Jack blushed. He was not used to being called cute—much less by a beautiful young woman. Putting the brakes on his racing hormones, he tried to steer the conversation back in the right direction.

“Then the position is unfilled?”

“You’re the first to apply,” said the receptionist, rising from her chair. Short and petite, she barely reached up to Jack’s shoulders. “I’m Megan Ambrose,” she said, flashing her dazzling smile warmly.

“Jack Collins,” he replied as they shook hands. Her delicate fingers were surprisingly strong.

Mentally, Jack scratched his head in annoyance. Megan’s name struck a chord somewhere in his memory, but he couldn’t place it. She looked familiar, though he felt sure they had never met before. He would definitely not have forgotten a woman this striking. He dismissed the notion as a case of wishful dйjа vu.

“Pull up a chair, Jack,” said Megan, opening one of the drawers of her desk. She pulled out several sheets of paper covered with typing and a red pencil. Brushing aside the clutter, she sat down on the desk top, facing him. “Before we proceed any further, there’s a few questions I have to ask you.”

Her expression grew serious. “Try your best. The correct answers are very important.”

A shiver of apprehension passed down Jack’s back. Something in Megan’s tone of voice implied that a lot more than a job offer depended on his replies.

“Define a prime number.”

“A number that’s divisible only by itself and one,” replied Jack.

“Explain to me the fundamental theorem of calculus.”

They spent the next twenty minutes reviewing the high points of college mathematics. Jack answered all of the questions easily. He had taught most of the material during his graduate assistant days.

Megan listened to his explanations without comment. She rarely consulted her notes and easily followed everything he said. For a receptionist, she knew more mathematics than most of his students. Jack suspected there was more to Megan Ambrose than met the eye.