"Mary Taffs - Hot Fudge and Peppermint" - читать интересную книгу автора (Taffs Mary)

developed a very personal regimen of diet, exercise, and lifestyle modifications that works for me. It's a
continual balancing act, but I haven't missed any work due to illness for more than a year now."

"That's impressive," Seth replied. "Annabelle's friend has given up most of her outside activities, and she
recently had to hire full-time help around the house. I wonder if the same routine would work for her."

"Possibly, although it sometimes seems like there are more differences than similarities in how people with
fibro feel the disease and with what helps them." Because this was a job interview, and because she felt a
deep bond of sympathy with other fibro sufferers, she added, "But I'd be glad to talk to your wife's friend
and tell her what's worked for me, if she's interested."

He smiled. "Thank you, Nik. I'll tell Annabelle about your offer." He dismissed the subject with a slight
nod and said, "Now, about this job. I'm sure you realize that there's a reasonable amount of stress in any
management position, at least at certain times. Would that be an issue, as far as your health goes?"

She needed to carefully mix honesty with optimism here. "Stress can be a problem, I admit, but I've
found that if I'm careful to take a couple of breaks during the workday and not work too many extra
hours, I get along just fine. My career is extremely important to me, and I make the necessary tradeoffs in
my personal life to allow me to fulfill my work commitments."

That brought a concerned frown to Seth's face. "I appreciate your commitment, but as I always
emphasize to my managers, I want and expect them to have lives outside the office. In fact, I explicitly
discourage employees from making a habit of working more than forty-five hours a week. Barring
deadlines or unforeseen disasters, if anyone's job takes that much time to perform adequately,
something's wrong."

"That's an interesting philosophy," she said. "Most high- tech companies I'm familiar with are just the
opposite."

He nodded. "I know, and their employees burn out or wreck their home lives because of it. My personal
life has always been important to me, and when George and I started this company, we took the
opportunity to do things the right way. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I assure you that if we
offer you this position, we will be prepared to accept any limitations your health might impose on the
performance of your duties."

Nik didn't dare take his words at face value, but still she relaxed a little. Maybe she'd actually be judged
on her professional abilities this time, unlike last summer when she applied for a support manager job at
her current company. Everyone at DesignTek had been careful to say the right things about her health,
but she didn't make it past the first round of interviews. Considering the lesser qualifications of the
candidate who was hired, she was certain fibro had played a large role in the decision-making.

In any case, given that Bill was a manager here, she wasn't completely certain that a job at
Adams-Worthington was quite as ideal for her as she'd hoped. She was no longer the naïve girl she'd
been when Bill had broken her heart, but she couldn't be sure the years had made her any more able to
resist his all-too-evident charm.

**

Seeing a former lover wasn't exactly unheard-of for Bill. He had plenty of them, and a not-insignificant
number worked at A-W. But there was something different about seeing Nik again.