Arabella

Chapter 2

    Arabella walked to an oversized chair, plopped herself in and swung her legs over the arm. She held her hands up in front of her to examine her fingernails. “I think I need a manicure. My nails are getting too long. What do you think?” she asked. She looked at Jake, sitting behind his dark mahogany desk that was big enough to have a breakfast buffet on, hands folded in front of him.

    His  hair, as usual, was perfectly combed back and his suit fit him like a glove. He had an athletic build, and a cool calmness that would make anyone think twice before messing with him. Sitting behind his desk he looked like a mobster.  A twenty-something looking mobster, but still a mobster. She bit back a smile at the thought. She knew he was as tenacious as a bulldog, but inside he was probably all gooey, like melted chocolate. Big on the “probably”. She had never actually seen him outside of work in the twenty years he was the Director of Nero’s, and you don’t get to be the Director of Nero’s for being like melted chocolate.

    She knew he preferred she come dressed appropriately, but they both knew that was never going to happen. She was a jeans and t-shirt girl. He smiled and brought out a package from behind his desk and slid it over to her.

“Oooh! Cookies!” she practically purred as she reached for them. She ripped open the package and grabbed a cookie. Oatmeal raisin, her favorite.

    Jake waited for her to finish gobbling the cookies, tapping a pen against his desk impatiently. She ignored him and savored every last cookie crumb. 

    When she finished the last cookie, she looked to Jake, but he was staring off into space, pen still tapping the desk rhythmically. He seemed noticed Arabella staring at him, crumbs all over her face and shirt and smiled at her. “Ok, what is going on? You never bring me cookies unless you’re about to give me bad news.” She threw the empty package onto the desk and leaned back into the chair, crossing her arms.

    She saw him hesitate and knew that whatever it was, she was going to be pissed. When Jake first came to Nero’s, he and Arabella had a rough start. But after twenty years, even if only meeting once a week, you get to know a person. She figured her file probably didn’t help make the process any easier. She was able to take a peek at it once and the words “temper”, “smartass” and “stubborn” popped up alot.

“Jake.” He obviously heard the impatience and just decided to get it over with.

“I am retiring. I called you in to give your last assignment.”

    She stared at him and then smiled slowly. “So, no more orders from Jake, huh? Do you think the new Director will give me cookies?” She tilted her head as she said this, but despite the joke, he could see her green eyes were hazy with anger.

“Arabella” he started slowly, “I just…need a break from office life.  I’m sick of the politics and the fundraisers, and all the other so-called parties I have to attend.”

    She stared at him for a full two seconds. “Ok, I guess I can understand that. You are doing this because you want to, right? Cause you know, I could kick whoever’s ass is making you do this.”

    Jake gave a full-out laugh straight from the belly in his rich baritone. “I know you could. Hell, in any fight you could kick my ass!” Arabella joined in his laughter, until a knock on the door interrupted.  

“Sir, there is a problem. The client that you spoke with earlier,” the gnome said casting a glance at Arabella, “Is on his way here. Now. And he is not very happy.”

    Jake mumbled under his breath, and released a string of obscenities. Arabella stared, hardly believing what she just heard. Prim and proper Jake did not swear. He has even given her menacing looks and lectures when she swore on accident, claiming she had a truckers’ mouth. Just because “f**k” and “s**t” were among her favorite words. She considered it creative speaking.

“Stuart, take Arabella to the café while I deal with this, please.”

“Yes Sir, right away Sir.” The gnome looked at Arabella and waved her over. “Come on sweetheart.  Although” he turned and looked at Arabella again, “You might want to wipe those crumbs off your face and shirt first.” Stewart gave a hearty chuckle.

    Arabella’s first instinct was to get pissed. She didn’t like being called sweetheart, but… What the hell. He didn’t sound like he was doing it to be rude or anything. She let it slide and stood up to follow him, wiping the crumbs off her shirt and face and onto the floor. She looked back to Jake, but he was staring out the window, back facing away from her. 

    She followed Stuart out the door and glanced down at the gnome. He didn’t look too different from the lawn decorations, except he had more wrinkles. A lot more. It was almost impossible to see his facial features buried under all the wrinkles and the white hair that hung to his shoulders.

            “So you’re the famous witch, ehh? You don’t look like much. You’re a fixer, right?” he asked as they weaved through the office, passing cubicles, and sidestepping people rushing to the fax machine and copier. “You fix people’s supernatural messes. Humans, too.”

            Arabella mumbled a yes, before the gnome continued on,“I am only a banker myself. Head banker of this whole damn company. I guess you could say that I fix the problems other i***t accountants make!” He gave a small laugh as he looked back at her and almost crashed into a man in a suit. 

            “Watch where you are going, you little gnome!” the guy yelled as he raised his foot to Stuart, as if to kick him.

            “Hey!” Arabella shouted and glared at the man, stopping him from delivering the kick. The man looked at her then just shook his head. He mumbled something about ‘i***t women’ and continued on his way, another man in a suit following close behind. As they past Arabella, she felt waves of darkness wash over her. Those men were serious bad news. She watched them walk down the hallway with a shudder then reached out to Stuart. “Stuart, are you alright?”

            “Yeah, thanks. I hope Jake puts that man in his proper place! Mr. Blue.  He always picks on somebody when he comes in here. Always us little people. At least I come up to his waist. Last week he swatted a fairy onto the floor.”  The gnome shook his head and started walking again to the café.

            Arabella looked over her shoulder and watched the man hurry down the hall. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.