Page 10 of Keep Your Friends Close and Your… Work Enemy Closer?

"Yes. If you can spare some."

"How much?"

"Twenty dollars."

"Twenty dollars? Are you joking? How many people work in this office? And we each give twenty dollars? What are we buying her, a Louis Vuitton bag?" Goading her was too much fun, and I couldn't resist.

"I'm getting her custom bookends with her favorite quote," she replied, her voice so icy it could freeze the sun. "And you know what? Never mind. I don't need your twenty dollars."

"Oh, no. I'm donating. I'll give you fifty to cover the cost of these custom bookends. And I simply must know, what is her favorite quote?"

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

"And what about those of us who prefer to read digitally who don't have any books in our homes?"

"You read in your spare time?"

"Yes, I do. Believe it or not. I'm not just a pretty face."

She shot me an unamused look. "Well, since this quote was written by a Roman philosopher centuries ago, I think it's safe to say the sentiment is the same."

And with that, she was clearly done with the conversation, turning away from me, putting in earbuds and typing away at her computer.

It didn't sit right with me that employees were putting in so much money for birthday gifts. I thought back to when I'd first graduated from college and I really had been struggling in an expensive city, doing an internship that paid me practically nothing, my dad telling me I had to tough it out and earn my own way.

I'd struck it big pretty quickly. But for that short time, if someone had asked me for twenty bucks every other week, it would have meant even more ramen noodles for dinner.

For a long moment, I was lost in thought, wondering what could be done.

Cordelia cleared her throat loudly next to me, drawing my attention to her stern expression as she looked pointedly at my slush pile. I nearly laughed out loud but managed to smother my amusement.

Taking the not at all subtle hint, I picked up a manuscript, but her haughty expression nagged at me. There was something strangely familiar about her, the heart shape of her face, the arch of her brows. It'd been bugging me all weekend, to be honest.

Another aggressive throat clearing next to me, making me smile.

Trying to shake off the déjà vu, I got to work reading about the benefits of garlic, not exactly the most riveting subject. Remembering my main task today, I picked up my drink, slurping the shit out of it as I finished it, doing it again and again and again.

There was a loud thump next to me, and I glanced over at a glaring Cordelia. "Oh, sorry," I said, not meaning it in the least.

"You know what? I thought of a new project for you," she said in a tone full of forced cheeriness. "There's a bunch of paperwork in storage that needs to be sorted, andyouare the perfect person for the job."

Man, I hadn't even broken out the gum or snacks yet, and I was getting locked away in a storage room already?

I played along, though, because this woman amused the hell out of me. Following her down the hall, she smiled and waved to a few people, an actual real smile that made her face light up, a smile that I knew would never be directed at me.

We entered a dark room, and she flicked on the overhead lights to reveal a shit ton of file storage boxes crammed onto metal shelving units, which lined the walls and practically groaned from the weight of it all. The air was musty with the smell of old paper and a whiff of mildew.

"Here you go," she said with a sweep of her hand. "Everything needs to be organized by year and then by author. The files and papers are completely mixed up, so you'll have to go through each box carefully."

I looked at the boxes to see that each one was labeled with scrawling handwriting, some almost illegible, and stacks of paper were poking out from several open lids.

"Oh, and make sure to alphabetize within each year. It's a bit of a mess, but I have total faith in you to get it all sorted out." She gave me a too-bright smile, her eyes gleaming with suppressed satisfaction.

Well played, Cordelia. Well played.

With that smirk on her face, she shut the door behind her, leaving me to stare at the chaotic sea of boxes before me. I inhaled deeply, reminding myself that I was a smart man and I could figure this out. Because the last thing I wanted was tobe locked away in this room for a month. It would completely obliterate the whole point of working here undercover. Plus, I'd miss out on annoying her, something I'd been looking forward to immensely.

Sitting down on a random box, I did my best attempt at brainstorming. And it hit me suddenly. I knew just what to do.

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