Back in the Saddle (Jessica Brodie Diaries #1)(18)

“Hi!” she said in a high, almost child-like voice. It wasn’t unpleasant, and I could think of a handful of girls in L.A. that would love that voice attached to their “dumb-blond” image. This girl wasn’t going for that look, thank God, and it made her cuter.

“Hello,” I replied, careful not to say too much in case she turned into a clone of my cube neighbor.

Speaking of my delightful cube neighbor, her face peeped at us through the plant. I quickly focused more intently on this new girl so as not to get a repeat of the tongue lashing.

“I am going to train you. Not fully, of course, ‘cause you are slightly senior in your duties to mine—because you are a college grad. Yay! Congrats!”

“Oh. Thanks. This is my first adult job.” My face got hot.

“Yeah, it’s my first job, too. Real job I mean, like you. I did some Dairy Queen cashier stuff, and was a bank teller before this, which got me this job. But overall this is my first well-paying job. I haven’t gone to college, though. I don’t really want to, either. I’m not that good at school, so I figure I’ll just work my way up in the work world. It takes longer that way ‘cause you have to start lower, but it sure beats school! Well, you probably don’t agree because you went to school and made it through, but that is my outlook anyway.” She had a big smile and giggled a little.

So, a talker then. That was as well because generally I made a better listener. She was a bit ditzy, too, but not in a bad way. Overall, I liked her. I hoped we got along so I had a friend.

Something occurred to me. “You don’t have an accent.”

“Oh well, no. I was city born in Houston. Lived in the city all my life, and there are lots of people without accents there. Grow up with Hollywood movies and TV and all that, it’s easy to escape the southern drawl! I slip into it sometimes. Mostly when I drink.” She lowered her voice at the last sentence and winked at me.

Mental note: Drinking might not be as accepted here as in L.A. Must be careful not to make an ass of myself right off.

Easier said than done.

“Anyway,” she went on, “I am Candace.”

Apparently Mr. Nash wasn’t great with names…

“Jessica. Or Jess if you want.”

“Oh! I thought you were Jenny. Mr. Nash must have got it wrong!” She frowned.

Or maybe he called everyone Jenny?

“My sister is named Jessica! We call her Jess, though, so if you don’t mind I might just call you Jessica so you are cemented as a different person in my mind.” She giggled in a good natured way.

“Will you two girls shut up?!” my neighbor roared.

Candace rolled her eyes and turned toward the angry hornet. “Juniper, why can’t you just be nice for once? Or at least quiet? I’m going to be training Jessica so I’ll be over here pretty often.”

“You trainin’? That’s gonna go over like a fart in an elevator!”

“Real nice, Juniper." Candace replied in sarcastic tones. "Do I have to get Mr. Nash involved again?”

I heard a “Hmph!” and rustling paper. Apparently Mr. Nash was the winning threat.

Candace turned back to me with a sober look as she shook her head. “Anyway, let’s get you started before someone is tempted to eavesdrop.”

Paper shuffled with vigor across the way.

“John Paul will be here soon to set up your email.”

“Oh, I already did that. Someone set up my user ID and I got it started on the computer. Really nice computers by the way!”

“Oh yeah, they really take care of the employees here. They believe that a happy employee is a long lasting employee, which has something to do with staying longer and helping the business, or something.”

“Employee retention. Apparently it’s cheaper to keep the current employees than train new ones. And it’s great for knowledge retention and work flow, which helps the business prosper. So they teach, anyway.”

Candace blinked a couple times. “See, that is why you got the better job. College.” She nodded like the tiny bit I actually picked up in five years was a fountain of knowledge. This is what Jane must always feel like.

“Really advanced that you set up email, though.” she began again. “I still don’t know how to do that. Okay, let’s get--”

Another head popped into the cube, cutting her off.

“Hey girls. I’m here for the computer set-up.” He must have been in his early twenties. If he had hit twenty. Average looking, sandy, short-cropped hair, brown eyes, and a nice set of shoulders. He didn’t look like he worked out, but he had the natural build that most gym men would kill for.

“Hey John Paul. This is Jessica.”

He smiled. “Hi Jess.”

“Hi John Paul.”

He moved as if to come in, but Candace stopped him. “She set up her email and signed on already. She even put on a background pic! She went to college.”

As if basic computer skills were a mark of a truly gifted mind. Jane must truly love her life.

“Wow. That is really excellent Jessica!" John Paul nodded in approval. "You can probably handle a lot of the simpler things as well. That will really help me out. Though you’ll have to call every once in a while so I feel needed.”

Smitten by young, heart-felt male.