Simply Mad (Girls of Wonder Lane Book 1)

by Christina Coryell

  “You’re going to be my assistant.”

  Oh, no. No, no, no.

  “But Dina’s your assistant.”

  “Oh, forget about Dina,” he states with a wave of his hand. “She’s my secretary. She’s great with paperwork and all that stuff, but you are going to be my right hand man. Or woman, I should say. I’ve got all kinds of ideas, and you’re going to help me see them through.”

  “I really don’t want to take Dina’s office. That doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Dina doesn’t care. Besides, with her sitting in the hallway, she’ll be better able to greet my guests. It will all work out for the best.”

  No wonder Dina was so hateful. I don’t blame her, being relegated to the hallway to make room for new blood.

  “Oh, I almost forgot the best part,” he says eagerly, practically jumping. “Wait right here!” He steps out of the doorway and into his own office.

  I don’t want to be Cooper’s assistant. I cannot imagine having to work with this lunatic day in and day out. After a year or so, I will probably have to check myself into an institution!

  Ding-dong.

  What was that, a doorbell? I didn’t see a doorbell outside Cooper’s office.

  Ding-dong.

  “Did you hear it?” he calls.

  “Yes,” I acknowledge, moving into the doorway so I can see him. “It’s a doorbell.”

  He claps his hands together loudly. “Technically correct, but it’s so much more than that. You see, I had this doorbell installed in your office, and the other end is installed right here under my desk. Every time I need you, I’ll just ring the bell.”

  It’s worse than I thought. Cooper doesn’t want an assistant. He wants a lap dog.

  “It’s pretty ingenious, isn’t it?” he wonders, his eyes twinkling. Against my better judgment, I nod slightly, desperately wishing to get away. Why did I even come up here in the first place?

  “How did you like the tree frogs?” he bellows, plopping down in his chair.

  “They’re nice,” I say as he nods vigorously.

  “Yes, I suspected as much. Monday morning, you just come straight up here. There are a lot of things I want to get done, so we’ll get started right away. Now, there was something you wanted to talk to me about, wasn’t there?”

  Oh, yeah, Katie. I almost forgot.

  “Actually, yes.” How do I word this? “My coworker in the marketing department, Katie Green–I think she might be better utilized elsewhere in the company.”

  “Marketing is not her forte, eh?”

  “No, it’s not that. She does a very good job. I just believe she’d have a lot more potential in another setting. I was hoping maybe someone could look over her résumé and see if there was a better fit for her qualifications.”

  He strokes his chin for a moment, staring down at his desk, then reaches down and begins flipping through a brown leather book. “I’ll just make a call,” he explains as he begins dialing the number. I hear the phone ringing through the speaker.

  “This is Nora,” a voice says on the other end of the line.

  “Nora, this is Kent Cooper. What openings do we have right now?”

  “Openings? Uh, let’s see… We have an opening for a computer programmer.”

  He looks at me expectantly, and I shake my head.

  “No, that’s no good. What else?”

  “Outside maintenance.”

  “No, no, no,” he says. “That’s all you have?” He drums his fingers on the desk impatiently.

  “Yes, sir, for the time being. I’ll have another opening soon—next Friday is Ariel’s last day with us; she’s a Human Resources Assistant.”

  “That’s the ticket!” he states emphatically. “As of right now, that job is filled by…” He looks at me and begins rolling his hand in the air.

  “Katie Green,” I whisper.

  “Katie Green, from Marketing. Make it happen.”

  “I will, sir.”

  “Oh, and do you have all the paperwork ready for Madeline Heard?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll send her over.”

  Cooper sits back in his chair and grins, looking quite pleased with himself.

  “Thank you,” I manage.

  “No problem,” he roars. “We are going to be a great team. I’m looking forward to it. By the way, did my tennis guy call you?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “When’s your first lesson?”

  “September.”

  “September? No, that won’t do.”

  “I’m extremely busy on the weekends,” I offer, although it doesn’t deter him as he begins dialing his phone again and motions me to silence with his hand.

