" I know." Steve Burnside answered his voice small in the wake of such a huge man."Well then you should also know that you'll be on the street by the ...nd of the week." There seemed to e in the large man's eyes even though there was none in his voice. "I've given you and your wife more than enough chances to make things even." Please, sir." Steve said in a soft plea. "We've got a sick baby and my job is barely paying enough to cover all of her doctors' visits." I'm sorry, Mr. Burnside." The. How had it come to this?Her idle curiosity was just a passing fancy, the answer did not matter. She was happy, and comfortable, as if permanently held between worlds, the pleasant lassitude as one is about to claimed by sleep, or in those few, alert, seconds after waking, when the day seems bright and new, before one's problems flow into consciousness like a breaking wave.She had no problems now.As she drifted on light pleasure, she had no will to move a muscle, looking forward to the next time. She had ended up rejecting the whole idea and told the company’s creative staff that they had two weeks to come up with an acceptable alternative or she would fire the whole department. Danielle truly hated being a bitch like that, but sometimes the person at the top had to crack the whip to get things done the way they needed to be done. And after her fit of anger, she had taken a minute to compose herself, then sat down with the department and discussed some ideas and offered some. You should both come for New Year’s if you can still get any tickets. You remember how wild New Year’s can get in here!”“Do we ever!” Karen remembered.Karen had a big smile she couldn’t hide. “What the smile all about?” Janet asked.“Dan and I are getting married on December 31st!”“Oh really, I’m so happy for you both. I know Laura would be too.”“Thank you, I know she would be too,” Karen replied, accepting Janet’s congratulatory hug. She also kissed and hugged Dan.“It didn’t feel right coming.