“Mazey! Come in, come in,” Cochran called out as she stopped in the office doorway. They’d met over video call the day he’d offered her the job, but this was their first in-person meeting. “Take a seat. I just need to finish up this email then I’ll be ready to show you around.”
“I’m a little earlier than you asked.” She dropped her backpack on the floor beside a chair and sat in front of Cochran’s desk. “Sorry.”
He waved that off. “No problem. I’m just getting this request off to maintenance before I forget. I don’t think it’s a good use of resources to send one of my highly trained pilots out for light bulbs.” He grinned.
Mazey smiled. “No. I don’t think so either. It’s like having a brain surgeon stitch up a leg laceration.”
“Exactly!”
She watched Cochran thump at his keyboard for a few minutes then moved her gaze around the room. There were a few personal items—some photos, a couple of knickknacks—but otherwise, the room was basic. White walls, steel desk, plastic guest chairs, gray carpet that looked well-worn, and a small, blind-covered window letting in minimal light.
It was a box really. She didn’t think she could work in a room like this. Her office at the hospital had been filled with pieces of her. It had taken her half a day to pack it all up after she’d quit.
“Right.” Her gaze snapped back to Cochran when he slapped his hands together. “I’ll give you that tour. We’ll start with the bathroom.”
“Lead the way.” Mazey pushed to her feet, scooping up her backpack as she did.
“The tour won’t take long. I’ll introduce you to the shift about to clock off while we wander around. By the time we’ve gone through the whole building, your team will have arrived, and when Ry gets back, he can take you out to the hanger to show you around out there,” Cochran explained as they moved deeper into the building.
“I met Rylan when I came in,” Mazey said. She didn’t tell Cochran how they’d met last week or that they’d crashed into each other both times. It wouldn’t do for her boss to think she was a klutz.
“Before you, he was the newbie.” Cochran grinned at her. “Now you get the label.”
“Is there some sort of initiation or menial task the newbie is supposed to do?”
“Nah, you’ll just be called the newbie until everyone remembers your name.” Cochran threw her another grin. “Or until they give you a nickname.”
“A nickname?”
“Yep, there’s a few of those around here.” He pushed open a door. “This is the shared bathroom. You’ll notice the showers aren’t communal. Also, no urinal in here. All stalls and individual shower rooms. Lockers over there.”
Mazey was surprised the bathroom was shared by both male and female staff members considering the age of the building.
“We had a local contractor remodel the bathrooms into one when we had a busted pipe a few years ago. This works better, and so far, no one has complained.”
She must have had a disapproving look on her face. “Oh, I’m sure it works fine, and I don’t have any objections,” she rushed out in reassurance.
“Good. Okay, let’s go see who we can find in the common room.”
Mazey followed, her backpack still slung over one shoulder, which reminded her to ask, “Do I have an assigned locker, or is it grab whatever is available?”
“Grab whatever’s available. We did the assigned locker thing before the remodel, but to save on space, we cut back the number of lockers. There’s a few more than needed each shift, though, so you’ll never go without.”
She nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Ah, it looks like everyone is here.” Cochran clapped his hands. “All right, everyone, this is Mazey Novak. Mazey, everyone.”
As introductions went, it wasn’t the best, but surely she’d work out who was who before too long.
6
Rylan cringed when Cochran introduced Mazey. He’d received a similar one from the man six months ago, so when their boss headed back to his office and left her standing in the doorway, he couldn’t leave her out on that limb.
“Mazey, you already met me,” he said as he moved toward her. “Let me run through everyone else, and they can raise their hand when I say their name to make it easier.”
She gave him a smile, her gaze clearly telegraphing thank you.
“We’ve got Kari, Georgia, Kent, Charles, Grayson, Meg. And then we have Devon, Bex, Tate, and Jack.” He’d spoken slowly so everyone could put their hand up one at a time. “There’s another six who aren’t on shift today. You’ll meet them at changeover tomorrow morning. You’ll get everyone straight soon enough. For now, we’re on with Jack, Tate, Bex, and Devon, he’s with us. Everyone else is heading home.”
