You'll still need to report in from time to time. We decided to use your idea and spread verifiers out to keep an eye out for intruders. You'll be officing in R and D."
That made me feel better. I even felt kind of mean for having been so angry. "That should be a nice change of pace," I said.
"You'll report to Verification in the morning. It'll be best for Gregor to be the one to send you up to Rand D. Pretend to be surprised."
I smiled. "Don't worry. It'll be an Oscar-winning performance. I'll try not to jump up and down with glee when he gives me the news."
"I'd appreciate that."
I put on my jacket, gathered my purse and tote bag, and went into the outer office.
"See you tomorrow," Isabel said. "We'll meet here after work."
"Okay, see you then."
I looked around for Owen when I got to the subway station, but he wasn't there. I was surprised how much I missed him. I hadn't admitted it to myself, but the sight of him on the subway platform gave me a thrill every time. It looked like I'd developed myself a nice little crush. A pointless crush, from what I could tell.
It was my night to cook, so I changed into jeans and a sweatshirt when I got home and headed to the kitchen to think of something interesting to do with hamburger meat. I was stirring a simple meat and tomato sauce and trying very hard not to daydream about Owen when Gemma came home.
"Mmm, something smells good," she said. Then she took a second look at me and frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong?" I wondered if Rod's illusion had slipped or gone horribly askew. I didn't look like I had leprous lesions coming off my forehead, did I?
"I don't know. You look worried. Don't tell me you've got job problems already."
I decided against sharing my adventures with armed robbery. If I told that story the day after telling about stopping an intruder, my friends would think I didn't have a job at all, that I just spent my days on a park bench, then came home and made up wild, imaginative stories about what went on at work. Besides, there was no way I could think of to explain how we'd dealt with the robbery without bringing up magic and Merlin. "No, no job problems. Everything's going fine at work."
"Good, because that's Marcia's department. Man problems?"
"No."
"Yep, definitely man problems. That, I can handle. Just let me change clothes. Pour me some wine, could you?"
"Sure." I poured two glasses of wine and gave my sauce a stir. She came back a few minutes later dressed in low-slung yoga pants and a cropped sweatshirt.
"So, what's the deal, someone at the new job?" she asked as she sat at the dining table and took a sip of wine. I turned the burner down on the stove and joined her.
"That's what I've been trying to figure out." I suddenly felt like we were back in school, discussing the guys from our classes. "There's a guy at work I've been thinking about a lot since I met him."
"And you've got a thing for him."
"It's just a crush, I think," I said with a shrug. "He's good-looking and he's nice to me. He lives near here, so we go to and from work together. When I get used to him, it'll probably fade. And I don't think it'll go anywhere. He isn't interested in me, I don't think."
"What makes you say that?"
"He's really shy, the kind of guy who doesn't talk easily to anyone, let alone someone he's interested in, and he talks to me."
"You are easy to talk to."
I rolled my eyes. "It's my curse. But it's not like he talks to me about anything other than business, not even when we're on the subway. I couldn't begin to tell you what he does away from work."
"Yeah, it doesn't sound like sparks are flying." She must have seen my face fall, for she frowned.
I drank some wine, then laughed. "Isn't that how it always seems to go? The ones you like just want to be friends. Why can't I seem to break out of high school dating patterns?"
"Because men never really mature." She put her wineglass down on the table and crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, here's how I see it. Don't give up on him.
Even if nothing else happens, friends are good to have, and you never know what friendship can grow into. Now, I know just the way to distract you from your problems. Are you going to be able to make it tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night?" Then I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. "God, Gem, I'm sorry, I totally forgot about it and said I'd go out with some of the women at work. I knew there was something I was forgetting."
"Don't worry about it. I'm not sure he was right for you anyway. Go out with the work people. But after that, you could use some masculine distraction. When was your last boyfriend?"
I got up to check my sauce so I wouldn't have to look her in the eye. "Steve Sprague," I said softly.
"Steve? Junior year Steve? You haven't had a serious relationship since then?"
I white-knuckled the wooden spoon as I fought to keep my composure. "Well, we made that no boyfriends, no entanglements that will hold us back from taking on the world vow our senior year before y'all left for New York. Then I was stuck in Hicksville for a few years, and there's no big singles' scene there. All the guys got married while I was off at college. Since I've been in New York, I haven't dated anyone more than once or twice. I just seem to go on blind dates that don't go anywhere." As soon as I said it, I regretted it. She'd worked hard to help me fit in after I got to New York, and I didn't want her to think I was criticizing her efforts.
"The 'like a sister' thing has
a double effect here," I added with an attempt at a laugh.
"Okay, no more blind dates just to be dating. We're looking for a real boyfriend for you."
A boyfriend, huh? It sounded nice. I'd never been the kind of girl or woman who needed a man in my life to make me feel complete. I was perfectly happy on my own. But I liked the idea of trading dressing up, going out, and meeting guy after guy for having that one special guy. I had a sudden craving for a quiet evening at home, wearing sweats and snuggling on the sofa together, eating takeout and watching an old movie. That wasn't something you could do on a blind date. It was a definite boyfriend activity.
