Page 3 of The Lawyer
I make the familiar journey to Fleet Street and into the Broderick building, swiping my ID pass through the turnstiles next to the impressive reception desk. Instead of floor six, I hit the button for the twentieth floor after slotting my ID badge in the reader, but I’m met with an irritated, red warning flash.
Repeating the process, as more people join the lift, I end up rolling my eyes and exiting to go back towards the receptionist.
“Excuse me. I’m needed on the twentieth floor.” I glance at my watch and note the time. If this doesn’t move along, I’ll be late on my first day, and there’s no way I want that, even if I don’t want the job.
“You’ll need clearance. Have you seen HR?” She doesn’t look up at me but frantically taps her nails on the keyboard in front of her.
“Yes. It should all be cleared. Call Nina West please, and let her know I’m here.”
I turn away and wait, my pulse growing stronger as the minutes slip away, growing closer to my expected time. After all, I’ve not met Mr Broderick yet. And I can only assume tardiness won’t be tolerated.
“Willow, I’m sorry. This should have all been sorted. I’ll have it fixed by the end of the day," Nina greets as she waddles towards me from the lifts. She already looks like she's about to burst.
“No problem.” I offer her a kind smile and push back the small flare of anxiety.
“I see your style of footwear hasn’t changed.” She nods to my heels.
“No, sorry. That’s not going to be a problem, right? Mr Broderick doesn’t have a particular dress code requirement?” Nobody has ever complained about the height or colour of my heels before.
“I doubt it. But just be warned that the job may be varied. You won’t be at a desk all the time. You can run in those, right?”
Is she serious?
I smile again, knowing full well I can handle myself in these shoes, as we ride up to the heady heights of the top floor and she gives me a brief tour.
“Right. There’s a handful of key offices located on the twentieth floor. Mr Broderick, senior. He’s been the only CEO to date, so Landon Broderick taking over is a big deal around here. Our office, the Director of Finance, HR and Marketing plus assistants are all on this floor. With the boardroom, media room and break rooms over there.”
She makes a good job of covering the two main corridors of the floor and gesturing to the main rooms in quick fashion. Then she leads me through a glazed door, which has one main desk with a smaller desk next to it. My desk, presumably.
“This is us. Mr Broderick’s office is through that door.” She points to a sleek, black door that’s in keeping with the black and white decor. “He has a direct door to his office as well, but so far, only his father has used it. All his meetings and visitors come through here. Tea,coffee and other drinks, in the corner.”
She walks around her black, glass desk and sits in her chair. Although, chair doesn’t do it justice. It's like a throne compared to a normal description of the word.
Nina nods to my desk, which has been set up next to hers.
“Your logins have been created and transferred. You have full access to his diary, appointments, files and expenses.” A tablet, phone, and computer, all brand new, sit gleaming at me. “There’s a credit card in the top drawer, already linked to the phone for payments.”
Everything looks so sterile. So measured. There’s not a post-it or scrap of paper out of place.
“I’ll let you have a few moments to log on to the systems and familiarise yourself. You’re well aware of our systems. They don’t change, but we can spend some time later going over the next few weeks. There’s a lot to cover before I leave.” Nina stands and heads, at a leisurely pace, back to the small refreshment station.
I watch her pull mugs and start the coffee machine, filling it with water and pulling those little pod things from the top drawer. My hand glides over the mouse and wiggles it to life, sparking the monitor into action. The sleek keyboard matches everything else, and my fingers fly across the keys to enter my credentials.
I do the same with the phone and tablet, setting up my security and passwords. The tablet has a stylus, so I won’t be requiring pen and paper—God forbid I mess up the pristine environment.
Nina has a mug of coffee on my desk and is back scrolling over her screen.
“Mr Broderick has been away in Paris, but he's due back today. We usually have at least one weekly planning meeting for his schedule. That’s already in your calendar. Plus, there will be daily briefings, minutes, plus other arrangements to take care of.” She turns to me, and I can’t mistake the look of doubt that skits across her features.
“Nina, if you didn’t think I could do this job, why did you recommend me?” I challenge. So far, there isn’t one single thing that will tax my abilities.
“Oh, please, Willow, I know you’re capable. But …” she tails off, and I want to press her, but we hear a commotion from next door that interrupts us. Nina winces—physically shudders at the sound—and I have to wonder what type of character Landon Broderick really is.
After the outburst, there’s no further noise from the office. I turn to the computer and go over the next few weeks, making a note of anything I’m not sure of. There are file names and details associated with most of the appointments or tasks. At least Nina is as efficient as I remember.
“Nina!” The intercom blares, and a short crack of her name sounds around the office.
“Now, just bring your iPad and follow my lead.” She takes a visible breath before shuffling out of our office and into the adjoining room.
