No Need For Love

‘Hannah?’ Sally rapped lightly against the half-open door and smiled brightly. ‘Oh. Mr MacLean. Sorry to bother you, sir. I didn’t realise you were in yet. I was going to ask Hannah if she wanted to take her coffeebreak now, but if she’s busy...’

Sally’s words faded as Grant swung towards her, his face a cold mask.

‘At this hour?’ He frowned as he looked past the two women to the wall clock in the outer office.

Sally cleared her throat. ‘Well, sir, those of us who get in early usually go to the lunch room for coffee and a Danish just about—’

‘Spare me the details, please. I don’t care what you have or where you have it, just as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work. You will have the material I want on my desk by one, Hannah, won’t you?’

Somehow, Hannah nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘Good.’

The door swung closed. Sally stared at it in silence, and then she gave a dramatic shudder.

‘Brrr,’ she said. ‘The temperature goes down fifty degrees when he’s around. Honestly, I don’t know how you put up with it! Well, never mind. Listen, wait until I tell you what Betty said when she saw that nightgown...’

Hannah smiled faintly as she followed the other girl into the corridor, even managing to look as if she was listening to Sally’s story and laugh when the other girl laughed. But she didn’t really hear anything she was saying. She was, indeed, still caught in that moment when Grant had looked at her with the memory of last night burning deep in his eyes.

What might have happened if Sally hadn’t come bursting in?