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34
Maddy
It had taken some more convincing, but I’d finally agreed to work as Holt’s assistant temporarily, just until we figured out who was behind the fire. The clincher was when he showed me some video surveillance of a guy hanging around outside the office. It showed him following me through the lobby, turning around as soon as Holt stepped to my side.
I had never been in Holt’s office before. It turned out there was a small office space outside of his much larger one. It was simple, just a desk equipped with a computer and phone, and two wood file cabinets along the wall. The floor plan was laid out almost like an H, with Mrs. Talbot being the central crossbar, and she was truly the link that held everything together. Several lawyers and paralegals had offices along the hallways on either side of her. She answered the phone calls for each of the lawyers, advised their assistants of updates to the master calendar, kept track of court times and countless other details that helped assure the least amount of problems. She also filled in for absent assistants, which made her job harder and busier. Hence, the huge smile on her face when she learned I’d be Holt’s new assistant.
Holt leaned in and spoke in my ear. “I’ll leave you in her capable hands. Anything I tell you, she’ll just say it’s wrong and tell you something different,” he said, frowning at her, but his eyes danced with humor.
Mrs. Talbot shooed him away with a scowl, but it was hard to tell if she was pretending like Holt.
“Ms. Stone,” she greeted, “it’s a pleasure to have you up here using your talents instead of wasting them downstairs. I’ve no doubt you’ll catch on quickly.”
“I hope so,” I muttered. “I have no clue what I’m doing.”
“I’m sure you didn’t know everything when you began your clerking job, either. And yet you managed just fine, even streamlining the process for everything to go smoother.” She raised her dark gray eyebrows over her half-moon glasses, kept safe around her neck by silver chains with crystal beads. “I’ve been here a lot of years, young lady. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, some worth their salt and some not. I’m a good judge of character, young lady, and I’m sure you’ll do fine. Now,” she said, letting her glasses drop to her chest, “I’ve asked Ashley to help get you started and teach you our computer system.” She glanced over my shoulder. “Ah, here she is now.”
A petite girl who looked to be about my age approached us with a big smile. She reminded me of a pixie with her short, black hair that curled out below her ears, and bright blue eyes. After introductions, I followed her to her desk where we spent the next couple of hours going over several things I needed to know to get started and help Holt keep up with his schedule and cases.
“Of course, Mr. Andrews will have his own way of how he wants things done,” Ashley said, “but you’ll be able to style all this to what works best for both of you. You caught on fast,” she praised, then glanced at her watch. “Oh, crap. I’ve got to get some things done for Mr. Keller, but just holler if you need me! Maybe we can do lunch sometime?”
I liked Ashley and hoped we could be friends. “I’d love to.”
She smiled and flew down the hall. “Nice meeting you, Maddy,” she twittered over her shoulder.
I nodded and hurried back to my new little workspace. Holt’s door was open. He was sitting at his desk with his forehead propped up on one hand while he read over some papers. To my surprise, he was wearing a pair of dark-rimmed glasses. I’d never seen him wear glasses at home, but holy cow! They made him look sexy. I knocked softly, not wanting to startle him.
As soon as he saw me standing in the doorway, he took off his glasses and rose with a big smile on his face. “Everything going well with Ashley?”
I beamed. “I like her. She asked me to have lunch sometime.”
He looked pleased. “Glad you’re making a friend.” He glanced at the papers on his desk. “I have a court appearance next week, and I’ll need you to go with me, so I want to go over with you what to expect and what I need you to do. Feel like a working lunch? I’ll need you the rest of the week to help me put everything together.”
“Sure thing, boss,” I quipped.
I called in an order for us while he stepped out to seek out another lawyer for some advice. I started familiarizing myself with the computer to see where his last assistant had left off before her mother became unexpectedly sick. The intercom on my phone buzzed; it was Mrs. Talbot letting me know our lunch had been delivered. I cleared off Holt’s desk where we would eat and work, careful to not shuffle the papers too badly.
Mrs. Talbot wasn’t at her desk by the time I got there, but the bags containing our lunch were. I heard footsteps approach me from behind. I turned, expecting to see her, but was met with hostile eyes instead.
“Bitch!” Misty shrieked. “You knew I wanted this job, but no, you went behind my back and landed it for yourself.”
Doors opened and a couple of heads stuck out to see what the commotion was.
“Misty, that’s not how it was,” I tried to calm her.
“Oh, that’s true. We both know with your background, you’re lucky to work anywhere. Who’d you fuck to get here, Maddy?” she shouted.
I blanched. I knew she knew something, but how? Men and women began pouring out of their offices, pausing to watch when they saw where the commotion was. “Misty,” I hissed, “I think you better calm down and leave. Or if you’d like, we can go into the conference room where we can talk in private.”
“Talk?” she scoffed loudly. “Yes, let’s talk Madelyn Stone. Let’s tell all the good people here how you happened to get the clerk job downstairs, shall we?”
I started to shake my head but changed my mind. People had been trying to shame me my whole life. Maybe it would never change. But I could. I could quit cowering. Holt was right; I had to quit letting the past be the definition of who I was. I’d bent to enough people’s wills over my lifetime.
“Go ahead, Misty,” I said quietly. “I have nothing to hide.”
Misty seemed taken aback, but launched forward in her tirade, turning to the audience she’d attracted. “You all should know that Maddy is only here because she’s part of a new program to help convicted felons get back on their feet. She,” Misty pointed at me, “just got out of prison after serving time for murdering a man.”
Several people’s mouths gaped and those who were standing close together started whispering to each other.
