He turned, blue eyes fixed on her.
“Well, Peter,” John said, hands on his hips. “Getting ready to cart your impressionable young minds around our facility?”
What did that mean? Then she remembered. The first drive out to Nitrovex,
in the Mustang. He'd mentioned a field trip he always took his students on.
Peter didn't answer at first, still staring at Kate. Then he turned to John.
“We'll try not to let anyone fall into the centrifuge if we can.”
John gave a laugh. “I'd appreciate it. Just had it cleaned last month.” He leaned to look past Peter. “Penny.”
Kate hadn't noticed Penny yet, still wobbling a little. But she was there, behind Peter, bright smile beaming.
“Say, this is old home week for you three, isn't it?” John announced.
They must have all given him the same blank stare.
He gestured. “You were all in the same high school class, weren't you?” John
asked.
Penny nodded. “Yes, I guess we were. Go, Griffins,” she added with a little
fist swipe.
Go Griffins? Kate had to force herself not to roll her eyes.
“Peter, you were the runner, right?” John said, tapping his finger on chin. He
turned to Kate. “And Kate here…I believe my wife mentioned something once
about—”
“She won your Scholarship Fair,” Peter blurted.
Kate's eyes grew huge. If she could have shot lasers out of them, she would
have burned his blue-eyed brain out.
John was nodding, eyebrows up. “She did, did she?”
“It was a long time ago,” Kate said, glancing around the room. This would
be a good time for one these big storage tanks to blow up, wouldn't it? Just foom, and it would be all over.
John was stroking his chin, looking up. “Now, I'm trying to remember that name. Brady, Brady… My wife was a judge some years, but…”
“Mr. Wells, if I could have a word before the presentation?” Penny said, moving forward to touch John's arm. He nodded, following her to a side wall.
Kate stepped back. This was not good. The back of her neck was hot, and she rubbed it. It was like some nightmare time warp. Penny over there, flashing
her perfect panther smile, blowing the whistle, whispering to the judge—to John
Wells. She could almost read her lips. She was disqualified. She's a cheater, John. She cheated then, and she's cheating now. Peter helped her. Look at them, all lovey-dovey. She used him to try to win this proposal.
Kate ran a palm across her eye. John was saying something to Penny.
“Kate?” Peter touched her arm.
“Why did you say that?” she hissed.
He shook his head. “I'm sorry, Kate. He was going to remember, anyway. I
know you're embarrassed by it, but the truth is, you did win.”
“Yes, for about five minutes.” She jerked her head at Penny. “Look at her.
She's ratting me out.”
“She's not ratting you out. She's distracting him. Don't worry.”
She snorted. “Don't worry. The biggest presentation of my life is in”—she glanced at her watch—“twelve minutes. I was already worried. Now I'm just…”
She wrenched out of his arm and stalked back down the hallway.
The conference room was empty, but not for long. Soon, every major board
