Chapter 10: The Pecking Order

Chapter 10: The Pecking Order

Maggie walked away from Michael's office feeling like a first-class idiot. What in the world possessed me to be so flippant? she wondered miserably. At least he hadn't seemed bothered.

She thought about his words. We're both alone in the world. She knew exactly what he meant. When her father died, she felt completely alone. She'd thrown herself into her undergraduate studies to distract herself from those thoughts. Law school had somehow been better. She'd bonded with her group of friends. She thought of Casey and knew they'd be close for the rest of their lives, the same with Ben. They were her family. Graduation had been a reminder that they wouldn't be together forever, but she hadn't allowed herself to dwell on the notion. She sighed and busied herself with the lunch order.

Everything went smoothly until she got to John Hemphill's office. He was meeting with Ellen Standifer when she knocked on the open door. "Knock, knock," she said brightly. "I'm Maggie, the newbie. I'm getting lunch requests. We're ordering from the Lexington Grill." She looked from one to the other.

"I remember you," Hemphill said. "You're the one from NYU."

Maggie smiled. "Yep, that's me. I'm settling in with my rookie assignments. What would you like from the Lexington?"

"I don't want anything from there. Just get me a salad from Field of Greens," Standifer said.

"I'm sorry," Maggie said, "Michael picked Lexington today. We can do Field of Greens tomorrow if you like."

Ellen Standifer narrowed her eyes. "A little presumptuous, aren't we, dear? Mr. Rannigan picked Lexington," she corrected. "I want my salad. And you need to understand your place." Hemphill turned to see Maggie's reaction.

She felt her face redden and it pissed her off. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I completely understand my place here. Michael and I spent the morning discussing the matter at length. And I work for him, not for you. If there isn't anything to your liking at the Lexington Grill then perhaps you'll be happier placing your own order at your convenience. John?" She turned to look at Hemphill, whose mouth hung open in shock.

"Uh, I'll have the garden burger," he said.

Maggie flashed him her most confident smile. "Thanks!"

She did her best to put the exchange out of her mind. Lunch was ordered and delivered, and afterward, Maggie busied herself with collecting heavy leather volumes from the various offices and returning them to their appropriate shelves in the library. She discovered that some associates preferred working in the conference room and she gathered books from there as well. That was where she met Dan Alverez who was happy to no longer be the newbie.

"Welcome to the 50th floor," he said warmly. "If you need anything, let me know. I'm just glad to be off book and food duty."

She laughed along with him. "It's not so bad so far."

The day passed quickly, and it was close to six o'clock when she rounded a corner in the library and saw Michael leaning casually against a table, arms crossed in front of him. "Hey Mags, how's it going?"

She smiled at him. "Great. I think I'm getting the hang of the layout of the shelves. I thought I might make one more sweep before I call it a night."

"How was your first day? Did you have any problems with anybody?" he asked, deep brown eyes boring into hers.

Shit! That bitch went and reported me, she thought, and once again she felt her face redden. It had happened so many times throughout the day she'd lost count.

Maggie lifted her chin and returned his intense gaze, feeling slightly defiant. "Problems? I didn't have a problem with anyone. I followed your instructions and did my job to the absolute best of my ability."

Michael continued his intense gaze, his expression thoughtful. After a moment, he spoke. "You know, Ellen can be a bitch sometimes. I could speak to her."

"I'm a big girl," Maggie said. "I fight my own battles."

"Fair enough," he said. He stood to go. "You can leave the rest of the books for tomorrow. It's been a long day. Come on. I'll walk out with you."

Maggie returned to her office to gather her things. She slid her new folio into the beat-up leather bag and slung her purse over her shoulder, turning off the light and pulling the door closed behind her. Michael was waiting by the elevator. "Can we share a cab?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Thanks, I'll just take the subway."

They rode down to the lobby in comfortable silence and headed toward the revolving door that would deposit them out onto Park Avenue. Michael turned to Maggie. "It was a good first day," he said. "See you in the morning."

She waved and headed off in the direction of the subway. "And Mags," he called after her. She turned to look at him. "I can't wait to see what you bring for the meeting tomorrow."

She grinned and nodded. "You'll love it! Good night, Michael."