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now, though, right?” Tina asked.
    “Yeah.”
    “Sylvia, here’s the deal. The first thing we have to do is get rid of everything, and I mean everything, that you don’t need. Then we arrange your office into zones where stuff is put so you can grab what you need as you need it, without even thinking about it. If you’re uncomfortable about throwing anything away, we’ll box it up and put it somewhere out of the way. You need all the space you can get to be able to work efficiently.”
    “Oh! That makes sense. What do you mean by zones?”
    “You have different areas, even in just a room, where you do different things. You answer the phone. You use the copier.” She pointed at the big machine in the corner. “You file. And you store supplies.”
    “Yeah. You’re right.”
    “Let’s start with the phone.”
    It rang, of course. Tina was beginning to wonder how much of this they could accomplish during working hours as she placed the phone pad and a pen next to the phone. Sylvia looked puzzled at first, but then nodded and smiled.
    As Sylvia was talking, Ted came into the reception area. He smiled at Tina, a big smile, his blue eyes lighting up. Made her uncomfortable. She knew he was attracted to her, and she knew he’d seen her naked. Well, only one section at a time, but still. And Brenda had been in the room. But still.
    “Tina! Good to see you again.”
    At his tone, Sylvia glanced up from the phone. She looked first at him, then at Tina. And her shoulders slumped.
    “Good morning, Dr. Hockmann,” Tina said. She stuffed her fists into her blazer pockets, then opened her right hand to finger the worry stone.
    “Ted.”
    “Ted. Can I speak to you a moment?”
    Eyebrows raised, he led her toward the back, to the kitchen. It was a mess.
    “What happened here?” she blurted. “A tornado?”
    He gave a rueful laugh. “More like no time to straighten it up.”
    “You mean it’s been this way since you took over the practice?” She wrinkled her nose at the smell of old grease.
    “Afraid so.”
    “Hmm.”
    He looked around as if he hadn’t really seen it in a while. “You see why we need your help. This is unacceptable for a doctor’s office.”
    “What did you plan to do with it? Just keep it as a kitchen, perhaps a break room?”
    “Yes.”
    Tina nodded. “Okay. I can work in here during office hours, no problem. But Sylvia keeps getting interrupted while we’re trying to work. Usually the phone. It might be better to do her area after hours.” She had a sudden thought. “What does your office look like?”
    Ted cleared his throat and stared at the wall. “Not too good. Again, a lot of leftover stuff.”
    “Yes.” Her fingers itched to get at it, but the kitchen would have to do for a while, it seemed. “And no way can we go through it during office hours.”
    “Of course you’re right.”
    Of course, she was right. She was the expert, wasn’t she? It had been a bit different to just think about what situations she might run into, though, and to actually be in the middle of the two she’d taken first. She could only hope these jobs were a bit on the outer limits of what most people would need. She looked with misgivings at the grungy countertops and floor, the stuff piled everywhere. It really surprised her that old Dr. Stevenson had let it get this way and that the new doctor hadn’t cleaned it up immediately.
    “Our next time off is Thursday afternoon.”
    “Okay. We should decide who needs the most help first—you or Sylvia. May I see your office?”
    Tina had never been in the office when Dr. Stevenson had his practice in the house, so she was a bit stunned when she saw it. It was beautiful. The walls were lined with filled, built-in bookshelves that gave the room the look and smell of an old library. Morning sunshine streamed in the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the colors of the Persian rug glow. The desk in the middle of the room was huge. She thought it was probably a