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all. Garvin could easily have named all the division managers at the same time he named Meredith Johnson to run the APG. If Garvin decided to turn the company over to some woman from Sales, that was certainly his choice. But Garvin could still make sure he kept his division heads in place the heads who had served him and the company so well.

    `Jesus," Sanders said. "I've been with this company twelve years."

    "And I expect you will be with us many more," Blackburn said smoothly. "Look: it's in everybody's interest to keep the teams in place. Because as 1 said, she can't run them directly."

    "Uh-huh."

    Blackburn shot his cuffs and ran his hand through his hair. "Listen, Tom. I know you're disappointed that this appointment didn't come to you. But let's not make too much of Meredith appointing the division heads. Realistically speaking, she isn't going to make any changes. Your situation is secure." He paused. "You know the way Meredith is, Tom."

    "I used to," Sanders said, nodding. "Hell, I lived with her for a while. But I haven't seen her in years."

    Blackburn looked surprised. "You two haven't kept contact?"

    "Not really, no. By the time Meredith joined the company, I was up here in Seattle , and she was based in Cupertino . I ran into her once, on a trip down there. Said hello. That's about it."

    "Then you only know her from the old days," Blackburn said, as if it all suddenly made sense. "From six or seven years ago."

    "It's longer than that," Sanders said. "I've been in Seattle eight years. So it must be . . ."
    Sanders thought back. "When I was going out with her, she worked for Novell in Mountain View . Selling Ethernet cards to small businesses for local area networks.
    When was that?" Although he remembered the relationship with Meredith Johnson vividly, Sanders was hazy about exactly when it had occurred. He tried to recall some memorable event-a birthday, a promotion, an apartment movethat would mark the date.
    Finally he remembered watching election returns with her on television: balloons rising up toward the ceiling, people cheering. She was drinking beer. That had been early in their relationship. "Jesus, Phil. It must be almost ten years ago."

    "That long," Blackburn said.

    When Sanders first met Meredith Johnson, she was one of the thousands of pretty saleswomen working in San Jose-young women in their twenties, not long out of college, who started out doing the product demos on the computer while a senior man stood beside her and did all the talking to the customer. Eventually, a lot of those women learned enough to do the selling themselves. At the time Sanders first knew Meredith, she had acquired enough jargon to rattle on about token rings and 1OBaseT hubs. She didn't really have any deep knowledge, but she didn't need to. She was good-looking, sexy, and smart, and she had a kind of uncanny selfpossession that carried her through awkward moments. Sanders had admired her, back in those days. But he never imagined that she had the ability to hold a major corporate position.

    Blackburn shrugged. "A lot's happened in ten years, Tom," he said. "Meredith isn't just a sales exec. She went back to school, got an MBA. She worked at Symantec, then Conrad, and then she came to work with us. The last couple of years, she's been working very closely with Garvin. Sort of his protege. He's been pleased with her work on a number of assignments."

    Sanders shook his head. "And now she's my boss . . ."

    "Is that a problem for you?"

    "No. It just seems funny. An old girlfriend as my boss."

    "The worm turns," Blackburn said. He was smiling, but Sanders sensed he was watching him closely. "You seem a little uneasy about this, Tom."

    "It takes some getting used to."

    "Is there a problem? Reporting to a woman?"

    "Not at all. I worked for Eileen when she was head of HRI, and we got along great. It's not that. It's just funny to think of Meredith Johnson as my boss."

    "She's an impressive and accomplished