Switched, Bothered and Bewildered by Suzanne Macpherson Page A

office.
    "He's the arrogant vice president ass, so keep that in mind. We want your sister to return to her current position and not end up in the mail room doing ship-outs." Ollie tapped on the desk with a black pencil. "Get yourself settled in, I've got some things to go over with you. Did you get your tea yet?"
    "No, sir."
    "I took the liberty of having a hot water pot installed in your office, and a selection of teas brought over."
    "Why, thank you, Ollie."
    "You are most welcome. Fewer trips to the coffee room for you will be better all around."
    "Gee, here I thought it was a gesture of kindness."
    "It was. It's kinder to your sister for you to stay in this office as much as possible."
    Jana Lee smirked at Ollie, but knew he was right. She had a different air than her sister Jillian. Her clothes hung differently, her makeup was softer, her whole attitude was less "killer," and an observant eye would catch that, just as Oliver had. Fortunately Jillian was right when she'd said observant eyes were in the minority here at Pitman. So far she'd gotten by practically unnoticed.
    She scurried into the office and set the black briefcase in its usual spot on the credenza, then searched out the tea maker. There it was on a long counter with sleek cupboards below and above. She'd snooped into them a little and found nothing but files and fat three-ring binders with titles like Production Data 2000 labeled on them.
    No wonder her sister had burned out. Her head was full of numbers. Numbers were weird. When Jana Lee had had to take over the job of paying bills and figuring out the household budget it had given her genuine headaches. There was a reason her husband had handled all that before. But she did have a certain sense of accomplishment when everything turned out balanced these days.
    She hoped Jillian was getting some rest. Jana Lee had avoided calling her so Jillian wouldn't click into work mode and ask her a bunch of questions. So far, no real emergencies had turned up, just a real eye-opening first day.
    Gosh, this place was sterile. Jana Lee paused for
    a moment, then marched back into the outer office and grabbed a vase of lilies. She was going to pretty up that damn black-on-black office with some flowers. Ollie was on the phone and only raised an eyebrow at her.
    She planted the vase on Jillian's desk and surveyed her improvements. The toys on the window ledges looked great too. At least she could be slightly useful. She made herself a pot of tea in the clever machine, choosing Constant Comment to steep in the white ceramic pot. Ollie had also left four very pretty flowered cups for her. Boy, he was good at what he did. The wonderful aroma of the tea filled her senses with calmness.
    Her calmness didn't last long. As soon as she'd planted herself in the office chair and unwound Jillian's black pashmina shawl from her shoulders, Ollie knocked, walked in, and set an army green file folder down on her desk. It made her stomach jump.
    "Change of plans. You'll have to Jillian up and be at a nine-forty-five meeting. It seems the numbers on the Byker Chikz product line have been less than rewarding, and they are looking at replacing it. We've got a trade show in six weeks, so we'll have to have preliminary specs and models at the very least. Pitman has to go into high gear. I'll sit beside you and take notes as usual. I've been watching the dailies—those are sales figures from
    across the country—so I've got a good grasp of the situation. Normally your sister would have a whole lot to say at these meetings. I'm thinking we'll plead that you've lost your voice."
    Jana Lee choked on her sip of tea. More like she'd lost her mind. "Works for me."
    "That smells delicious. Mind if I have a cup?" Oliver walked over and got himself a cup of tea.
    "Not at all. Thank you for the lovely china."
    "It seemed to suit you." He returned to stand by her desk. "Don't get nervous. These people spend so much time backstabbing each other between