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Well she definitely wasn’t going to be trusted with anything financial, that was one thing she was pretty sure about.

The vodka from last night was catching up with her. She yawned. She really could go back to bed for a couple of hours.

“What exactly is it you’d like me to do?” she asked, figuring she might as well get on with things before she fell asleep in her father’s office.

“Something that you should know a lot about already,” her father said, standing up.

???

“I’m Ellie,” Ellie said, sticking out her hand.

The young man took it hesitantly. “Um, Toby.”

“Great,” Ellie grinned. “I love that tie, by the way. The color really brings out your eyes.”

“It was a present from my mum,” said Toby, blushing slightly. “To be honest, I’m more of a hoodie and jeans type, I still feel a bit itchy in a suit.”

“Well, as long as we’re working off site then I don’t mind what you wear,” said Ellie, beaming. “You should see some of the things my friend Mo wears to the office. They’re way more into fashion than I am and it really brightens the place up a bit.”

Toby was frowning. “Ooo-kay,” he said very, very slowly, like his brain was still trying to catch up with the conversation. “Um, if you’d like to follow me, we have a meeting room reserved for you.”

“We’re not a formal office at all,” Ellie chirped as she followed him down the corridor. “Hard work and dedication are expected, of course, but we do have fun. Just the other night we were all doing karaoke together.”

She said that to make him feel more comfortable even though she hadn’t technically participated in the karaoke herself. She’d been there though, and she thought that counted.

As they walked, she monitored herself. Her breathing was doing fine. She was nervous, but not weirdly nervous, just the normal first day jitters. All in all, she seemed to be doing alright. Perhaps last night had just been a glitch in the matrix.

There was nothing to be worried about here. She’d been chosen for a reason, she reminded herself. She could do this, they could all do this. And Toby seemed like a lovely chap, if slightly off the ball.

“Can I get you a coffee?” he asked when they reached a glass door. “Tea? Water? Something else?”

She chuckled. “I don’t expect you to bring me drinks, Toby.”

“Um… it’s sort of my job?” He was blushing again.

And Ellie suddenly began to see why perhaps Toby wasn’t quite as sharp as she’d thought he should be. “Sorry, sorry, I think there might be some misunderstanding here.”

“Misunderstanding?”

She cleared her throat. “It’s just that Mr. Darlington said… he said that you’d be my liaison with the company, you’d be helping me with the planning?”

Toby’s eyes widened a little then disappointment settled over his face. “That would be lovely,” he said. “But I think the boss haschanged his mind.”

“God, I’m sorry, I was just assuming…”

“It’s fine,” Toby said, perking up his bright smile. “And your office sounds like a lovely place to work. If you’d just like to go inside I’m happy to bring you anything you like. A coffee maybe?”

“Yes, absolutely,” she said, letting herself be ushered into the meeting room. Her heart was beating a little faster now, her chest feeling a little tighter.

She took deep breaths, counting them in and out, calming herself.

“I’ll bring you that coffee then,” Toby said as she settled her work bag onto the table.

“Thanks,” she said, breathing a little more evenly now. Then she had a thought. “Oh, do you have any idea who Mr. Darlington has chosen as the liaison?”

Toby shrugged and smiled. “I’m sure whoever it is, their tie won’t be as great as mine.”

And Ellie was laughing as the door closed.