Page 7 of Midlife Tiger’s Last Chance

“No, not at all,” she says, but her voice is clearly nervous at hearing from her boss on a Saturday. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” I reassure her. “Everything is fine. I was calling to see if you were free tonight?”

“Um, I can be,” she says. “Do you need me to come into the office?”

“Not at all,” I reply. “Everything’s fine at work. You’re doing an outstanding job.”

The relief in her voice is palpable when she says, “Oh, that’s good. Thank you.”

“Thank you,” I reply. “It’s reassuring to know I have someone as skilled as you are handling claims for my company.”

“I do my best,” she says brightly. “If you’re not calling me about work, then why did you call?”

I take a breath and go for it. “I wanted to see if you were free for dinner tonight?”

---