Rock Chick 07 Regret(147)

“Well,” the wind, I could tell, had gone out of Kitty Sue’s sails, “the least you could do is help us now.”

“I will help you,” Shirleen replied. “I’ll tell you, you missed a pile.” And she nodded to a pile of papers at the end of her desk that was at least a foot high.

“Shit,” Daisy muttered.

That’s when I giggled at the same time the door opened and Ally and Indy walked in, laughing.

I sat back on my calves and smiled at them as they called, “Hey,” to everyone.

Not two months ago, I walked into this office feeling the frosty air, knowing they hated me and wishing I was one of them.

Now, I was sitting on the floor, sorting through Lee and The Boy’s confidential paperwork, having spent the day getting to know Brody (the computer geek and I mean geek), Monty (the guy who managed the surveillance room where, I was a bit weirded out to see they monitored Fortnum’s, which meant my meltdown there was witnessed by even more people than I knew at the time) and Shirleen.

Kitty Sue had come by with lunch. We ate. We chatted. She told me great stories about my Mom that only a best friend would know and she apologized about seven million five hundred thousand times about not “protecting” me throughout my life and not coming to see me after my father was put behind bars.

“I kept trying to figure out how to do it. What I should say,” she whispered to me, holding my hand. “I didn’t know what to say.”

I squeezed her fingers. “It’s done now, over. Don’t think about it.” I blew it off as if it was nothing so she would stop beating herself up and changed the subject. “You told me about my Mom, now will you tell me about Katherine?”

She smiled, let go of my hand, sat back and told me great stories about Katherine.

Later, Daisy came around, Kitty Sue spied the paperwork and we all got busy.

“What in the hell are you doing?” Ally asked, staring at the papers all over the floor.

“Filing,” I answered.

Indy turned to Shirleen. “I thought that was your job.”

“Do I look like a file clerk to you?” Shirleen’s eyes narrowed, clearly becoming frustrated with this topic.

“You’re sitting behind a receptionist desk,” Indy returned.

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this anymore,” I cut in, trying to help.

“Does Lee know you don’t do the filing?” Indy, apparently, didn’t need my help.

Shirleen grinned. “That’s it. You talk to Lee about paperwork. You give him lip about paperwork. Now, that I’d like to see. Make sure Shirleen’s around when you talk to Lee about paperwork. He loves to talk about paperwork.”

At this juncture, wisely, Kitty Sue decided to intervene, “Ally, get that pile from the end of Shirleen’s desk and you and Indy help sort. Shirleen, move out from behind the desk, Sadie’s going to type labels on the computer and make up folders. Daisy, start with the A’s, file what already has a folder in the cabinet, give Sadie the rest so she can make folders. Come on girls,” She clapped her hands. “Let’s go.”

Boy, you could tell Kitty Sue was a Mom. Even Daisy and Shirleen did as she ordered which meant Shirleen moved to the far more comfortable couch and kept polishing her nails.

I found the folders and labels and started typing. Daisy started filing. Kitty Sue, Indy and Ally kept on sorting.

In an hour, we were done, the last label typed, the last folder put away. Kitty Sue closed a drawer with her foot and swiped her hands together like she was brushing off dust.

“Oowee, world’s put to rights, Lee’s paperwork is filed. I’ll call the mayor,” Shirleen announced from her reclining position on the couch, her head coming up from her perusal of Us magazine.

Daisy, Ally, Indy and Kitty Sue all went red in the face and glared at Shirleen.

“Why don’t we go to dinner? My treat,” I offered before anyone could commit a violent act, or worse, say something they regretted.

“Can’t,” Shirleen said, sitting up. “Orders are you stay here unless one of the Hot Bunch is around to escort you. They’re all tied up. You’re stuck.”

“Then we’ll order pizza,” I decided.

Shirleen nodded and grinned. “That’ll work. I got Famous on speed dial.”

Of course she did.

“I’ll call the girls, the Hot Bunch are all working tonight so they’re all free,” Indy put in.

“Tell Jet to stop by Pasquini’s and pick up dessert,” Ally threw in.

“Tell Jules to bring Max, I haven’t seen him in ages,” Kitty Sue said.

“Tell Roxie to pop by the liquor store and get beer,” Daisy finished.