One

Her phone flashed and she checked to see what the message was. Her heart skipped a beat. It always did when it was a Tinder message. Could it be her future husband calling? She opened the message, and her heart sank instantly. A dick pic. A fucking dick pic. It was only 7:15 am, who was this twat? Without bothering to reply, she blocked him and put her phone back down.

Miranda looked herself in mirror and took a deep breath. She looked okay. Maybe. She was wearing a simple black shift dress that came to her knees, and a deep green cardigan. She wasn’t over weight, but she was still curvier than she would have liked. She decided to wear sheer tights and black shoes with a small heel that she felt said ‘I’m sexy but also sensible’. She laughed at herself. Someone had to. She had decided to put her dark curly hair up in a high bun, and let a few strands rest behind her ears. Her make-up was subtle, just a little concealer where she needed thanks to better than average skin, a touch of bronzer and some clear lip gloss.

She checked the time on her watch. 7:30. Plenty of time. She was the kind of woman who liked to be early for everything. It was better to be early and wait around a while than be late and feel flustered. Deciding that falling down the stairs before her first day of work probably wasn’t a good idea, she removed the shoes she was wearing and carried them by the heel down the wooden stair case. It was January, so the kitchen was cold. Miranda was trying to save money so she viewed putting the central heating on as a luxury she was going to skip. She clicked on the kettle and waited for it to heat up. Miranda knew exactly what she had in the cupboard for breakfast but she still opened the door anyway to have a look. Instead of her usual cornflakes, she reached for a cereal bar. The nerves had killed her appetite but at least she would have something in her bag if she needed it. Taking a flask off the draining board, she filled it with instant coffee and milk.

Finally feeling that she had everything ready, she jumped in her black Peugeot and made her way to the office for the first time.

If Miranda was honest with herself, this wasn’t her dream job. What she really wanted to do is work in a museum, and make her way up to curator. The trouble was, it was difficult to get the opportunity to do this, so many history graduates wanted the same thing. Instead, she had listened to her parents and got a ‘proper job’ as they called it. With a reliable income. She’d managed to get a job as an admin worker for a marketing company, she had been told there would be the chance for career progression.

Arriving outside the company car park the kind-looking attendant asked for her name.

“It’s Miranda Jones. It’s my first day today.”

The man of about 60 smiled at her, and scanned down his clipboard. “Ahh yes, I’ve got you on my list. Welcome Miranda, my name is Kevin. You’ll see me most days!”

She decided she liked him instantly. “Thanks for the welcome, Kevin. I appreciate it. Don’t suppose you know where I’m meant to park?”

“Yes, bay 89. Just over there.” He pointed to the right.

“Thanks Kevin, see you later.”

He lifted the barrier and waved her off.                     

She’d already been here for her interview, but she was just as in awe as last time of the huge modern building. She parked up and quickly checked her make-up in mirror. Everything looked fine still. Miranda got out of her car and used the windows reflection to give her outfit a final check over. She needed to stop fussing and get in there.

She passed through the revolving doors and went to the front desk where a slim well-dressed receptionist was talking on a headset. She waited for the woman to finish, but she still didn’t look up at Miranda. Instead she was tapping away on her computer. Miranda looked at the clock on the wall, it wouldn’t be long before she was meant to start. She cleared her throat a little. The woman looked up and looked disdainfully at Miranda.

“Yes?”

“My name is Miranda Jones. The new admin?”

The woman looked her up and down disapprovingly. “Oh. Well…I’ll let Mr Pearson know you’re here. Take a seat over there.” She gestured to the plush arm chairs near the window.

Miranda decided to return the lack of manners, and instead just gave a curt nod in the woman’s direction. She hoped there were more people like Kevin in the office and not the receptionist.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man with thinning hair and glasses approached her.

“Miranda?” He extended his hand. “I’m Mr Pearson, but you can call me Mike. I’m the supervisor of your department.”

Miranda got up and shook his hand. “Hi Mike, nice to meet you.”

