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Leading her down the narrow corridor, I rapped on Seth’s chamber door.
“Come in,” he called out.
“There you go,” I said, nudging the door open for Claudia.
Then I headed back to the reception desk. I was almost there— I could see my chair turned just right to look like it was waiting for me— when I heard Seth clear his throat.
“Holly?”
He was already right behind me, and I knew it without needing to turn around. The scent of Calvin Klein’s Obsession was more than enough to clue me in.
“Yes, sir?”
“Join me in my office, please.”
Shit.
This was really happening.
I was getting fired.
My mind spinning, trying to remember any transgression I might have committed, I followed my boss back to his office. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in it, aside when I myself was interviewed.
Our two worlds were rather separate, which was fine by me. I liked Seth just fine, but he also scared me a bit. Not that I thought he would hurt me. I’d never known him to be anything but polite, but there was something in his manner that could come off as deadly serious.
“Please, take a seat,” he instructed me.
“Okay.”
I sat down next to Claudia, my mind still racing with anxiety over having to find another job.
“Everything is fine,” Seth said, reading my mind— a talent of his that was sometimes useful, sometimes disturbing.
Claudia and I glanced at each other, the new arrival actually giving me a reassuring smile. I had been so certain I was about to be fired and replaced by her but now we were partners in confusion.
“Would either of you like a bottle of water or cup of coffee?” Seth asked, acting like his usual generous self.
We both politely turned him down and waited to find out what the heck was going on.
“I wanted you both here because this is something you should hear at once. Claudia, I know you’re here for an interview, but we were so impressed with your resume and references that we’d like to hire you on the spot. And although I’ve been very impressed with the work you’ve been doing, Holly, and I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that Suspicious Activity wouldn’t be what it is now without you as a receptionist, but...”
“Do I at least get severance?” I asked, feeling angry and hurt.
Why would he claim everything was fine, only to turn around give me the whole song and dance one gets when they’re being let go?
“Severance?” he asked, looking confused.
“You’re firing me, aren’t you? Replacing me with Claudia? In this weird and twisted game you’re playing by bringing us both here at once to torture us like this? Is this how you get once you no longer want someone to work here? Is it supposed to throw me off guard and make me grateful to be leaving this crazy place?”
“What? Holly, no, never,” Stig sputtered. “I’m not replacing you. At least not the way you think.”
“What other way is there?” I ask, now feeling as embarrassed as I was still confused.
“I’m promoting you, Holly,” Seth said, with a sort of exasperated sigh. “At least, I hope you see it that way. I hope you still want to work at ‘this crazy place.’”
It was like a cryptic crossword clue. I wasn’t being fired, which was good, but I still wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about.
“What are you on about?”
“I’m sorry, I should have been clearer,” he said. “You’re usually the one to handle this kind of stuff and for good reason. I was trying to say that although you’ve been great as a receptionist, I need you for more than just that. Now that Jonna is otherwise occupied, I find myself in need of a personal assistant. You have certainly proven yourself to be reliable and I know you’re up to the task, if you want it. It is a lot of work but that also means more money, of course.”
“And what’s she doing here?” I asked, then quickly turned to Claudia and added, “No offense. I’m just confused.”
“None taken,” she said, shrugging. “I wasn’t quite sure what’s happening myself.”
“Claudia is your replacement,” Seth said, hastening to add, “but just at the front desk, as the new receptionist. Not at the company in general.”
Shit, I’d jumped the gun. I felt so embarrassed. It had been a strange, unexpected situation. But I still should have trusted my instincts when it came to Seth, and I was so glad he only wanted to promote me, not fire me.
Except now I had just made a fool out of myself.
“I’m so sorry,” I told him. “I totally misunderstood. This isn’t a crazy place. I mean, it kind of is, but in a good way.”
He smiled at that, which made me feel better.
“That’s the best kind of way to be crazy. So, what do you say?” he asked. “Are you up to the challenge?”
