Straightening my already wrinkled dress as I rose, I grabbed the ratty purse at my side and quickly walked toward her. Rather than staring me down while mentally ticking off all the reasons I was obviously going to be eaten alive in a place like this, she offered me her hand, welcoming me to the building.

“Thank you so much for coming on such short notice,” she smiled, turning toward a long hallway.

I sped along behind her, trying to keep up.

“We thought we would have loads of time to find Mr. Cavenaugh a temporary assistant, but I guess pregnancy can never be counted on for following schedules,” she said with enthusiasm.

I nodded but realized immediately that she couldn’t see my response. Before I could offer up anything vocal, she came to a halt in front of a shiny glass elevator.

“This is the elevator that leads to the executive wing,” she explained as I stepped beside her.

“And—oh dear, I forgot to introduce myself. Forgive me, I talk too much, and I’ve already had about a gallon of coffee this morning, so I’m running a little faster than usual. I’m Gretchen from Human Resources. We spoke on the phone earlier this week.”

“Yes,” I answered, nodding my head in agreement, “I remember.”

“Good.” She smiled warmly and we entered. “Now, what was I going to say? Oh, right. Make sure you take this elevator. It’s the only one that goes to Mr. Cavenaugh’s office directly. You can get there by other means, but believe me—this is a lot easier. He’s on the top floor with all the other executives. You’ll need a code for the elevator,” she explained, handing me a small piece of paper with a four-digit code.

Since she hadn’t entered it, I figured this was my first job duty, and I quickly punched in the numbers.

When the elevator began slowly crawling to the top, she nodded her head and said, “Good.”

I slightly felt like a small puppy being rewarded for performing a neat trick, but the praise was much more pleasant than the grim atmosphere I’d left behind in the lobby.

“That code will also work to get you into his office after you’ve ventured out.”

“Ventured out?” I asked in confusion.

She nodded. “When you visit other departments, you’ll need this to get back to your desk.”

I nodded and continued to stare at the polished glass, feeling intimidated by the access code and the VIP elevator. I started to wonder why the owner of a major company would go to such drastic measures to sequester himself from everyone else.

Was he Quasimodo hiding in his bell tower?

Before I had a chance to ask any questions about my new boss, Gretchen intervened. “Where are you from?” she asked, finally breaking the awkwardness between us.