Chapter 7
***MALCOLM***
Malcolm watched Sandra stomp out of the room, still shocked by her complete meltdown and even more stunned when she walked past him, cussing him out for running to Roger like a big baby.
He’d never liked the woman all that much; she’d been difficult from the day he started, but he’d never seen her act like a lunatic before, and it was sobering to know that a perfectly normal person could become so unhinged.
Turning, he found Rose staring at the open doorway just like he had been, a look of complete bewilderment on her face, the shattered computer and monitor at her feet. “I didn’t…she just…oh…that was…” her words died away with a huge sigh. “I think I need to sit down or something…”
He rushed over to her and helped her through the broken glass and plastic, then pulled out a chair and helped her into it. “Hold on, I’ll go get you some hot tea,” he said. “I think that’s what you’re supposed to do in this situation.”
“Tea would be good,” she said, giving him a weak smile. “I feel a little shaky.”
“I don’t blame you,” he said, gently pushing her hair behind her ears. “Will you be okay by yourself for a few minutes?”
She nodded and looked up at him. “I’ll be okay,” she said. “She didn’t hurt me. It was just a little scary, but it’s over now.”
“Roger will handle everything,” he said. “I should have gone for him sooner. I didn’t think she was going to go that far. I never imagined she’d start breaking things.”
“I think that’s what scared me the most,” Rose said, shaking her head. “She was awful to me all last week, but today…I don’t know, it was like something inside her snapped. I feel kind of sorry for her, if you want to know the truth. There must be some very messed up things in her life right now.”
“Yeah, I feel sorry for her too,” he said, glad to see some color coming back into Rose’s cheeks. “I’m just going to grab that tea, I’ll be right back.”
Vanessa was in the breakroom when he walked in. “What’s going on?” she asked. “I heard Sandra yelling, then a big crash. They’ve been locked up in Roger’s office ever since. I swear I heard Sandra yelling at him, too.”
“She’s completely lost it, I don’t get it, she’s always been a little mean, but this was next level,” he said, filling a cup with water and putting it in the microwave. “She lost it on Rose and then destroyed a computer. Roger stopped her just as she was going to ruin another one.”
“Do you think he’ll fire her?” Vanessa asked. “It sounds like she went crazy. Is Rose okay? Sandra didn’t hurt her, did she?”
“Rose is a little shaken up, but she’s fine. She feels bad for Sandra,” he said, shaking his head. “Can you believe that? After everything she just went through, she’s not angry, she feels sorry for her.”
Vanessa studied him for a second. “It’s called empathy, smart guy,” she said, then started stacking cookies on a plate, and then looked back up at him. “You like her, don’t you?”
The microwave dinged, allowing him to dodge her question while he fixed the tea, including a generous amount of sugar. “I’d better take this to Rose before it gets cold,” he said, reaching for the plate of cookies.
“Not so fast,” Vanessa said, not letting go. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“We’re just friends, that’s all,” he said, pulling on the plate. “Now let go so I can get back there. Rose is waiting for me.”
Vanessa let go, but she watched him walk away. “You’re a liar, Malcolm, you like her,” she called after him. “Believe it or not, I’m happy for you.”
Rose was sitting right where he’d left her, and he sat down next to her, handed over the mug, then waited as she sipped at the hot brew, Vanessa’s words echoing through his brain.
He was walking a thin line, there was no doubt about it, but he was a grown man capable of being around something he wasn’t able to have without losing control.
It didn’t matter if it was the first time he’d felt this way, and it didn’t matter that he always felt more like himself around Rose.
She wasn’t his to have, not now, probably not ever.
Rose sighed next to him, then set the cup down on the table. “Thanks, that helped,” she said, then looked around the room and sighed again. “It took me all of last week to sort these, and now I’m going to have to start all over.”
“I’ll help you, and I bet Vanessa will too; you’ll see we’ll get it done in no time,” he said, grabbing a pile by his feet and beginning to straighten them, then he looked over at her. “Didn’t you say something about writing a program to use a scanner instead of entering each one by hand?”
“Well, yes, but…” she trailed off, looking over at the empty doorway. “What if Sandra comes back?”
“I think Sandra is going to be taking a break for a while,” he said. “Come on, let’s give it a try. I think there’s a scanner up front, and we can use Vanessa’s computer. It will take your mind off what just happened.”
“Okay, as long as you think that it’s okay,” Rose said, a little excitement in her voice. “I would like to know if it’s going to work, I might have to make a couple of changes…”
“Then we’d better get started,” he said, grinning at her. “Have I told you that I know a thing or two about computers? For a while, I thought that was how I was going to get rich.”
***Rose***
“It’s not now?” Rose asked, taking the hand Malcolm offered her and getting to her feet.