"That sounds good. Just pick a good one for me."
"I'll have to look around. Until now, I haven't been thinking about long-term prospects when I've been arranging things."
The front door opened and Marcia came in. "Mmm, dinner smells good. Katie must be cooking tonight."
"Hey!" Gemma protested, but she was grinning. She'd be the first to admit that her favorite recipe was a Chinese delivery menu.
"What's going on?" Marcia asked as she tucked her briefcase into the end table that also served as her nightstand.
"We're getting Katie a boyfriend."
"We are? What brought this on?"
"I'm tired of all the dating," I said before Gemma could say anything. "I'd like the chance to really get to know someone."
"You do realize you'll have to date some in order to find a boyfriend, don't you?"
Gemma teased.
"Does this mean you are or aren't joining us tomorrow night?" Marcia asked, peering into the pot of tomato sauce and giving it a stir.
"I'm not. But not because of the boyfriend thing. I'm going out with some people from work. I figured it would be a good chance to get the real scoop on the office politics."
Marcia poured herself a glass of wine. "That's a very sound strategy-"
I got up and put some water on to boil for the pasta. I felt all warm inside, and not just because the tiny kitchen was hot from the cooking and all the bodies. It felt good to have my friends here and to remember how much they cared for me. That was something I never wanted to lose, no matter how deep I got myself into the magical world.
* * *
The next morning, Owen was in his usual spot on the subway platform. I felt a flutter in my stomach when I saw him, then reminded myself to forget about it. He appeared tired and haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, but otherwise he looked much better than the las
t time I'd seen him.
"How are you feeling?" I asked when I got near him.
"Better, thanks. I'm not looking forward to going through that again."
"You have to do it again? Can't someone else?"
"I wouldn't ask anyone else," he said solemnly as a train screeched to a stop.
We didn't talk on the way to work. He looked lost in thought, and I was lost in thought, so neither of us minded the relative silence. The subway during rush hour isn't a prime conversational zone anyway, especially when the topic of conversation involves magic.
I headed straight to the verification office, which took every ounce of will I had in me. I made a show of putting down my bags and draping my jacket across the back of my chair, then was just about to go put my lunch in the refrigerator when Gregor shouted at me. "Yes?" I asked innocently.
"You'll be officing up in R and D. We'll send your assignments there."
"Oh, okay." I kept my face as blank as I could while I picked my bags and jacket up and left the office. Only when I was safely out in the corridor did I smile in relief. It was going to be a lot easier to come to work from now on.
As it had at my last visit, the R&D door swung open when I approached. Once inside, I wondered where I should go, but I soon heard a flutter of wings and a fairy approached. Those wings might look insubstantial, but it seemed that a fairy could move pretty quickly when she wanted to. I recognized her as the fairy I'd seen on the subway that day last week that had changed my life.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "You must be Katie. I'm An. They sent me to show you your office."
"Oh, good. I was wondering where to go."
"It isn't far. They want you just inside the entrance so you can spot the bad guys.
Good work the
other day, by the way."
"Thanks."
"And here we are!" She hovered just inside the doorway to a small office with glass walls that overlooked the main corridor. It wasn't palatial, but it beat the verification pool, and it beat my cubicle at my last job. It even had a door. "We've already got the phone set up, and your computer will be delivered this afternoon."
"A computer?" That was something I hadn't had back in the pool.
"Yeah, special orders from the boss. Bathroom's around the corner. We don't have a coffee room or kitchen, but if you need anything, just grab someone and ask for whatever you want. I'm in the lab across the hall, so yell if you want something. Oh, and yell if you see someone who doesn't look like they belong, but that goes without saying. Any questions?"
"Not right now. Thanks."
"Great. Then I'll see you tonight."
"Tonight?"
"You're going out with the girls, aren't you?"
"Oh, yeah, that. You're coming, too?"
"Sure thing. It'll be fun. Welcome to R and D."
As she fluttered away I pondered the idea of a girls' night out that included a winged fairy. It looked like this would be an interesting evening, to say the least.
* * *
I'd just wrapped up my work for the day when Ari appeared at my door. "You ready to hit the town?" she asked.
"Sure, just give me a second to shut down."
"Grab me across the hall when you're ready to go and we can head to Isabel's office together."
I shut down my newly arrived computer and packed my things, then made a quick dash to the bathroom to freshen up before stepping into Art's lab. It was all chrome and white surfaces, with several large computers. "There you are," Art said as I arrived. "Welcome to my domain, the last step in Practical Magic."
"What do you do here?"
"Final testing before a spell is released—make sure there aren't any typos, make sure it works as advertised, any necessary editing to get it down to the tightest, most concise spell you can get. Some of those theoretical guys get a little wordy. They read too many old books. Archaic language may make a spell look impressive, but it doesn't make it work any better." She picked up her purse and said, "Looks like it's the weekend."
Isabel greeted us in her usual effusive manner when we got to her office. "Trix just called down and said she'd be a few more minutes," she said.
"So it's just the four of us?" Art asked.
