Just Like Em. Marion Ekholm

be a decent thing left in the stores.”

      “That’s ridiculous.” He looked back at his computer in despair. He’d lost the file he’d worked on all evening and had spent the past hour trying to regain the information. Nothing had gone right today.

      “Why can’t you take me this weekend?” Samantha droned on in a voice that rubbed his nerves raw. “Arizona Mills is having special sales and...”

      He swiveled to face her and slammed his elbow against the computer in the process. He bit down on his tongue to keep from swearing. “You know why, Samantha. I’m taking the boys camping this...”

      “The boys. The boys. That’s all that matters to you. You don’t care what happens to me. No one does.”

      He turned back to his computer. “Speak to Sophia.”

      “She’s wrapped up in her wedding and her move to Tucson. She doesn’t have any time for me.”

      Sophia planned to leave in two weeks, and he still had no idea how to replace her. Roger made a mental note to call an employment agency the next day. “How about Aunt Jodie?”

      “She has other plans.”

      Roger closed his eyes and rubbed the lids in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure building behind them. Today, three more people left for different jobs, two transferred within the company and another just quit, accepting the offered severance. If only he could do that, leave right now and walk away with a severance based on all the years he’d spent at Metro. With a sigh, he knew he’d never do that. Completing this task at work had become a moral obligation.

      “I’ll spend the whole weekend with nothing to do,” Samantha continued.

      “Would you rather come with us to Prescott?”

      “No. I’d rather go shopping!” she shouted as she stomped into the family room. A moment later he heard her heavy steps on the stairs. A door slammed. Damn. Roger leaned back in his seat and stared at his monitor.

      Oh, if he could only ditch this whole mess. His mind was pulled in too many directions. One problem got solved and two jumped in to take its place. He still hadn’t found someone to help ease the load. If only he could hire Em. He was certain she’d never lose a whole file, or if she did, she’d know how to recover it.

      Every time he found a chore he’d normally put in an administrative assistant’s competent hands, he thought of how well Em would handle it. No one in the group of displaced employees had demonstrated any of the skills he needed. Continuing to muse, he visualized Em recovering the file and giving him a chance for a full night’s sleep instead of one with recurring nightmares.

      He glanced across the desk and saw Karen staring at him. Would she think he was obsessing? Probably. She’d always managed to help him cope. Help him relax. Oh, he could really use one of her backrubs. Every nerve in his body longed for attention. Except for his morning swim, he hadn’t even had a chance to exercise.

      What would Karen’s reaction be if he told her how his opinion of Em had changed? Instead of that teenaged brat, he saw an attractive woman with a delightful sense of humor. He mused a moment longer, remembering the pleasant afternoon they’d spent. He returned his attention to Karen’s picture, and a sensation of guilt hit him unexpectedly. Ever since he’d met his wife, no other woman had captured his interest.

      He and Karen had talked about how his life had to go on after her death. She had insisted he find someone to take her place and give their children the mothering they needed. Roger focused on Karen’s smiling face. But no other woman could fill my life the way you did. A man couldn’t expect to experience heaven more than once in a lifetime.

      Roger chewed over his predicament. Okay, so Em was the first woman he’d even noticed since...since he’d met Karen. But he doubted Em could ever have any interest in him. For that matter, she acted nervous and preoccupied around him. Why? And he couldn’t forget how much she’d hated him during that summer spent with his family. What had he done to create such animosity? One prank after another. If he had acted on his feelings at that time and strangled her, he’d probably still be in jail.

      Roger stood and stretched. He had to find a way to retrieve that file so he could present it the next day. From the way Em handled her computer, he felt sure she would know what to do. She had offered to help. He scratched his head and tried to think how he could broach the subject. If she was willing to come here, he’d treat the whole thing as a business deal. Before he could change his mind, Roger reached for the yellow pad where he had scratched Em’s number and dialed.

      “You know anything about retrieving lost data on a computer?” he asked the moment she answered. “I had about four hours of work go into never-never land, and I’m having an impossible time trying to find it.”

      “Is this Roger?” a hesitant voice asked.

      He grabbed a hank of hair and pulled. “Yeah. Sorry, Em, I...”

      “This is Doris. I’ll see if she’s still up.”

      Roger glanced at his watch. Ten o’clock! Why hadn’t he checked the time before calling? He was about to hang up, when Em said, “Hi, Roger. Mom said your computer crashed.”

      “No. It’s just a lost file. Listen, I’m sorry I called. It’s late and you have to go to work tomorrow.”

      “We both do. I may be able to help. What’s your address?”

      * * *

      EM BUSIED HERSELF in front of the bathroom mirror, removing the night cream she’d applied. She stifled a yawn. If it was nothing more than a lost file, she’d be back and in bed in no time. She fiddled with removing several curlers she’d put in before going to bed. The curls she’d planned for the next day would have to wait.

      “Aren’t you primping a lot just to fix a computer?”

      Em took a quick look at her mother leaning against the bathroom doorjamb. “I don’t want to look as though I just got out of bed, Mom. Give me a break.”

      “You planning to go au natural?”

      Em glanced down at the sleeveless T-shirt she used for sleeping. “I plan to change.” Her mother hadn’t shown this much interest in her attire since she was a teenager. Em glanced back at her mother, an edge to her reply. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

      Doris chuckled as she turned away. “He still walks on water.”

      Em stopped and stared at her image. Was she giving Roger’s sudden need for her help too much importance? After all, more than ten days had gone by without a call. He had sent a card: a short, formal thank-you to tell her how much the boys had appreciated the swim party, the meal, and how much he’d appreciated her help. But nothing personal such as “I’d like to see more of you.”

      Something unknown, maybe common sense or karma, had kept her from taking that job with Roger. Close contact with him might have ended with her making a fool of herself. Too many of her friends had become involved in office romances and lived to regret it. Before she could reconsider and take the job Roger offered, she approached her boss and told him she’d like to accept the full-time position the company offered her. It was a done deal before the end of the week, with increased pay and eventual medical benefits for Sammy.

      Right now, thanks to their sons, she had a fragile friendship with Roger. She wasn’t about to ruin it and make a fool of herself. She’d provide the help he needed and get home as quickly as possible.

      Em brushed her hair roughly, enough to make it sting with static electricity. She found the sports bra she had discarded earlier, pulled on a clean T-shirt and slipped into shorts. With a quick look in the mirror, she decided even her mother would approve.

      * * *

      THE WHITE STUCCO walls glared under the porch light as Roger paced outside his front door. Nervousness churned in his stomach. What if she couldn’t recover his file? He told himself all this anxiety had