Much Ado About Magic

Finally, a chance to clear things up. “What new position?”



He frowned, then said, “Oh, I suppose you didn’t get the news yet.”



“Apparently not. I only just got in the door before the meeting started.”



“Dear me, you must have been confused,” he said with a rumbling chuckle. “You’re our new director of marketing. That will be your full-time responsibility. The job is too big to be done on the side. You’ll be reporting to Mr. Hartwell in Sales, and you’ll have an office there. Of course, there will also be a commensurate salary increase.” He named a figure that I’m sure made my eyeballs pop out. It was a real, professional salary, nearly twice what I’d been making before joining MSI.



“Thank you, sir,” I said, trying not to show my shock. “I’ll do my best.”



He stood and ushered me toward the door. “I have every confidence in you.”



Mr. Hartwell was waiting for me in the hallway. “I’ll walk you to your new office,” he said. “I’m looking forward to having you in our department.”



The sales department was pretty much what I remembered from my first day at MSI. Compared to the executive suite, it was noisy and chaotic, with voices coming out of all the individual offices up and down the main hallway. Most of them appeared to be talking on the phone or into the crystal ball communicator devices the magical world used in addition to phones. Mr. Hartwell walked me all the way down the hall, almost to where his office was, before opening a door for me. There was a small outer office with a secretary’s desk and a door leading into an inner private office. Considering that I’d spent my last few months in a broom-closet-sized office behind the counter at a farm-and-ranch-supply store, this would be like going to work in the Taj Mahal.



“Here you go,” Mr. Hartwell said. “I’ll leave you to it. Let’s meet this afternoon to talk about your customer conference idea. Say, three?” He was gone before I could respond, but I didn’t have anything on my calendar to conflict with the meeting, unless there was something else they’d neglected to tell me about my new job.



My pulse quickened as I stepped across the threshold into my own office. I had moved up in the world in a big way. But my executive chair was already occupied by a redheaded elf woman. Her long legs were stretched out and propped on the desk, and her fingers laced behind her neck. She was staring into space, her eyes unfocused.



Apparently, I had the wrong office, which wasn’t the most auspicious start to my new job. I turned to sneak out and find Mr. Hartwell, but before I made it out the door there was a high-pitched squeak behind me.



Chapter Two



I whirled to see the woman sitting bolt upright in the desk chair, one hand covering her open mouth, her eyes wide with horror. “Oops,” she said. Then she jumped out of the chair and faced me. She was built like a teenage model, half a foot taller than I was and with legs that seemed to go up to her pointed ears. “You must be Miss Chandler. I’m your assistant, Perdita. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to invade your space or anything, but I wanted somewhere quiet to think and you weren’t here and I didn’t know when you’d be here, so I didn’t think you’d mind.”



It took a second or two for my ears and brain to catch up with the rapid-fire flow of words. When I was sure I had everything straight in my head, I said, “Hi—Perdita, was it?”



She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, Miss Chandler.”



“You can call me Katie, please.”



She nodded again. “Okay, Miss—I mean, Katie.” Her mouth then moved silently, as though she was repeating my name several times to herself. “Is there anything I can do for you or get for you, Miss—Katie?”



“Not right now, thanks. I just want to get settled in.”



“Okay, let me know if you need anything. I’ll be right outside. And I don’t mind if you want to shout through the doorway. Or you could call me. My extension’s on the list beside the phone. I made a list of important numbers for you.”



“Thank you, I’m sure that will be very helpful.”



“And your computer’s already set up. The computer guy said it was your same e-mail address and password and everything.”



“Good. Thanks for letting me know.”



“Can I get you some coffee, or something?”



“No, thanks. Not right now,” I said, already exhausted by her energy. I hoped she was just nervous about meeting me and starting a new job. I knew I was nervous about a new job and having an assistant.

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