AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But before she exits my office, I add, “In the break room. The brown door behind the cubicles. Not the white one, that’s the supply room.”
“Will that be all, Mr. Anderson?” she asks through gritted teeth.
“For now.” I click my pen, pausing for several torturous seconds. “Oh, and if you happen to see Gerald, make sure you ask how his mother’s doing.”
Declan appears in the doorframe, leaning one shoulder against it. “Morning, Penelope.”
“Hi,” she snips.
“Is that any way to speak to one of your superiors?” I ask. “You’re all about manners, aren’t you?”
Dec’s brows jump when she flips me off and coos sarcastically, “Good morning, Mr. Murphy.”
He steps inside my office as she clicks her way down the hall. “What was that all about?”
“Training.” I stand, retrieving a stack of papers, four-inches thick, from the filing cabinet beside me. “And maybe a bit of hazing.”
“That’s going well, I see.”
I set the papers on her desk before snatching up a pen and notepad from the supplies I’ve provided her. I scrawl a reminder that Declan and I have a meeting to attend and instruct her to make two separate copies of the stack.
I smile slyly. “I sent her to talk with Gerald.”
Declan’s laughter trails after me when we reach the hall. “Oh, come on. That’s just cruel.”
* * *
I receive a message from Dad on the way back to my office after a project delegation meeting that really could’ve been an email.
Have you secured a sponsor yet?
I type a quick reply with the hope that he’ll be happy to hear I finally got a call back.
Meeting with the owner of Adventure Park within the hour
Great. I’m sending you an email regarding the structural details for the Butterfly Cove project. You and Declan take a look at it this evening.
The design needs to reflect Elite Properties appropriately.
Read as: don’t screw this up again.
With a frown, I hover my thumb over the keys. Just once, I’d like to spend an evening alone that doesn’t involve a late night up here.
But reluctantly, I say,
Will do.
The door is shut when I approach my office, adorned with a crinkled piece of paper taped to the glass. I glare at the tiny purple hearts encircling the thick black words, “Bossy jerk faces keep out.”
Rattling noises from within have me crumpling Penelope’s note before twisting the doorknob. Inside, I find her darting around the copier, frantically trying to catch the sheets of paper spewing all over the floor.
The machine rattles and beeps as her panicked gaze snaps to mine. “I’m guessing you don’t know how to read.”
I drop my phone and the paper ball on her desk, then roll up my sleeves. Her dark hair falls wildly around the pencil, half holding it in place, and her naked feet and hands are covered in splotches of black ink.
“This ‘bossy jerk face’ is keeping you from destroying company property.” I press the blinking red emergency stop button, and the copier ceases its grumbling. “And what did I say about keeping your shoes on?”
Her lips thin with exasperation. “Well, I could have done that.”
