Shay was glad that no one could see her, there in the darkness of her kitchen. She kissed the telephone receiver before she put it back in place.

Alice was still sleeping the next morning when Shay left for work. Rather than disturb her grandmother, she scribbled a note that included her office telephone number and crept out. Alice had made it very clear, the night before, that she didn’t want to disrupt Shay’s life in any way.

On the way to Reese Motors, Shay marveled that life could follow the same dull and rocky road for so many years, and then suddenly take a series of crazy turns. She’d met Mitch, she’d found her grandmother, she was about to start the business she had only dreamed of—and all this had taken place in a period of a few weeks.

When Shay arrived at work, she found Richard waiting in her office with the fourth and final storyboard. She was relieved; after this, she would never have to make a fool of herself on camera again.

“It’s a giant, hairy hand,” Richard said with amazing enthusiasm.

“I can see that, Richard,” Shay replied dryly, frowning at the storyboard. “When are we filming this one?”

“Tomorrow, I hope. We had to special order that hand, you know.”

Shay sighed inwardly. “It won’t collapse or anything, will it?”

“Absolutely not. Would I risk your life that way?”

Shay shrugged philosophically. “I don’t know, Richard. You almost smothered me in sugar the other day, so I thought I’d ask.”

“Marvin’s going to be pleased with these commercials, Shay,” Richard said on an unexpectedly charitable note. “You’ve done a great job. The first spot aired late last night. You looked great, even in a bee suit.”

Shay grinned, unable to resist saying, “I’ll bet people are buzzing about it.”

Richard laughed and left the office, taking the storyboard with him.

At noon, Alice arrived at Reese Motors by taxi, all dressed up for the lunch date she and Shay had made the night before. Shay proudly introduced her to Ivy, all the salesmen and even the mechanics in the repair section.

“I saw you on television today, dear,” the elderly woman announced moderately over a chef’s salad. “You were dressed as a bee, of all things.” Alice looked puzzled, as though she thought Shay might say she was mistaken.

Briefly, Shay explained about Marvin’s penchant for creative advertising.

“We have a car dealer like that in Springfield,” Alice said seriously, and there was an endearing look of bafflement in her eyes. “He let a mouthful of water run down his chin and said he was liquidating last year’s models.”

“Oh, Lord,” Shay groaned. “Do me a favor and don’t mention that around Reese Motors. Marvin would probably get wind of it and come up with some version of his own.”

“Is there a young man in your life, dear?”

The abrupt change in subject matter caught Shay off guard. “I—well—yes, sort of—”

Alice smiled. “Good. They’re not all wasters like that Eliott person, you know.”