“Come this way, I’ll show you to your desk.”

Miranda followed him to the lifts, and she took note that he selected floor four. They stood in the lift in silence. Miranda shifted uncomfortably. He was friendlier than the receptionist but still seemed a little serious. The lift doors opened to reveal a typical open-plan office. Some of the desks were separated into cubicles, but mostly you could see each individual desk. Once they reached their floor Mike began explaining where things were.

“Over there is where you can store your lunch if you bring it with you. We do have a cafeteria though if you prefer...”

Miranda suddenly realised that she had forgotten to bring her lunch. Damn.

“Next to that is the staff lounge where you can spend your breaks. Through that door are the toilets. That section there has stationery and the printing facilities.” Miranda tried to keep up with everything he was saying and where he was pointing.

“And this…” he said, arriving at an empty desk, “…is where you are. I have emailed you your induction sheet. You can find details of how to log on in your top draw. My office is just over there. Right well…I’ll leave you to it.”

And without another word, he was gone. Feeling a little bamboozled, Miranda decided the safest course of action was just to sit down and let everything sink in. It was then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find an attractive lady in her 40’s smiling at her.

“Hi, I’m Sharon. I’m the other admin worker. Welcome to the company.”

Relief at meeting someone who might be able to help her washed over Miranda.

“I’m Miranda, and thank you.”

Sharon sat on the edge of her desk and used her eyes to gesture to Mike’s office.

“How did you find the fun sucker?”

Miranda looked at Sharon curiously.

“It’s what we call Mike. Cause he sucks the fun out of everything!”

Miranda giggled. “To be honest I feel a bit overwhelmed. He’s very serious. I didn’t really feel able to ask any questions.”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “I know, he’s like that with everyone. Don’t worry, I’ll help with whatever I can. I made sure that I had a quiet day today so I can show you the ropes.”

Miranda let out a breath. “You’ve no idea how grateful I am to hear you say that!”

“Not a problem at all, now, let’s start with getting you logged on.”

With Sharon’s help, Miranda soon discovered that this wasn’t going to be a difficult job. It was mostly supporting the other workers in the office who dealt with the social media side of the company. Mirada was happy it wasn’t going to be too taxing, but was also concerned that she may end up becoming bored.

At 1pm Sharon called over to her.

“Have you brought your lunch?”

Miranda shook her head. “No, in the rush to get out this morning I forgot.”

“Don’t worry, gives me an excuse to take you down to the cafeteria. I don’t mind leaving my salad exactly where it is.” She grinned at Miranda.

They went down the lift to the first floor.

Miranda was pretty impressed with the range of options. There was even a separate deli to the hot food counter. They opted for a filled baguette each, and made their way to a table.

Sharon began devouring her meal. “So, what did you do before coming here?”

Miranda put her hand over her mouth so Sharon couldn’t see her own half-chewed lunch.

“Nothing exciting really work-wise. After I graduated from Uni, I went travelling for a year around Europe. Then I’ve mostly done temp jobs since. A lot of office type stuff. This is my first permeant contract though.”

“What did you do at Uni?

“History.”

Sharon gasped. “That’s what my son Josh is doing! He’s in his first year at the moment.”

“How is he finding it?”

“Okay, I think. He’s struggling a little with the step up from A-Level. He’s only at the local Uni, so he’s living at home to save money.”

“That’s understandable.”

They both continued on with their lunch for a few minutes when Sharon looked at Miranda. “I wonder…would you have any time to do some basic tutoring with him? I’d pay you of course.”

Miranda was surprised by the question.

“Oh Sharon, I wouldn’t want any money…”

“You live on your own right?”

“Yeah?”

“Well how about after tutoring him a little, you have dinner with us. At least then I’ve fed you!”

Miranda considered it. She was in a new area, so wasn’t exactly busy with seeing friends. A home-cooked meal also sounded appealing. Cooking for one was a pain.

“Sure, I’d love to!”