Page 13
“Left side,” Devon guided her.
“Oh, there it is. Man, you’re so good at this.”
“To be fair, I’ve had years of training.”
The sweet woman laughed, and Devon smiled.
Carol Jenkins was the office manager for one of the smaller medical-billing companies Devon contracted with, which meant technology was very much a part of the woman’s job. Fortunately for Carol, there were people like Devon.
For the next several minutes, she walked the other woman through changing the permissions on a group of archived account files. Devon could have completed the task herself in seconds, but Carol needed to know how to do it on her own.
“There.” Carol sounded positively pleased with herself. “It says the permissions have been updated.”
“Because they have.” Devon grinned. “Good job.”
“I did it.”
“Yes, you did. And now, the next time your boss needs you to run the year-end reports, you’ll know how to do it.”
“Thanks, Devon. Seriously. I would’ve been staring at that screen until lunch.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“And thank God you are.” Carol chuckled.
They said their goodbyes, and Devon disconnected the call.
She pulled off her headset and placed it beside the keyboard before letting her head fall against the back of her chair. Silence immediately filled the room.
Willow’s tail swept lazily across a stack of printed invoices. Devon ignored them and stared up at the ceiling.
“Well, Willow Bear. That’s another life saved.” She sat up and began petting the purring feline behind her left ear.
Devon’s gaze mindlessly traveled to the office window. The tension in her shoulders momentarily relaxed. It was still locked.
Just like the last time you checked, and the time before that.
The secondary latch she’d installed herself also remained firmly in place.
She looked toward the hallway. The apartment door was out of sight from where she sat. Even so, she knew every lock on it was engaged.
They always were.
Devon pushed herself to her feet. “Time for a snack, kitty cat.”
Willow’s head lifted with another slow yawn.
“Oh, sure. Now you’re interested in what I have to say.”
The cat hopped gracefully from the desk to the chair, then down to the floor. She followed Devon down the short hallway, her fluffy tail held high.
In the kitchen, she stood with the refrigerator door open before grabbing a can of diet soda. Her stomach growled as she reached up and pulled a bag of pretzels from one of the cabinets.
Willow sat directly behind her, staring up expectantly.
“Sorry, Charlie. These aren’t for you.”
She carried her drink and snack into the living room, bending one leg beneath her as she settled onto the couch. Within seconds, her furry shadow was curled up beside her.
