Then I looked back at Richard.
He still would not quite meet my eyes.
That hurt more than I expected.
"Look at me," I said.
He did, finally, but only for a second.
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He was not looking guilty or ashamed. Instead, he looked fearful.
That was the only reason I got up without saying something I couldn't take back.
I packed my desk in silence.
The whole floor seemed to know by then. Conversations died when I stood up. People suddenly found reasons to look at their screens, their paperwork, or the floor.
I put Rose's photo in a box. Then, the brass desk clock she had given me on my 20th anniversary at Meridian. Then the mug Diane, my assistant, bought me one Christmas that said, "World's Most Stubborn Engineer."
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My hands shook by the time I got to the framed service plaque.
Diane stood near the printer, pretending to sort papers. Her eyes were red.
