Page 1 of Mailroom Delight
Chapter 1
Paige
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Igiggled as I looked over the wad of paper in my hands. It had come from a bunch of emails the new boss had sent me.
His suggestions were so ridiculous I had to print them off to show Bernice, and maybe I secretly wanted to keep them to show others.
Apparently, my advice column needed to have more “heart”.
Right, that was really funny since I wasthe Queen of Hearts.
The Queen of Romance.
I wasAsk Paige.Portrait Magazine’srelationship advice columnist.
I’d won severalReader’s Choice Awardsand several other awards I couldn’t think of because the wine was starting to make my head spin.
But yet, this man…
I glanced at the top of the email again to get his name.
Jason Dempsey. My new boss— the new owner ofPortrait.
He wanted me to have more heart. That was at the top of the list of suggestions he had for my advice column. The same advice column that had made this magazine millions.
There were ten pages of emails with his lists of suggested things I needed to change.
I hadn’t met him yet. I’d been avoiding his requests for meetings to discuss my column, so instead of waiting for me, he’d emailed.
“My soul is on fire,” Bernice held up the bottle of wine. “Feels like I have bugs in my eyes, and they’re buzzing around not making sense.”
I laughed as she tipped her head back and downed the rest.
“You’re wasted.” I laughed even more when she brought her hand to her head and shook it, sending her dark locks all over the place.
She looked a mess, but I knew I did too.
We could be so bad sometimes. I knew we could have scheduled tonight’s drinking some place more appropriate. A bar, at either of our homes – mine might have been better because I had room for her to stay over – or heck we could have even gone to my office.
Instead we’d come down here, to the mailroom. Bernice worked down here. She managed the team of workers who took care of the mail, but most of all she was the last person to sign off on all the proofs for the magazine on Wednesdays. She’d do that just before the final versions ofPortraitwent out to the printers to be prepped and ready every Friday for release.
“I can’t believe this damn man.” I frowned as I scanned over the emails once more, flicking through each one. “More heart? Me? Moreheart?” That was the accusation that got to me the most.
“I think I might agree, just an itty bitty, bit.” She made a show of making a small circle with her thumb and index finger.
“You agree with him?” I wrinkled my nose at her. Howdareshe? She was supposed to be onmyside. “You don’t think I have heart?”
I looked at her, eager to hear what she had to say. There was no way Bernice could agree I had no heart.
“I do. It’s just how you express yourself. It’s like a donkey telling a chicken to mate with a pig.”
I burst out laughing.
What in the hell was that supposed to mean?
“Please, clarify.”
