Page 4 of Grumpy Boss's Secret

“Getting a cat,” she said.

Definitely a grandma. She could have been on a Christmas card.

“I’m thinking about it,” I laughed. “Another friend of mine already suggested a pet. I guess it’s a sign from the universe.”

“Mm, could be,” she said. She stopped in front of an office door. It was ajar.

“Here we are!” she announced, pushing the door open.

My office was small, but the back wall was made entirely of glass. That made it feel huge like I was perched in the sky.

“Wow,” I said.

"Feel free to make yourself at home," she offered. "There's a coffee machine in the break room, of course, but many people like bringing in their coffee makers and mini-fridges. And if you want to replace any of these paintings and put your own up, we can put these in storage."

I looked at the paintings. They were impressionist renderings of the city at night. They were wild, troubled, and vibrant – fascinating contrasts of dark and light, blacks and greys, whites and yellows and reds.

"That's okay; I love them," I said. "I'm surprised. I would have thought, " I laughed. "You know, airplanes."

"Oh, sure," said Janet. "We have impressive photographs of some of the airplanes in the downstairs lobby. But up here, it's just for the family, if you know what I mean. A surgeon wouldn't hang pictures of a cadaver on his wall, would he?"

My jaw dropped. She wasn't making a joke; her tone was heartfelt. I had a feeling Janet would be full of surprises.

“Well, thank you,” I said, grinning at her. “Who do I call if my computer explodes?”

"That'll be Ben, the head of I.T.," she chirped, "There's a company directory inside your desk if you need it. Otherwise, you can always come to find me. You remember the way back to my desk?"

I beamed. “Yes, Janet, I do.”

She was adorable. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to welcome me on my first day. She made up for how Ian Huntington was probably the worst.

"Do you know of any cat shelters in the area?" I asked as she was heading for the door. "I might want to stop at one later today."

“I know of one,” she said. “My girlfriend runs it.”

After an initial second of surprise, I realized that she meant her friend, a girl. Not a "girlfriend". Besides, a large diamond ring was sparkling on the ring finger of her left hand. I felt sure Janet wasn't that kind of player.

“And I can look up some more for you and give you a list later,” she said.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that!” I protested.

“Oh, it’ll be fun for me. Give me something to do. My treat.”

I laughed. I was sure Janet had plenty to do. “Well, thank you,” I said.

"You go ahead and get settled," she said, leaving my office. "Holler if you need something."

"I will," I said and shut the door behind her.

As soon as it was closed, I leaned against it and took a deep breath.

"Okay," I mouthed, determined not to talk out loud to myself, at least not on the first day. I didn't know how thin these walls were yet. "This could be worse. It could definitely be worse. Janet is amazing. I'm probably getting a cat. And this office isn't too bad, either."

I turned around, looking at my office. I hadn't expected it to be this nice. It was a shoebox compared to the other offices, but I didn't need much space.

"And when I go thrifting, I'll buy some cute knick-knacks to put in here. No, new things. I'll buy some really nice new things. Like candles."

I wondered if there was some company policy about not burning candles at the office. Probably a liability. I didn't want to ask. I would look so much like "that girl," no matter the answer. I was painfully aware that ninety per cent of my coworkers were men over the age of forty.

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