"God," Garth whispered. "Dear God."
His voice was cracked and chipped and lined with pain.
His head slumped forward, rested on the table.
Behind him there was a tiny creak as a door opened. He lifted his head to stare dully at the person who stood there.
"Stella? I thought I told you I didn't need a secretary any longer, to write yourself a check and go away?"
"Yes, Mr. Garth."
She came forward holding a tray.
"But I think you need me now more than ever. And so I stayed. I will leave if you order it."
He stared at her. She wasn't pretty, or he had never thought she was. But on her face at this moment was something that made her beautiful. Her eyes were filled with a deep glowing.
He remembered the years she had been his secretary, the years of hard work perfectly performed. If they worked until midnight, she had never complained. Summer, winter, spring, and autumn. Why she had never had a vacation! But then Lee Garth had never had a vacation. He didn't know what the word meant.