Leigh

I held on to the jet black strap as my bag dangled haphazardly over my shoulder, a tiny rock skipping merrily against the concrete as I kicked it down the sidewalk. I glanced up from where my face had been buried in a book as I stopped walking to check my surroundings, shutting the thing once I realized I had arrived at my destination.

Here we are again.

I thought as I shoved the book back into my backpack and pushed open the door to Ackerman Offices, the familiar sweet tinkling of the wind chimes greeting me once I entered. As well as-

“Are you some kind of idiot?! ....FINE! I’LL DO IT LATER!”

-a screaming Zoe?

I pursed my lips as I stopped just passed the doormat, feeling like I somehow intruded on something. However, as I waited for her to welcome me like usual, I realized she must not have heard me come in. I took a quiet breath and slowly made my way over to the brunette woman’s cubicle just as I heard her Iphone clatter onto her desk in annoyance.

“Um... everything okay, Ms. Hallewell?” I asked somewhat jokingly but also with hesitance, gauging her reaction as I addressed her formally. I watched her eyebrows furrow at my inquiry and soon her brown freckled face tilted up from her Mac to stare me down.

“Oh... you came, Leigh.”

What kind of reaction was that? It wasn’t too long ago that everyone was begging me to come here.

“Yeah, I did.” I replied awkwardly as I watched her blow the curly strands of hair from her face in frustration. It was odd to see her look so stressed out, and I had never heard her raise her voice to that level before.

I paused for a moment as she didn’t say a word after that, adjusting the strap of my bag as the silence between us was beginning to get weird.

No, it's fine. No need to continue the conversation or anything.  

“Someone must have really pissed you off...” I uttered quietly.

“Yeah, it was Vaughn.”

“Isn’t he your boss?”

The subtle look she gave from above the rims of her glasses seemed to say “and what about it?” Hands down, the sassiest thing I’ve ever seen.

“So...” I began again, trying desperately to flee this cumbersome situation. “Should I just head to the back room, orrrr?”

I watched as Zoe seemed to be having an inward conflict with herself as multiple expressions crossed her face. Although, she seemed to compose herself after tapping the ‘enter’ key a tad bit aggressively on her computer, wheeling her chair away from her desk to face me.

“Leigh, this is definitely unprofessional of me but... could you do me a huge favor?

“Uh, sure, what is it?” I volunteered, offering her a small grin in hopes that it may soothe her nerves.

I merely looked on while she snatched a couple of beige folders from her desk and held them up to me.

“Can you go to Vaughn’s house and deliver his precious paperwork he’s been harassing me for?”

I blinked at her question, an awkward smile still on my face as I muttered something real intelligent like, “Huh? what?”

I was surprised when she reciprocated my smile with a weary one of her own, tying her curly strands into a ponytail with a sigh as she did so. “Haa... I guess that’s a no-go, huh?”

“I- wait, I didn’t say that.” I expressed in a hurry, not wanting to seem unreliable even while fumbling with my words.

“Err, I guess it was surprising to me since it was so out of the blue.”

She hummed in response and took a sip of what smelled like hot chocolate and marshmallows, waving the folders around in her free hand.

“Yeah I know, I was surprised too this morning when Vaughn nearly fainted in the doorway. He tried to clock in for work while sick as a dog, I had to send him straight home in a taxi!”

“He what?” I felt my brows raise in surprise. 

Vaughn? Sick? My image of him was a tall healthy man who always seemed to have the energy to provoke me. Someone like him can get sick too, huh?

I flinched when Zoe suddenly huffed and set her mug down with a loud ‘thud.'

“Right?! I was nice enough as his secretary to cancel all his morning appointments so that he could recover, and he had the nerve to chew me out for it! Him being a work-a-holic is probably what had his body collapse in the first place!” She fumed, though even I could tell all that anger was barely hiding her concern for him. The folders were promptly placed in my hands as she crossed her legs and wheeled her chair back to her desk.

“Anyway. I thought he’d be well enough by the time your appointment came around, so I didn’t cancel. However, from the way he sounded on the phone, I don’t think that’s happening.”

She picked up her cellphone and began typing with a quickness, myself being lost in thought about who she could be typing. Lo and behold, I soon felt my phone vibrate in my pocket as she glanced up at me.

“He was so peeved about not being able to work while sick, so earlier on the phone I said I’d deliver the paperwork he was bitching at me for.” She raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I just sent you the address to his condo. If he wants to work so badly then I’ll just have his client deliver himself to him. How shocked do you think he’ll be?” She giggled.

I chuckled at how she seemed to be having fun at his expense, sliding the folders into my bag for safekeeping. “Very. I like the way you think, Zoe... though don’t you think he’ll disapprove of a client having sensitive information about another client?”

She waved her hand dismissively as she began typing again. “Those folders are from your case file anyway.”

“Interesting.” I replied mischievously, a grin etched onto my face as I headed towards the exit.

“Alright I’m on board.” I called out and pulled open the door, freezing for a second as I glanced at Zoe one last time. “Um, I have to ask... how’d you get my phone number though?”

“I swiped it off of Vaughn’s phone when he wasn’t looking.” She admitted shamelessly.

Of course. I couldn’t even be mad with that, the woman was good.