“Nope, figured that one out a long time ago, if I’d been born a couple of decades ago, maybe, but not now,” he said. “I’m going old school with real estate, that’s why I’m working here. I not only want to own the buildings, I want to know how to build them.”
“Well, that’s certainly an intelligent way to approach it,” she said. “That’s why you bought that building, then, it’s the first one in your empire.”
He grinned at her, “The ground floor, so to speak,” he said. “And you were here to see the beginning.”
She laughed. “I’ll have to remember this someday when you’re all over the news and the financial pages,” she said. “I’ll have a great I knew him when story.”
“Okay, what do we need to try this program out?” he asked, looking around at the mess.
“Just the invoices and a computer,” she said. “I used one back here, but the program should run on any machine in the network.”
They spent a few minutes scooping the paperwork up off the floor, then headed up to the reception desk and a surprised Vanessa.
“I guess you heard what happened,” Rose said, rolling a chair over to her computer.
“I really don’t know how it went that far, I just wasn’t going to let her treat me that way. ”
“It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault. She was in a terrible mood when she came in this morning, and she snapped at me just for saying good morning,” Vanessa said. “Now, what can I do for you? You look like you’re on a mission.”
She quickly explained about the program that she’d written, and Vanessa gave up her computer.
"That scanner has just been sitting there since Roger bought it,” she said, rolling her chair out of the way.
“It will be nice to finally see it get used. Sandra was so against technology, it just made all of our jobs harder. It was like she’s still living in the 1950s. "
A few minutes later, after a couple of quick tweaks to the code, Rose was grinning like she’d just won a prize as the invoices slowly began to populate in the right files.
“It’s working,” she said. “They’re going right where they're supposed to. Hurry, scan a few more. I want to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
Ten minutes later, half the pile they’d brought with them was gone, and she sat back in her chair with a satisfied sigh.
“I knew it would work,” she said, a grin on her face.
“Now it won’t matter what order we put them in, or how old they are.
Plus, it’s going to take a fraction of the time, and anyone who can operate a scanner can do it. ”
“Oh, no you don’t, I already have enough to do,” Vanessa said, holding up her hands. “You can have the scanner, it’s all yours.”
She laughed. “Okay, that’s a deal,” she said, then looked down the hallway at the still closed door to Roger’s office. “That is, if I still have a job.”
“Don’t worry, Roger isn’t going to fire you,” Malcolm said. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I guess I should get started cleaning up the mess,” she said. “The accountant still needs this information. Sandra’s breakdown hasn’t changed that.”
“We’ll help,” Vanessa said, getting to her feet. “Then I’ll help you move the scanner to your office.”
“Why are we moving office equipment around?” Roger asked, startling them all. “Is there something wrong with your computer, Vanessa?”
“No, sir, but Rose figured out how to use the scanner for the invoices. It would be easier if it were in her office instead of out here,” Vanessa said. “I guess we should have asked you, but we were just trying to get everything done for the accountant.”
“I see,” Roger said, then let out a long sigh. “Thank you for trying to keep things going. Rose, could I speak with you in my office for a few minutes, please?”
She had little choice but to follow him, the sound of her stepfather’s voice already in her head, griping about her getting fired.
“Have a seat,” Roger said when they walked into the office, then sank into his chair with a sigh.
“It’s been a long day. I’m sorry you got tangled up in this mess, it really wasn’t your fault.
Sandra is…well…having a few personal problems, I won’t go into the details, but she and I both agreed that she needs to take some time off and handle a few of those problems so her head is a little clearer. ”
“Oh, I see, I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “I’m sure she’s a nice person.”
“She and I go way back and that’s why I’m willing to give her a chance, that is if you’re willing to help out,” Roger said.
“I’d like you to step in as temporary office manager.
I know that you’re qualified; I checked before I hired you.
It would just be until Sandra comes back, three months at the least, but possibly as long as a year.
You don’t have to decide right now, but I would like an answer in the next few days.
The position comes with a sizable raise, of course. ”
There was no need to think about it. “I’ll do it,” she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. “I mean, I’d be happy to help out until Sandra can come back. I hope this won’t make her hate me even more. I can’t imagine it’s going to make her very happy to know that I’m here in her place.”
“I’ll worry about Sandra,” Roger said, waving her off. “I just want you to bring this place into the modern age. I’ve had the money for new computers stashed away for years; it’s time to make a move. Is that something you can handle?”
“Of course, I’ve always been a bit of a computer geek,” she said, grinning at him. “And it’s always fun spending someone else’s money.”
“Just don’t bankrupt me,” he said, with a groan. “I’m not made of money, you know.”
“Yes, sir,” she said. “Now, if we’re done here, I’d like to get back to work. The accountant still needs those invoices, and I think with Vanessa’s help and the new program, we can get them to him tonight.”