wide seat and buckled her seat belt.
    â€œI talked with Dan and told him you’d be starting on Monday. He’s excited to have you on board. We all are.”
    â€œHammersmith?”
    â€œRight, Dan Hammersmith. CEO. I told you I’d be meeting with him. We’d like to jump right in with a big planning meeting on Monday afternoon.”
    â€œSounds great.”
    Getz was dressed in a gray polo and khaki slacks. Did they look like they had both dressed in gray to please one another? Melissa hoped not.
    â€œYou just need to finish up all your HR paperwork so we can finalize the hire that morning.”
    The words struck her. “Finalize?” Hadn’t she already accepted the offer? What was going on here? Was finalizing the job