CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT - THE GRAND OPENING

On Wednesday afternoon, just as Mara was in the middle of a conference call with the marketing team, her personal phone started buzzing incessantly. Excusing herself from the call, she stepped out to answer. "Hello?" "Ms. Aniston?" a gruff voice came through the speaker. "This is Joe, the super from your building. We've got a bit of a situation with the heating system in your apartment." Mara felt her stomach drop. "What kind of situation?" "Well, the whole system's on the fritz. We need to get in there to take a look, but we can't do it without the tenant present. Any chance you could come by this afternoon?" Mara glanced at her jam-packed schedule, feeling a wave of panic. "This afternoon? I'm right in the middle of preparing for a major office opening. Is there any way it can wait until the weekend?" "'Fraid not, ma'am," Joe replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. "With the cold snap coming, we need to get this fixed ASAP. Otherwise, you might be coming home to a popsicle." M