  “Max, it’s Kent Cooper calling about Madeline Heard. I know, that’s no good. Reschedule it. How about Tuesday? Sounds good. Book it.” He sets the phone down and looks at me contentedly. “You’re all set for Tuesday at 1:00.”

  “I don’t have enough vacation time to—”

  “Who said anything about vacation time? This is important to your job responsibilities. Plan on Tuesdays at 1:00 from this point forward.”

  “Okay,” I mutter.

  Talking to this man feels like being run over by a truck. I just can’t work for him. I can’t!

  “Don’t forget to stop by Human Resources and see Nora,” he calls as I walk to the door. Ding-dong. The noise makes me turn and look at him. “See you Monday!”

  That is so not funny. Is life playing some sick joke on me?

  Closing the door quietly behind me, I glance over at Dina, who is staring down at her desk. I really should say something to her, shouldn’t I? I feel so horrible, but what can I do?

  “I’m sorry, Dina,” I whisper. “I didn’t know.” She sits up straight and pulls her glasses off, placing them gently on top of her paperwork. Taking a deep breath, she looks me in the eye.

  “Let me tell you something, missy,” she says quietly. “I’ve been at this company for twenty-three years. Twenty-three! You bring your opportunistic little self up here one time—one time! —in your pretty little suit and parade around, and suddenly I’m out in the hallway, buying you shoes, setting up tennis lessons. You don’t even have the decency to try to take my job. No, you just take my office, so you can sit in there on your pretty little can and do nothing while I sit in the hallway doing all the work. And you want to tell me you’re sorry? Believe it or not, I really don’t want to hear it right now.”

  She stares at me defiantly for a few more seconds, then puts on her glasses and looks back down at her work. Backing slowly away, I turn to walk toward the elevator.

  If it makes you feel any better, I want to say, at least you don’t have to waltz in his office when he rings a bell.

  Instead, I just step into the elevator and watch her bent form as the doors close in front of me. I really do empathize with her, but it’s not my fault. I didn’t ask for any of this—who in their right mind would? I don’t want to be Cooper’s right hand woman.

  Maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll just go home at the end of the day and never come back.

  I press button five for Human Resources. If I don’t stop, Nora will probably call Cooper, and he’ll start hunting me down. Maybe I should just take the elevator back to my desk, pack up my things and leave. Surely Josh wouldn’t be too angry at me for mooching off him for a bit while I found another job. I could look at the postings tonight and be headed in a new direction by Monday morning.

  But if I walk, will they take care of Katie?

  The elevator doors open, and I step out onto the fifth floor.

  “Excuse me,” I say to a nearby gentleman, “I’m looking for Nora.”

  “At the back to the left,” he answers, not bothering to look up as I meander towards the back of the hall.

  “Nora?” I wonder as I greet a middle-aged woman with short dark hair. “I’m Madeline Heard.”

  “Of course. Come on in.” She fiddles with some papers on her desk a
s she glances at me curiously. “Madeline Heard. Do you know how fortunate you are? Some people work here for thirty years and never even see the top floor.”

  “Yeah, it’s great,” I mutter half-heartedly. She motions for me to sit as she pulls out a file stuffed with paperwork.

  “Let’s see, I’ve got your new employment sheet here somewhere. Ah, here it is. This shows your new job title and your updated salary. You can just sign and date it on the bottom.”

  Taking the sheet from her, I begin reading: Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer. Job responsibilities to be provided at a later date. Salary of…

  “Are you sure this is right?” I wonder aloud.

  “Yes, it’s correct.”

  Wow, Cooper’s paying me about twice what I make now. He must really have something important in mind if he’s willing to pay me this much! Maybe it won’t be so bad. I mean, I will have to put up with Cooper, but if I have some really important responsibilities to handle, my days might be tolerable. Perhaps I should stick it out for a couple weeks and see how things go.

  “And here are the keys to your Chevy Tahoe,” she adds.

