Classified Baby

9780373692729_PL.inddExtracted 1 threads from 9780373692729-exw.PDFUntitled Article 01: UntitledColorado, USAoeIm here to see Ethan Moore at Prescott Personal Securities. Nicole Benedict resisted the urge to wipe her damp palms on her jeans. The lobby of the posh Denver office building was cooler than the summer day outside, but the air-conditioning did little to quell her nervous jitters. The uniformed guard tapped the touch pad on his computer screen, selecting the roster for PPS. oeAnd you are? oeNicole Benedict. I dont have an appointment. And it was a good bet Ethan wouldnt recognize her name. Heck, shed be surprised if he recognized her face. It had only been a couple of months since theyd met at Hitchin My Getalong, a hokey themed bar in the heart of the city, but the hand- some, brooding stranger hadnt been real sober when shed hitched her getalong up onto the bar stool beside him. Okay,neitherof them had been real sober that night. oeSign in here. The guard handed over a digital pad that reminded Nicole of the ones the courier guy used when he delivered her research supplies. The thought brought a wince. Unless she found a new sponsor for her biofuel project at Donner High School, the research would be doomed before the school year started. Then again, ten weeks ago, the conjunction of the defunct sponsorship, her thirty- fourth birthday and the one-year anniversary of her ex-engagement to Jonah I-prefer-blondes Douglas had been the most important things in her universe. How quickly things change,she thought as she used the plastic wand to scrawl her name, destination and the time shed entered the building onto the pressure pad. She glanced at the blank oetime out box and tried not to wonder how long her meeting would take. What Ethan would say. Swallowing hard, she accepted a visitors badge from the guard and headed for the elevator. The deep blue carpet was springy underfoot. The elevator doors were made of copper-colored metal, and etched with repeating symbols that reminded her of the Navajo blanket on her bed. A classy plaque beside the call buttons bore the names of the megadollar companies that leased space in the downtown sky- scraper. Prescott Personal Securities was listed at the very bottom, indicating that it was located on the top floor. Prime real estate. Way out of your league, Nicky girl. Youre suburbs. This is city.The thought came in Jonahs voice, com- plete with her ex-fiancAs trademark smirk, which shed found charming for entirely too long. oeOh, shut up, she said, and stabbed the elevator call button. Moments later, the etched copper doors parted to reveal an aquarium. Okay, so technically it was a glass-enclosed elevator car, but Nic felt distinctly guppyish as she stepped inside and several street- level passersby glanced in her direction. oeKeep it moving, nothing to see here, she mut- tered as she hit the button for the top floor. oeJust a pregnant woman in a see-through box.a&amAndersen, Jessica is the author of 'Classified Baby ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373692729 and ISBN 0373692722.