“No,” I said.
The cold and lengthy stare this earned was reward in and of itself.
I smiled, trying to suppress the giddy laugh fighting to break out.
“No,” I said again.
I turned back toward my computer and started scrolling through emails.
“No?” she gasped after the initial shock had finally worn off. I had clicked through three unimportant emails by then.
I turned back toward her.
“Live not by lies,” I quoted to her. “I could lie and say, ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ when there is nothing I can do. You need to face the facts.”
Tale Told 