“Let’s see. Food—appetizers, entrée, dessert…what about the
bar? This sucks!” Mindy Cooper threw her pen down on her desk as frustration
overtook her. She simply wasn’t any good at planning parties and she
whole-heartedly resented how Bernard had tossed the company’s Christmas party
in her lap. “He didn’t even ask,” Mindy fumed. “Instead he ordered.”
Well, so what? There was no way she was ever going to pull
together a decent party unless the employees of Kutrate Kemicals wanted to dine
on frozen pizzas cut into tiny squares and Kool Aid in paper cups. She was
going to call a caterer. Yes, it would cost her cheapskate boss a lot more than
if she did all the legwork but that was just too bad. It was painful enough to
contemplate an evening as Bernard’s date without having to worry about details
like making sure the bar was set up to her annoying bosses’ exacting
expectations.
Mindy pulled out the Schuyler Square telephone book and
found caterers. She called the first number on the list and put in her order with
directions to spare no expense and to send the bill directly to Bernard
Morton. He’d have a fit for sure but
hopefully she would be able to quit in the very near future and she wouldn’t
have to listen to him scream at her over how much she had cost Kutrate Kemical
for more than a week or two.
All right, that was taken care of. Now she needed to figure
out what to wear to this gala event. Mindy had the feeling that the Christmas
party at Kutrate Kemical would be an even less joyous event than the one held
at the newspaper—a dismal yearly affair that included passing around a box of
cheap white wine and reminiscing about the most gruesome news stories covered.
Of course, the newspaper staff was so sparse that Mindy usually ended up with
most of the wine herself, not a bad thing. This party promised to be altogether
a different kind of evening. Mindy wanted to find something to wear that would
be attractive and a little bit sexy but not so attractive and sexy that she
would have to fight Bernard off all night long.
It was almost quitting time so she decided to leave a minute
or two early and head down to Barden’s Boutique. It was out of her price range
but maybe she’d find something on the clearance rack. Poking her head into
Bernard’s office, Mindy said, “I’m taking off now, Bernard.”
“You have two minutes left before your official quitting
time,” Bernard responded, a quizzical look in his eyes.
“I came in two minutes early this morning,” Mindy pointed
out. How she was beginning to loathe this man!
Bernard seemed to be weighing her remark. “Did you start
working right away?”
“I always do,” Mindy replied.
“I guess that’s all right,” Bernard said slowly, “but I’d
prefer it if you stuck to your schedule. I don’t like it when things aren’t by
the book.”
No kidding. Bernard had probably been toilet trained at the
exact moment his mother’s copy of Dr.
Spock’s Baby and Child Care manual has said he should. “See you tomorrow.”
“How are things going with the Christmas party planning?”
Bernard inquired.
“Splendidly,” Mindy assured him. “I don’t think you’ll be
disappointed.” Furious, yes but not disappointed.
“Good girl,” Bernard told her, looking pleased. “I knew you
were a winner, Mindy Cooper.”
Mindy gritted her teeth. Somehow she doubted very much that
Bernard was going to think she was such a good girl once he realized what her
real reason was for working at his chemical company. “See you tomorrow,” she
muttered.
“I can hardly wait,” Bernard assured her with a sly smile.
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