might turn things around?”
Kate pictured the first one shaking her head before replying, “No. He couldn’t go into any details. The guy said he ran the company and knew that something big was about to happen. He said to put all my money in their stock.”
Kate froze, wondering if David could possibly have been the person who had passed on this kind of insider information. Everyone at Jamison’s had been instructed that this was what was called a “quiet period” in the stock industry. No one was allowed to discuss anything regarding a potential sale.
She crept out of line and walked the last few blocks to her office in a haze of worry. The woman had said it was the head of Jamison’s who had given her the tip. But any of the people who worked there, or even a stranger, could have lied and said they were the president. She should warn David that someone was leaking information.
The office was eerily quiet when she arrived. No one was in the kitchen getting coffee and Carlo’s team was not in the conference room. There was usually one or two people hanging out in the kitchen discussing something. It was odd that even the hallways were empty. Everyone was in their office, she realized as she peered into the open doorways.
She went to her office and noticed that she had a voice mail. She dialed in and smiled when she heard Carlo’s voice letting her know that all the remaining research would be done at ATI instead of at Jamison’s. For some reason, the fact that he’d called to tell her that made her feel special. It was the first time he’d done something like that.
Kate settled down at her desk and was busily working throughout the day.
Her phone rang late in the morning. “Hi gorgeous,” Carlo said.
Kate’s stomach did a flip flop after hearing his voice. “Hi! How are you?”
“Not so good. I have to fly up to New York. I’ll be gone for about three days, possibly four.”
“Oh, no!” Kate said, instantly depressed. “What’s going on? I thought you were trying to wrap things up here.” She wanted to tell him about the conversation she’d overheard at the coffee shop, but didn’t want to do it over the phone.
“I just have some meetings that I have to attend. I was hoping I could get someone else to go in my place, but something’s happened so it has to be me.”
There was a moment of silence and then he continued. “Kate, when I get back, I think we need to have a talk.”
Kate didn’t say anything for a long moment. He sounded too serious. She didn’t like that. “What about?”
“I don’t want to do it over the phone. I’ll call you, okay?”
Kate worried about his tone. It sounded too ominous. “Sure,” she said, trying to be upbeat.
“Great. I’ll see you in a few days,” Carlo said and hung up from his end.
Kate hung up the phone and bit her lip. What did he want to talk to her about? Did he want out of their relationship? What was wrong? Surely he didn’t want out of the relationship already, could he?
Kate held back from thinking along those lines. She had no idea what he wanted to talk to her about so she shouldn’t jump to conclusions. She promised herself that she’d wait until he got back and then she’d find out.
She tried to eat a sandwich for lunch but couldn’t swallow. She didn’t feel well for some reason. Her throat was tight and she had a slight headache. She suspected that she was coming down with something but didn’t feel hot so she tried to push the icky feeling away. She pushed the sandwich away and drank her soda instead which seemed to help her stomach slightly.
The afternoon was incredibly busy. Her staff found out that she was available again and bombarded her with questions, complaints and issues that only she could resolve. She worked steadily through the afternoon and into the early evening.
By the time she got home that night, she was exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open. She fell into bed, barely able to change into a tee-shirt and warm socks before pulling the covers over herself.
Kate woke the next morning feeling just as bad as she had the day before. She laid in her bed and wondered where she had gotten a virus from. No one in the office seemed to be sick.
She rolled over and