A knock on his office door came a moment before it opened. Izumi leaned in and nodded. Charles pushed himself to his feet and sighed."A boss' work is ...never done," he said as he moved through the door and past Izumi."That's why I haven't ousted you." Oh Izumi, I like you too."The punch caught him in the side and made him grunt. Henrik, with his ever alert eyes, was standing guard next to a battered door with his hand pressed against his right side."You should have the doc check you out,". Lemieux’s been relatively quiet tonight, too. And so has Jágr. One of those guys needs to light the lamp! You know, I haven’t asked, how is school going?”“It’s OK. I get decent grades, but it’s a lot of work. I’ll be happy to finish my Freshman year.”“Any idea what you want to major in?”“No. I have until midway through the second semester of next year to declare. Engineering is under serious consideration, but maybe poly sci as pre-law.”“You want to be an attorney?” Ned said, coming back to his. " Like I said, I've got time," he said. "I love a good story."= = = = =MERRIAM AND BACUSWe were equal partners, Vinnie and I. Our strengths complemented each other and diminished our weaknesses.I was the idea man and the writer. I was also the pitchman who sold the ad campaigns.I wrote the scenarios and scripts and copy, but Vince was the one who brought them to life. He wasn't much in the way of big picture imagination, but he caught on to my ideas better than almost anyone I've ever worked. "I need to be loved now, not some time in the future." I do love you," he insisted."No, I don't mean like that. I don't want to feel left out. If you want to be with Autumn, that's okay, but I want to be included in that."His eyes went wide with shock. "Cammy," he gasped. "Do you realize what you're asking?"She nodded, then leaned in and kissed him on the lips. For a moment he thought of pulling back, of rejecting her, but against his better judgment he let it happen. He had only a moment of.