searing ones jostled to be first out of her mouth—and merely stared frostily at the hostile woman. It lacked the quelling authority of her previous stares since this one was no longer backed up by her matching Miss Prim persona, but evidently it still carried enough force to shift Miss Barth back out of Keri's line of progress. Keri swept into her own office and shut the door firmly behind her. She leaned weakly back against the comforting solidity of the door, her eyes closed while she struggled to master her rampaging emotions.
"Elise makes a bad friend and a worse enemy." The dry comment snapped Keri's eyes open. Mrs. Covey regarded her from her desk, a sympathetic smile creasing the plump folds of her cheeks. "Don't worry, Keri. You're more than a match for Elise at her worst." She surveyed Keri judiciously. "For one thing, you've got better equipment than she has."
Keri groaned heartrendingly. "Mrs. Covey, you are definitely Job's comforter right now. My equipment, as you call it, is what's gotten me into this mess," She raised her hands theatrically to heaven. "All I asked for was a simple secretarial job, where nobody noticed me and I could do my work without all of these brangles. A peaceful life, a simple life . . . was it too much to ask?" Heaven didn't bother to answer, and Keri dropped her hands to her sides. Humor had surfaced and Keri was back on balance. The friendly exchange with Mrs. Covey had restored her equilibrium and she could begin to put the morning's events into some sort of perspective. If only she would be left alone for the rest of the day to strengthen her fragile composure.
Keri got her wish, for the rest of the morning at least. She and Mrs. Covey were deeply immersed in the complexities of the report concerning the latest takeover, assembling, ordering, and translating the relevant papers into a comprehensive and tidy whole.
Whenever further material was needed, Mrs. Covey tactfully sallied forth to gather the requisite pieces of paper. She kindly didn't tell Keri about the increased traffic Elise was having to deal with. There seemed to be a steady stream of people with spurious excuses who came, hoping to confirm the rumor of Miss Dalton's miraculous transformation into a femme fatale. Opportunistic young executives hovered like honeybees, but it wasn't Miss Barth's nectar they wished to sip.
Dain erupted in the middle of one gathering of drones. He had flashed twice for Miss Barth, and receiving no immediate response (an unprecedented event, since she usually appeared before he had time to take his finger off the summoning button!), he came out to investigate.
Unlike Keri, Dain's temper was still simmering, and the hapless young executives received a sizable portion of the nicely boiling ire. Dain took in the gathering with a comprehensive glance and understood its origin and intent in an instant. It didn't help his temper to know that word of Keri's transformation had spread so rapidly and with such devastating results.
"Well, gentlemen?" He surveyed the hovering men with cold green eyes. "Have you come in a delegation to see me about some crisis which threatens RanCo? It must indeed be critical to find so many of the brightest of our executive crop ungainfully employed." The gathering nearly teleported away, so swift was the dispersal. Fortunately no one was crushed in the effort to be first through the office door.
Mrs. Covey, legitimately employed in gathering more material, had stood well away from the dangerous path of egress. She continued to dawdle unobtrusively so she could witness the final scene. It was a dilly.
"And now, Miss Barth," Dain snarled silkily, "if you would be so kind. I have some letters which are urgent. Since your hovering court has dispersed, perhaps now you will find time to concentrate on the work you were hired to do." He stood waiting for the white-faced Miss Barth to gather her materials together and then ushered her within the inner sanctum with
"Elise makes a bad friend and a worse enemy." The dry comment snapped Keri's eyes open. Mrs. Covey regarded her from her desk, a sympathetic smile creasing the plump folds of her cheeks. "Don't worry, Keri. You're more than a match for Elise at her worst." She surveyed Keri judiciously. "For one thing, you've got better equipment than she has."
Keri groaned heartrendingly. "Mrs. Covey, you are definitely Job's comforter right now. My equipment, as you call it, is what's gotten me into this mess," She raised her hands theatrically to heaven. "All I asked for was a simple secretarial job, where nobody noticed me and I could do my work without all of these brangles. A peaceful life, a simple life . . . was it too much to ask?" Heaven didn't bother to answer, and Keri dropped her hands to her sides. Humor had surfaced and Keri was back on balance. The friendly exchange with Mrs. Covey had restored her equilibrium and she could begin to put the morning's events into some sort of perspective. If only she would be left alone for the rest of the day to strengthen her fragile composure.
Keri got her wish, for the rest of the morning at least. She and Mrs. Covey were deeply immersed in the complexities of the report concerning the latest takeover, assembling, ordering, and translating the relevant papers into a comprehensive and tidy whole.
Whenever further material was needed, Mrs. Covey tactfully sallied forth to gather the requisite pieces of paper. She kindly didn't tell Keri about the increased traffic Elise was having to deal with. There seemed to be a steady stream of people with spurious excuses who came, hoping to confirm the rumor of Miss Dalton's miraculous transformation into a femme fatale. Opportunistic young executives hovered like honeybees, but it wasn't Miss Barth's nectar they wished to sip.
Dain erupted in the middle of one gathering of drones. He had flashed twice for Miss Barth, and receiving no immediate response (an unprecedented event, since she usually appeared before he had time to take his finger off the summoning button!), he came out to investigate.
Unlike Keri, Dain's temper was still simmering, and the hapless young executives received a sizable portion of the nicely boiling ire. Dain took in the gathering with a comprehensive glance and understood its origin and intent in an instant. It didn't help his temper to know that word of Keri's transformation had spread so rapidly and with such devastating results.
"Well, gentlemen?" He surveyed the hovering men with cold green eyes. "Have you come in a delegation to see me about some crisis which threatens RanCo? It must indeed be critical to find so many of the brightest of our executive crop ungainfully employed." The gathering nearly teleported away, so swift was the dispersal. Fortunately no one was crushed in the effort to be first through the office door.
Mrs. Covey, legitimately employed in gathering more material, had stood well away from the dangerous path of egress. She continued to dawdle unobtrusively so she could witness the final scene. It was a dilly.
"And now, Miss Barth," Dain snarled silkily, "if you would be so kind. I have some letters which are urgent. Since your hovering court has dispersed, perhaps now you will find time to concentrate on the work you were hired to do." He stood waiting for the white-faced Miss Barth to gather her materials together and then ushered her within the inner sanctum with
Similar Books
