"What?" Scott gasped, his just-finished lunch turning over in his stomach.
"I said, Scott," Sandra repeated patiently, "that I know about you and Kathy."
"She told you?" Scott asked, his heart pounding in his throat.
"Kathy?" Sandra laughed. "No, she didn't tell me. Kathy would never tell me something like that."
"Then how…"
"Oh, Scott, did you really think you could keep something like that a secret?" Sandra scolded softly. "I suspected it the first day I met you. The way you two looked at each other. Remember, I'm Kathy's mother. Then I happened to overhear the two of you in your apartment one afternoon…"
"Then it was you who dropped the handkerchief and matches," Scott remarked.
"Oh, is that where I lost it?" Sandra exclaimed with a smile. "I've looked everywhere. The point is, Scott, that I don't care. In fact, I think that it's probably the best thing for Kathy. Now she won't fall in love with the first man who gets her hot. So, in case you're worried, I'm not going to do a thing about it."
"Well," Scott sighed, "I can't deny that that's a relief!"
"I feel we had to get it out in the open, especially when we may be working closely together for the next year."
"But…" Scott began.
"No, let me get if off my mind, Scott," Sandra persisted. "Now, if I accept this offer from Hurricane this afternoon, it's true that we'll be working close for some time, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"And that's going to keep you and I and Kathy fairly close," Sandra continued. "What we can't have is all three of us sneaking around behind each other's back. Last night meant quite a bit to me, Scott."
"And to me."
"And I'm not sure, Scott, where we go from here. We need some ground rules."
"Sandra," Scott began, reaching across the table to take her hand in his, "I have no idea what you think of me at this point, but I like you very much. My proposal would be that we limit it to you and me."
"That's not fair to Kathy, Scott," Sandra said, squeezing his hand and smiling, "but I'm just woman enough to accept it. Isn't it awful to be in competition with your own daughter?"
"Sandra, last night I…"
"Not now, Scott," she interrupted quickly. "I wouldn't want that now. Let's just leave it where it is and see what develops, okay?"
"Okay," Scott replied slowly. "But I want you to know…"
"Not now, remember?" Sandra interrupted. "Now tell me all about Mister Stachdt and how I should behave."
Scott smiled and slowly began giving her his impression of the dignified industrialist. He told her everything he could remember about his one encounter with the wealthy man and related the terms Stachdt mentioned for Sandra.
"It all sounds like a dream," Sandra laughed. "I hope I can pull it off!"
"You will," Scott assured her. "Hey, we've only fifteen minutes to get to our appointment with him!"
Scott paid the lunch bill and they drove down to the Hurricane Towers. At one-thirty promptly, they were ushered into Mister Martin Stachdt's private office on top of the Hurricane Towers. Three sides of the office were solid glass and the view of Dallas was breathtaking.
Very much the gentleman, Martin Stachdt walked them around his office explaining the various sights in his panoramic view. Then the three of them sat on a designer sofa and chatted. Stachdt asked Sandra a number of questions about her life and seemed pleased with her straightforward replies.
"I'm glad you're single, Sandra," the industrialist remarked. "Oh, don't misunderstand. It has nothing to do with any personal liaison between us. I'm afraid I'm beyond that point in life. If I were twenty years younger, though, you'd be in real danger. My remark was directed at the fact that you'll be able to travel freely to complete the project I have in mind."
They chatted awhile longer and Stachdt offered Sandra a salary of one hundred thousand for the year, plus all of her wardrobe. Sandra accepted and the industrialist called his secretary in to type up an agreement. When the secretary returned with the typed agreement, Sandra and Stachdt signed it. He then gave her an advance check for six thousand dollars and apologized that they couldn't talk longer, but that he had another appointment.
"I can't believe it!" Sandra exclaimed when they were once again in Scott's car. "I simply can't believe it!"
"I think we should celebrate," Scott laughed.
"Oh, yes! How?" Sandra laughed.
"Well, how about some iced champagne?"
"That sounds delicious!" Sandra agreed.
"And we can drink it in your bed," Scott suggested with a broad smile.
"You lecher!" Sandra laughed. "Why not? I'm not even sure we need the champagne."
"It will relax us," Scott said. "I'll stop and buy some that's already iced."
"Okay," Sandra said, boldly reaching over and placing her hand on his leg, "but don't be long!"
"There's a liquor store…"
"Hey, what about my car?" Sandra exclaimed.
"We left it at the Chateau."
"Okay," Scott laughed. "I'll take you there, then pick up the champagne and meet you at your apartment."
"In bed," Sandra laughed.