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So, there was someone else before me…
I cringed. “That doesn’t bode well. Do you know what happened?”
“Not really.”
“Damn. What was she like?”
She shrugged. “Never met her.”
The butterflies in my stomach thrashed their wings. Neil had already made one person quit. How was I going to fare?
“So, uh, I guess I should let Neil know I’ve arrived. Is he in?”
“Yes. He’s here.”
I approached the door to Neil’s office. It was ajar, but I still gave a little knock to announce myself. He sat at his desk down at the end of the room, elbows on the table. His fingertips massaged his temples as he examined a stack of papers in front of him. Upon my entry, he dropped his hands and lifted his gaze to me. His dark eyes slid down my body, then back up again, a look of displeasure on his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose in apparent exasperation.
I suddenly felt self-conscious, and I crossed my arms like I could cover myself from his scrutiny. He said nothing, so I walked closer and greeted him, not knowing what else to do. “Good morning,” I said, then blushed, remembering our first encounter and the way I had used those words to flirt with him. I could only hope he had been oblivious to my motive.
He didn’t bother to return my greeting. “The office manual is on your desk,” he said. “I expect you to familiarise yourself with it.”
I nodded, biting my tongue.
“Petra is here for a few days until you’ve settled in. She has assisted Christine on occasion in the past, so she knows what to do. If you need anything, ask her.”
“I will.”
“If she’s unable to help you, you may ask me if my door’s open. If it’s closed, I expect no interruptions.”
“Understood.”
He glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting to get to.” He rose and pulled his suit jacket off the back of his chair and put it on over his white shirt and dark grey vest.
“Should I come with you?” I asked.
He eyed me as if my question offended him. “No.”
With that, he marched out. I took a seat at my new desk as he disappeared down the corridor, heavy footsteps fading into the distance.
Why even hire me if he’s going to be so rude?
“What’s up his arse?” I grumbled as soon as I judged him to be out of earshot.
A faint smile crossed Petra’s lightly freckled face. “He’s always like that.”
I rubbed my forehead. “What have I got myself into?”
“He’s not that bad. He’s grumpy, but he’s not mean.”
“Not mean,” I repeated. “That’s a pretty low bar. Do you know if Christine usually went to meetings with him? Shouldn’t a secretary go and take notes or something?”
She shrugged. “Sometimes, I guess. Depends on the meeting.”
I slumped in my fancy office chair. Everything was fancier in this office. The computer had one of those extra wide, curved monitors which replaced the need to have two separate screens. The wireless mechanical keyboard and wireless mouse had special ergonomic designs. A headset rested on a stand on the left of the desk, a landline phone on the right, and a soundbar speaker sat below the raised monitor. The desk itself seemed to be made from solid wood. A thick, spiral-bound document took pride of place on its surface, office manual printed on the cover page beneath a transparent plastic flyleaf. Next to the manual was a mobile phone—the flagship Samsung model.
“Is this mine?” I asked, picking up the phone.
Petra giggled. “Of course. Neil sent me out to buy it for you. It’s your work phone.”