  “I’m sorry, my what?”

  “The Tahoe, your company vehicle. Mr. Cooper insisted that you will need adequate transportation in your new position. Your parking spot will be number 6.”

  I get to park in the lot? I don’t have to park in the garage across the street and risk life and limb at the crosswalk anymore? It can’t be true!

  “I think that’s all,” she says, “unless you have any questions for me.”

  “Can I call you later if I think of anything?”

  “Sure, that’s fine. Congratulations again!”

  Walking back to the elevator, I suddenly feel different about today’s turn of events. The huge salary increase, and the company vehicle… Maybe this move won’t be so bad after all. There’s still the problem of Dina to worry about, but perhaps I can find a way to make it up to her later. If we just got to know one another, it might be possible to work together harmoniously.

  Okay, I doubt it, but it’s still worth a try.

  Riding back down to my own floor, I’m now aware that this is my last afternoon in my current job. I’m really going to miss Katie. Sure, I’ll be able to call her all the time, but it won’t be the same as turning around and seeing her face.

  As if reading my mind, the moment I step out of the elevator, she begins waving her arms frantically, motioning me to hurry.

  “What is it?” I ask, rushing to her desk.

  “How did you do it?” she wonders, beaming. “You got me out!”

  “It was nothing,” I say, dismissing her with a wave of the hand while she laughs.

  “You hadn’t been gone ten minutes when they called to tell me I was moving. I hope you’ll be as happy about where you’re going as I am!”

  “Yeah, me too,” I mumble as she hugs me.

  I really hope I will. It’s bound to be a big step up for me. Imagine, my ideas being put to work in the running of the company. I will finally get the respect I deserve!

  So why do I feel like I just sold my soul to the devil?

  Chapter Eleven

  “You don’t think it’s weird?”

  “Of course it’s weird,” Josh replies. “Sounds like the guy is half crazy, but if someone wanted to pay me that much to take tennis lessons, I would laugh all the way to the bank.”

  I manage to pick up my stride a little, although I’m not jogging as fast as normal since I’m trying to carry on a conversation with my long-distance friend. He called while I was mid-run, and I don’t pass up the limited opportunities we have to converse.

  “So you think I should take the job?” I ask breathlessly. The talking while running game is definitely not easy.

  “Do what you think is best, of course, but it doesn’t seem like there’s any harm in waiting a while to see how things go.”

  He’s probably right. Cooper definitely seems eccentric, but maybe after I get to know him I’ll find out he’s not that bad. Only time will tell.

  As I near the driveway, I slow down a bit and try to calm my breathing pattern.

  “How far have you been running?” he wants to know.

  “Two miles,” I admit. And, thanks to Josh’s interruption, I’ve finally gone the entire two miles without walking. Woohoo!

  Sitting down on the step, I place my arm on my knees and stare across the road at the rosebushes in the adjacent yard. My eyes naturally slide down the street and toward the two-story at the end of the cul-de-sac.

  “Do you know any of the neighbors?” I casually remark, feeling Josh out.

  “No, not yet. Why? Anyone interesting?”

  Yeah, super beautiful news lady. No big deal.

  “Interesting?” I repeat. “I couldn’t say.”

  “It’s Friday night. Who’s your hot date?”

  “Really, Josh, you act like I constantly have a guy on my arm. I haven’t even been on a date since I broke up with Benjamin.”

  Or did he break up with me? I can’t even remember anymore.

  “Which was why again?”

  Glancing down at my shoes, I twist my right foot slightly so I can view the little green amphibians on the side. “He was a fraud. He was supposed to be this great lover of literature, but he wouldn’t know a good story if it bit him in the behind.”

  “Oh, yeah, because you’re suddenly a voracious reader.”

  “It was such a beautiful thing,” I protest, rising to my feet. “She follows Robert all the way to Tennessee, and then, when she finally catches up with him, and she’s standing there with her heart on her sleeve…” Sighing, I press my hand to my chest.

