Page 2 of Devil in the Details

Olive

Several days later

I set the red pen down and rubbed my eyes, tired because I hadn’t been able to sleep last night then had gotten up at the ass crack of dawn to job hunt.

I placed my hands on the table and looked around at the small coffee shop I was currently holed up in, the newspaper open in front of me, the classified section staring back at me.

I had a few red circles around some prospective jobs, but I was feeling so down in the dumps that I didn’t have much hope of finding anything decent.

Picking up the pen again, I pulled the cap off and focused on the paper, scrolling through each ad. There were a few that required no experience, but I’m sure they were shit positions.

The majority required some kind of degree with a lot of experience—the kind I didn’t exactly have.

And the associates degree I did have wouldn’t hold a candle to the other hundred candidates applying for the jobs. When I said I’d been lucky to land the job for Brookwood, I hadn’t been kidding.

I was about to give up for the day when an ad caught my attention.

Administrative Assistant

Advertising Firm

Maxim and Dexter is looking for a highly-motivated and alert person to perform numerous general official, computer-related (data entry), and receptionist duties.

Essential Functions

· Manage, organize, and maintain time calendar, scheduling, and reminding appointments

· Arrange for any materials required (presentations, documentation, print hand-outs, memos, agendas) for all meetings efficiently

· Take notes in meetings, conferences, and day-to-day activities

· Perform other administrative duties

Requirements

· Education: High school degree

· Experience: No prior experience necessary

· Basic project management ability

· Ability to organize tasks, research, and keep records

· Highly dependable and trustworthy: maintain confidentiality having access to extremely sensitive documents

Qualified candidates should apply by e-mailing their resume with a cover letter to: [email protected]

I lifted my eyebrows as I read the “no prior experience necessary” part. That would definitely work in my favor.

I ran the pen around the ad, marking it with a giant red circle. Then I just stared at it. That ad was the best one I’d seen so far.

I finished off my coffee, folded up the paper, and shoved it in my purse.

As soon as I got home, I’d work on sending these resumes in, and then hope like hell something stuck.

I grabbed the pen, stood, and slipped the strap of my purse over my shoulder before heading out.

The scent of coffee and pastries filled my nose as I left.

I pushed the door open and immediately the sights, sounds, and smells of city life surrounded me. Car horns blared, people shouted, and the smell of car exhaust and street vendor food filled the air. You could practically feel the sun beating down on the asphalt, cooking you from your feet up.

It was all what I’d gotten used to, what I called home for several years now.

I was about to hail a cab, even though I really should have been walking to conserve my funds, but fuck it. It was hot and I was tired. But before I could even lift my arm, I heard my phone ringing from inside my purse.

After fishing it out, I saw Michael’s face on the screen. “Hello,” I said into the receiver as I started to head down the sidewalk. Forget the cab. It wasn’t like the exercise wouldn’t do me good.

“Hey, so we’re all set. I hope you don’t have anything planned for Saturday.” Michael jumped right into whatever reason he’d called, leaving me confused.

“You’re gonna have to refresh my memory on what you set up.” I tried to stay out of everyone’s way, but I was getting bumped and pushed, everyone acting like they were in the biggest hurry to get to their destination.

“Seriously?” he prompted with an exasperated sigh.

“You acting like me forgetting is a sin to the world tells me that whatever you set up is probably not the least bit important.”

I heard him snort through the receiver and stopped as I waited for the crosswalk to light up.

“Olive, I got the blind date set up for you, remember, with David’s brother?”

Then it all came back to me. “You were serious about that?”

“Uh, damn right I was serious.”

“I thought that was just two friends shooting the shit over glasses of wine.” I should’ve known Michael wouldn’t have let it go.

“Olive, you know me better than that.” There was a moment of silence after he spoke. “So, you free Saturday or do I have to break the poor man’s heart?”

A car right across the street blared its horn, causing my ears to ring. “Break his heart?” I rolled my eyes. “Do I have a choice?”

Michael laughed softly. “You know you don’t. Besides, it’s at your favorite burger joint, and I’m sure he’ll be paying, so what’s the worst that could happen? Anyway, David’s a good guy, and I assume his brother is as well.”

I held off from rolling my eyes a second time. I didn’t bother telling him that serial killers had siblings as well.

I mean, having conversation with someone and just getting out of the house after everything that happened didn’t sound like a bad idea. It wasn’t like I had to see the guy again if it ended up being an awful night.

I walked across the street once it was all clear and exhaled slowly. “Fine, tell me the time and I’ll be there.”

Even if it was the worst blind date in the history of blind dates, at least I got to eat at my favorite burger place. So for that alone it couldn’t be very bad. Right?

After I got off the phone with Michael, I was about to put it back in my purse, when it vibrated.

I assumed it was Michael again, because he’d forgotten to tell me something.

Because it’s not like anyone else called me.

I picked up the phone and said, “I promise I won’t back out.

As long as he’s not a serial killer or look like my brother, we’re all good. ”

There was a pause of silence, and I pulled the phone away, thinking maybe it got disconnected. But the number on the screen was most definitely not Michael’s or one I was even familiar with.

Feeling my heart race a little and embarrassment flood me, I put the receiver back to my ear. “Hello?” Maybe I was lucky and whoever was on the other end hadn’t heard me.

Yeah, luck was never really on my side.

“Miss Morris?” I moved to the side, feeling like maybe I should focus on this conversation, because the woman on the other end seemed pretty serious.

“Yes, this is Olive Morris.” I lifted my hand and used my finger to plug my other ear, trying to hear her better against the rush of the crowd.

“It’s Meredith Klein from the HR department at Brookwood Financial Holdings.”

For a moment, I felt my anxiety leave, this surge of hopefulness filling me. “Hi, Meredith.” Although I didn’t really remember who Meredith was, it didn’t matter. She was from HR. Maybe they were giving me my job back.

“Miss Morris, I was instructed by Mr. Brookwood to let you know that he’s offering you a month’s severance as compensation for your time, diligence, and hard work at Brookwood Financial Holdings.”

I blinked a few times, shocked at what I was hearing, but also a little bit annoyed. So instead of him hiring me back, the stuck-up suit was giving me a month’s worth of pay?

“Miss Morris? Are you still there?”

I clenched my teeth and nodded then felt like an idiot for the fact that she couldn’t see me.

“Yes, I’m here.” I cleared my throat again and pressed my back up against the brick wall, staying away from the path of people.

“A month’s severance pay?” I could hear the surprise and annoyance in my voice.

But after that initial frustration left, I was left with the fact that Felix Brookwood was giving me a month’s pay after he humiliated and fired me in front of everyone.

I shouldn’t have been thinking about this as hard as I was, but either hell had frozen over or I was about to see pigs flying.

I listened to Meredith tell me the details about what I’d have to do for the severance package, and once I disconnected the call, I stood there for a moment still shocked as hell.

Huh, Felix Brookwood had just given me a half-assed apology that didn’t even come from him, but he was also paying me for a month, because maybe he realized what a prick he’d been? I mean, it sounded great, but if he really realized the errors of his way, he’d have hired me back.

But maybe things were looking up. I mean, it wasn’t my job back, but it was the next best thing, right?