"Yeah, some of the others had dates."
"Traitors!" Isabel laughed at Art's outburst, but I wasn't sure if Art was serious or not. She wasn't laughing, but maybe she had a dry sense of humor.
"How was your first week on the job, Katie?" Isabel asked.
"It was interesting, to put it mildly."
"You're coping very well with all the excitement, though. We lose more verifiers the first week than you'd imagine."
Actually, I didn't find that hard to imagine. Either the depressing working conditions or the craziness and fear that maybe all of this was the result of a total psychotic breakdown would get to you. Then again, I'd managed to get myself into more than my fair share of trouble. I doubted most verifiers had first weeks like mine.
I looked up to see a man coming into the office. "He in?" he asked Isabel, who nodded. She looked like she was having a hard time forming words. Then I looked at him again and found myself more than a little stunned. It was Owen, but I'd never have recognized him at first glance. Instead of his usual business suits or lab coats, he wore jeans, a baseball jersey, and a Yankees cap. He looked entirely different, and utterly adorable.
He saw me, blinked, blushed, and said, "Hi, Katie. What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same question."
He turned even pinker. "Playoff game. Rod thinks he has a spell to get us in."
Isabel groaned. "He's not trying that again, is he? Didn't you two almost get in trouble last year?"
Rod's office door opened and he stuck his head out into Isabel's office. "I've got it figured out now, though," he said. Then he got a good look at Owen and frowned.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" he asked. Owen did look pretty much like Death with a hangover, even with the baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. He must have spent the day testing that horrible spell.
"I could use a night out," Owen said. "I'll be fine." I thought he'd be better off home in bed, but a night at a baseball game might be good for him.
Just then another fairy, whom I recognized as Merlin's receptionist, showed up. That had to be Trix. "You girls ready to par-tay?" she whooped.
"Girls' night out?" Rod asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, and you two are not invited," Isabel said.
Owen narrowed his eyes. He didn't exactly frown, but he didn't look happy, either. I glanced at the other women and saw that Ari was giving him a look of raw, undisguised hunger. That must have made him uncomfortable.
Isabel took her purse out of her desk drawer. "Well, you boys be good, and don't call me if you need someone to bail you out."
"We'll be fine," Rod said with a laugh. "Owen can get us out of any tricky situation.
You girls have fun, and be careful."
"Don't get Katie into any trouble," Owen added softly. The two fairies laughed, a tinkling, musical sound like little bells. The four of us headed out, leaving the men behind.
Isabel was apparently our cruise director for the evening. "I thought we'd warm up by hitting happy hour near here—all those cute Wall Street guys getting off work.
Then who knows?"
We settled into a dark, noisy downtown bar and ordered a round of cosmopolitans.
If I hadn't been with two women who had wings on their backs and hovered slightly above their chairs, I'd have felt like I was back in my old life, on one of the rare occasions when my coworkers convinced me to join them for a drink-and-bitch session after work.
As soon as we had our drinks, Isabel said, "Okay, first item on the agenda is Trix's breakup."
"I am never dating an elf again," Trix muttered.
"This may be a stupid question, but are there guy fairies?" I asked.
"Sure there are," Art said. "They just don't l
ike to be called that."
"They prefer the term 'sprite,'" Isabel said, putting air quotes around the word
"sprite."
An snorted. "Yeah, like that sounds any less gay."
"I don't think I've seen any of them around the company."
"There aren't too many who work at MSI," Isabel explained. "They prefer outdoor jobs. You'll find a lot of sprites working as messengers or as gardeners. Anyway, back to the agenda. What does the dirty, cheating elf deserve?"
"Cheating?" I asked.
Trix rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it seems like he had a weakness for anything in wings."
"Then hit him with a love spell that makes him fall desperately for a butterfly," Art suggested. We all laughed at that. I might not be magical, but I had to appreciate the mental image of a man in love with a butterfly.
"Are you really going to do that?" I asked, suddenly wondering if this was just girls'
night out talk or if it was more literal in the magical world. My friends and I had wished all sorts of horrible things on men who'd done us wrong, but we didn't have the power to actually do anything about it.
"Of course not," Isabel said.
"But it would be funny," Ari added.
"It would serve him right," Trix said, "but it falls into a gray area. It's not outright harm, but it's also not a good idea to manipulate another person's free will. No, I'll just have to satisfy myself with the knowledge that I'm better off without him. I guess I'll have to hang out in the park more often, since I'm off elves and humans don't do much for me."
"I like human men," Ari said with a lascivious smile.
"But what's the point? You can't have children with them."
"Who says I want children? I just want fun, and human men are a lot more substantial than sprites. I like a guy I'm not worried about breaking. Besides, if I had kids, I'd just piss off my parents by not giving my kids some sappy fairy name."
"You have a perfectly nice name," Isabel said.
"Yeah, until they came out with The Little Mermaid, and suddenly every human girl is naming her cat Ariel." She turned to me. "It totally ruined the name."
"You shouldn't complain," Trix said. "I have a cousin who got stuck with the name Tinker Bell because her parents thought it was cute. She goes by Belle.
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