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Marcia nodded. "I've heard about that happening, people wandering around offices, trying to look like they belong and stealing laptops when no one is looking. You caught him?"
"I don't know about catching, but I saw him and yelled for help, so he was caught."
Gemma gave me a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Way to go, Katie. How'd you know he didn't belong, since you're so new?"
Oops. Maybe I should have thought this through before I blurted anything out. "He really looked like he didn't belong, and he looked like he didn't expect anyone to see him there." And that would be because he was invisible to everyone but me, but I definitely needed to leave that part out. I shrugged. "He just looked suspicious, and my instincts kicked in."
"How'd you get that lump, then?" Marcia asked, her eyes full of concern. "Did he hurt you?"
"He tried to take off when I yelled, so I grabbed onto him until Security got there, but he shook me off and I hit a wall. But I'm okay. They had someone take care of me at the office."
Marcia frowned. "This place you're working isn't dangerous, is it?"
That one was going to be a challenge to answer with any degree of honesty because you need a pretty good idea of the truth before you can come up with a good cover, and I didn't really know the truth. "I don't know that it's any more dangerous than any other place." That is, any other place that wasn't in the middle of a magical war against an evil rogue wizard.
"You win the prize for most interesting second day on the job," Gemma said with a grin.
"It gets better. Well, maybe not better, but there is more."
"The security guard who came to your rescue was incredibly buff and handsome, and he wants to take you out to dinner this weekend?" Gemma asked hopefully.
"Not exactly." The person who'd come to my rescue was incredibly handsome, and when he'd been helping me up to Merlin's office, I'd noticed that he had some decent muscles. On the other hand, the security guard who'd shown up was made of stone and had wings. As far as I knew, neither of them wanted to take me out to dinner this weekend. I didn't want to delve too deeply into this particular topic. "Actually, these two things aren't directly related. I got assigned to a pretty important new project."
"That's better than a studly security guard, especially if it gets you some executive attention," Marcia said. "It could be your first step on your way to the top."
Gemma rolled her eyes. "Don't sneeze at studly security guards. If one was cute, maybe you should ask him to dinner to thank him for coming to your rescue."
"We're talking about Katie's career," Marcia said. "That's the priority."
"That's coming from someone who hasn't experienced a studly security guard who's feeling like a hero. Otherwise, you'd have a totally different opinion."
I held up my hands in the T-shaped time-out signal. "Whoa, guys, hang on here a second. Can I finish telling my story before you decide whether my career or my love life is more important?"
"Sorry," they said in unison. Then Marcia asked, "What kind of project is it?"
"They haven't done much marketing at this company, so they want my input on a marketing plan."
"That's terrific!" Marcia said. "Just watch, you'll have a private office and a title before you know it."
The funny thing was, as exciting as my news was to them, I'd left out the most interesting parts of the story, like the invisible man, the powerful (and gorgeous) young wizard, and the fact that I was working for Merlin. It was frustrating that I had to keep the most exciting aspects of my life such a secret, even from my closest friends. I knew I'd have to be careful not to let anything slip in a rush of enthusiasm.
"What are you two doing Friday night?" Gemma asked, changing the subject before I was tempted to say more.
"I don't know. Why?"
"I may have another setup for us."
Marcia groaned. "I don't think I've recovered from the last one. Are you sure that guy wasn't a carrier of African sleeping sickness?"
"He wasn't so bad. And he was good-looking. He's also pretty rich. What about you, Katie?"
I tried not to groan. What with having to come up with the plan that would buy some powerful wizards time to save the world from magical evil, I didn't feel like dealing with a blind date. "I'll have to get back to you on that," I said. "With this project, I may be working late."
"Not on a Friday, silly. Just let me know when you're sure."
For the first time in my life I hoped I'd be working late on a Friday.
* * *
