I arranged silverware and a glass of water nicely on the tray.
"Josie!" Lennie, one of the IT guys, said, sticking his head into the breakroom. "I have a new phone for you. I just need to swap out the old one." He followed me to my office, and I handed him a plastic baggy with the broken phone.
"Don't you have a case?" I asked him. "I'm terrible with electronics."
"We can have one ordered," he replied. "Do you have a color preference?"
Before I could answer, an earsplittingwoop woopshrieked out, and the fire-alarm lights flashed in the hallway in time with the siren.
"I don't think there's supposed to be a fire drill today." Mace poked his head in, concerned. "It may be a real emergency."
Lenny and I followed Mace out into the hall. As soon as I took a breath, my nostrils were assaulted by the acrid smell of burning fish.
"Your lunch!" I looked at Mace in horror then ran in the direction of the breakroom.
"Josie, stop!" Mace shouted.
Thick black smoke was billowing from the kitchenette when I ran in.
"Just leave it for the fire department!" Mace yelled as I wrenched opened the microwave door. Coughing, I ignored him and dumped the dish into the sink. It spattered as I turned on the tap.
"What is wrong with you? Why would you microwave it?" he asked, incredulous, as he waved the smoke out of his face.
"It was cold, and it looked raw," I explained.
"It'spoke—it's raw fish and rice," he said angrily. "You just mix it together."
"I've hadpoke. I'm not a complete idiot," I said defensively. "Poke is expensive tuna, rice, and yummy grilled vegetables. I've never seenpokethat looks like something that died on the side of the road."
I looked out through the glass walls enclosing the breakroom. The fire department arrived. The men in their helmets and bright-yellow gear marched through the open floor plan, their boots clomping on the floor.
"You need to evacuate in the event of a fire," one of the firemen admonished when he went into the breakroom.
Mace gestured to me in irritation. "She wouldn't evacuate."
"It's fine," I assured the fireman. "Just a little cooking accident." Mace shook his head while one of the firemen took a crowbar and wrenched the microwave out of the wall.
"It doesn't look like it's on fire," he explained, "but better safe than sorry."
"Cliff's right. There may be an electrical issue. Don't want to burn down this nice facility, right, Mr. Svensson?" another one of the firemen added.
"Were you microwaving fish?" Cliff asked me.
"I think it was the seaweed," I said, poking at the mushy blackened food in the sink. "I bet it acted as tinder."
"She's my new assistant," Mace said. I didn't have to look at him to know he was glowering in my direction.
"No judgement here!" Cliff said with a chuckle.
"I'll have some lunch ordered in," I offered meekly.
"Don't bother." Mace sounded disgusted. "I need to deal with this. Just cancel lunch on my schedule."
I wish I hadn't. Mace was hungry and angry the rest of the afternoon. He paced around his office, barking on his phone. Periodically he would glare at me through the shared glass wall of our offices. I wished he would leave; I longed to sleep. Waking up early was not normal for me. I couldn't believe Mace started work at seven thirty in the morning.
"Did you finish anything on your list?" he asked, coming into my office, the irritation visible on his face.
"I'm still working on the inventory," I explained to him.
