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She smiles. “I know, but as Hunter said, it’s been a crazy day, and it was your first… so go find your car and head home. We can do this all over again tomorrow.”
“Exactly the same?”
“No. That’s the best part about this job. No two days are ever the same. Tomorrow will probably be even crazier than today.”
“Really?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “Who knows?”
I get up, retrieving my purse from the drawer. “Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely. Have a nice evening.”
“You too.” I nod toward Hunter’s office. “Should I say ‘goodbye’?”
“Don’t worry. He seems kinda preoccupied for some reason.”
“Probably everything that’s going on with Palmerston’s.”
She frowns, shaking her head. “Things like that don’t normally affect him… not like this. But don’t worry about it. I’ll let him know you’ve gone.”
“Okay.”
“See you tomorrow.”
I give her a wave and head for the elevators, feeling a mixture of relief, tiredness, and satisfaction. As far as I know, I did okay today. I certainly didn’t screw up. I didn’t tell my boss I’m in love with him, or actually drool while in his presence… and that’s the main thing.
The elevator takes me to the parking garage, where I easily find bay twelve, and the gray convertible Mercedes that’s parked in it. I giggle, pressing the button on the key fob, and climb inside, throwing my bag onto the passenger seat as I look at the controls. I’m not sure I’ll ever work out what they’re all for, but I lean back in the seat, taking a deep breath and absorbing that ‘new car’ smell, before I giggle again.
— This is my new number, Mom. I’d call, but I’m exhausted. Love you. xx
I’m already in my pajamas, and am sitting on the bed, having transferred all the details from my old phone to my new one. My dinner is cooking, and with any luck, I’ll stay awake long enough to eat it.
Mom replies promptly, which isn’t unusual for her at this time of night.
— We can talk at the weekend, but I’m dying to know, how was your first day? And how’s the car? xx
I smile, recalling the journey home. It went better than I’d expected, considering I haven’t driven for months.
— My first day was busy, but really good. I enjoyed it. The car is great. xx
I don’t tell her the car is a Mercedes, or that it took me nearly ten minutes to work out how to put the roof down. Instead, I sit back, checking out some of the features on my new phone, which beeps with Mom’s response.
— You’ll have to drive up and show us. I meant to say, Uncle David said he’d sent you a ‘good luck’ email. xx
— Okay. I’ll check it out. Thanks xx
I go onto a browser and log in to my mail account, where I find a few unread messages. There’s one from my uncle, wishing me luck in my new job… and much to my surprise, there’s one from SKJ Robotics. The subject reads ‘Payroll Discrepancy’, and I click on it, reading…
‘Dear Miss Hopkins,
There has been a minor discrepancy in your final paycheck. Can you please call me on the number at the bottom of this message, at your earliest convenience?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Howard Dawkins’
I don’t remember anyone at the company called Howard Dawkins, but I had very little to do with the payroll or HR departments, and the message seems legitimate. The logo is definitely familiar. It used to appear automatically on every email I ever typed for Lucian. I wonder what the discrepancy is, but I hope I won’t need to repay them anything. Money is tight enough as it is.
