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Three
     
    Maggie could hardly believe her luck. Oliver Townsend, one of her new bosses, had
     hired her on the spot. She’d expected her interview for the administrative assistant
     position with G&T Associates to be more brutal. Since the economy wasn’t so great,
     she was sure she’d have plenty of competition. But to her delight, Oliver had hired
     her on the spot after a very informal interview. She didn’t know what he’d seen in
     her but she planned to live up to faith he’d showed in her by offering her the position.
     The salary he offered was generous considering her lack of training, and it would
     at least allow her to expand her food budget to more than just peanut butter, jelly,
     bread, and instant noodles. So far, in the two days since she began working for the
     private investigation agency, she liked what she did.
    Of course, it would take her a little while to get the hang of how things worked around
     the office but she was eager to learn. Maggie was getting pretty good at reviewing
     and updating case files. It was interesting work, especially reading about some of
     the clients, which made her feel a little better about her own sad existence.
    Oliver was an easygoing boss. He had insisted they work on a first-name basis. He
     was a nice man and easy on the eyes as well, with his curly brown locks and friendly
     blue eyes. He wasn’t particularly tall, but he was still a head taller than her five-feet
     four inches. While he was nice to look at it, she didn’t see him in any capacity beyond
     an employer. She doubted she’d have much interest in any man for a long time. Her
     divorce drama was enough for anyone to handle.
    On top of all the emotional distress he caused her, Eugene now wanted her to reimburse
     him for half the cost of the divorce. He had told her that Shelly thought it was only
     fair. Maggie didn’t give a flying fuck what Shelly thought. Eugene was the one who
     had started the divorce proceedings so he could damn well pay for it himself. He was
     so damn cheap; it probably wasn’t Shelly’s idea at all.
    At least now she had a steady job, enabling her to keep up with her bills and start
     a savings. It would be nice that she’d soon be able to help out her children if they
     needed it with money she earned herself. She didn’t realize independence would feel
     this good.
    The office building where she worked was in Dupont Circle, a prosperous business
     and residential area. The actual location of G and T Associates was in a suite in
     a huge office building with a myriad of different businesses. Maggie liked the setup
     of the office. She sat at a desk in front, facing the entrance so that she saw everyone
     who came and went in the office. On either side of her was a huge office that belonged
     to her bosses. Down the little hallway were a couple of empty offices that Oliver
     explained would be for future employees once they expanded. Maggie hoped that her
     other boss, Mr. Grimaldi, was as nice as Oliver.
    Maggie sat at her desk, deeply focused on learning the nuances of the electronic tracking
     system that would enable her to keep appointments more efficiently and convert the
     paper files to electronic ones. Her scope with using computers didn’t go far beyond
     checking her email and surfing the internet. She was no computer whiz like her son
     Darren, but the tutorial for the programs had been helpful, and she was confident
     she’d soon have the hang of the system. She was so engrossed that she didn’t notice
     the front door open.
    “This has got to be a joke,” a sharp voice brought Maggie out of her deep concentration,
     making her jump.
    She let out a loud shriek. Maggie hated that she was easily excitable. Eugene used
     to delight in sneaking up on her and scaring her witless.
    “For God’s sake, woman, there is no need to scream. What the hell is your problem?”
    Maggie raised her head to see the offended party standing in front of her desk.