  “You’ve pulled me in,” he states with a laugh. “Come on, she’s got her heart on her sleeve, so what happens?”

  “He just looked at her like he had expected her to show up, and he said, ‘My heart never stopped waiting for you.’ Isn’t that beautiful? Camdyn Taylor is my new favorite.”

  “You like that sappy romance stuff?”

  “Naturally you would think it’s sappy for a man to love a woman so much that his heart pines for her,” I complain, stepping into the house. Pulling a bottle of water from the fridge, I twist the cap and take a huge gulp. “What would you know about it, anyway? You don’t read.”

  “I read all of your e-mails.”

  “Literary masterpieces,” I sass, smirking at my own little joke.

  “The world’s best known wordsmiths couldn’t hold my attention better than you can, Mad.”

  If he wasn’t Josh, that comment might have made me swoon.

  “Who needs a hot date when I have you?” I joke. “Some random guy would definitely not say something so sweet.”

  “Definitely not,” he agrees, growing silent for a second. When I’m about to try to break the quiet, he finally speaks again. “What does Jess think about your job offer?”

  Untangling my hair from the knot atop my head, I allow it to smack in a damp mess across my arm. “I haven’t had time to call her yet. I had to have Katie follow me home so we could pick up the Tahoe.”

  “It seems to me that you’ve already decided, if you picked up the vehicle,” he says with a laugh. “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Maybe reading,” I state, stopping to gaze at a portrait of Josh on the table that his mother left right after he bought the house. Without even thinking, I pick it up and hold it in front of my face. “I bought another Camdyn Taylor book—well, a C.W. Oliver book, but that’s the same thing since she had the pen name.”

  “That Benjamin’s an idiot. Something’s wrong with him, you know that, right?”

  “Of course, that’s why I broke up with him.” I think?

  “If I was home, I’d take you out tonight to celebrate your newfound success.”

  “Where would we go?” It’s an innocent question, at least until I start thinking about the man in that photograph actually walking up to the door and grinning at me
from the other side. He’s wearing a V-neck T-shirt the same mocha color as Benjamin’s disgusting latte on our first date. His gray-green eyes dance playfully behind his glasses, and his dark eyebrows rise a bit when he sees me. He always gets two little wrinkles across his forehead when that happens, right under that fabulous head of chestnut hair that he likes to keep messy in the front. It’s part of his alluring, scholarly look, because without the glasses and the messy hair, he might just look like another handsome frat boy type with the dashing good looks and the muscular arms and the full lips that always seem to be inviting something…

  “You still there, Mad?”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, just thinking.” Thinking completely ridiculous thoughts. Josh’s hair wouldn’t look messy right now in his current profession, of course.

  “It would have to be something completely great,” he informs me quickly. “Let’s see. I would take you to Hampton’s Drive-In and we’d get double-swiss burgers with grilled onions and curly fries, and we’d follow them up with chocolate malts. After that, I’d take you to that field on the outskirts of town where we caught all the lightning bugs that time. Remember that?”

  “Your idea of a great celebration is a drive-in and lightning bugs?” Suddenly the alluring man on the other side of the door has his baseball cap on backwards and he’s pulling my hair and calling me names. Of course Josh still sees me as kindergarten Maddie who his mother used to babysit after school. Like a foster sister, really. An after-school foster sister.

  “My idea of a great anything is just what reminds me of home, I guess,” he admits with a slight sigh. “I suppose you’d like me to say that I’d take you to Ruth’s Chris Steak House and then we’d dance the night away at some hoity-toity club.”

  “You really think I’m that shallow?”

  Even though I want him to say no, I think I already know the answer.

  “I guess I hope not.” He clears his throat and I’m not sure how to respond.

  “I would eat double-swiss burgers and curly fries with you, Josh, just so you know. Well, not right now, because I’m trying to be healthy and everything, but in theory I would. And I’d even catch lightning bugs with you, if you could manage to find some, but I’d rather go to that old water tower where we drove after prom.”