Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane 1)

"Hurry up, Kate," Tully called out, knocking hard on the bedroom door. "You dont want to be late on your first day of work. Ill be down in the parking lot. "

"Okay, so maybe you are following her. " Grabbing her briefcase off the twin bed that was hers, she left her bedroom and headed downstairs.

In this last week of school, the hallways were crazy-busy with girls studying for finals, saying goodbye, and packing up their things. Kate wound through the melee and went out to the small parking lot behind the house, where Tully sat in her brand-new VW Bug, with the engine running.

The second Kate sat down and slammed the door shut, they were off. Princes Purple Rain soundtrack blared from the tiny speakers. Tully had to yell over the music.

"This is so great, isnt it? Us finally going to work together. "

Kate nodded. "It sure is. " She had to admit she was excited. After all, she was a college graduate—or would be soon—and shed found an excellent starter position in her major field. It didnt matter that Tully had gotten the job for her, or that she was essentially following her best friend. What mattered was doing this job to the best of her abilities and finding out if broadcast journalism was for her. "Tell me about our boss," she said, turning down the stereo.

"Johnny? Hes totally good at what he does. Used to be a war correspondent. In El Salvador or Libya; who the hell knows? I hear he misses combat, but hes a great producer. You can learn a lot from him. "

"Have you ever wanted to go out with him?"

Tully laughed. "Just because I slept with my prof doesnt mean every boss is fair game. "

Kate was relieved by that; more so than she should be. She wanted to ask if Johnny was married—shed wanted to ask the question for almost a week—but she couldnt quite form the words. Theyd be too revealing.

"Here we are. " Tully pulled up to the curb outside the building and parked. All the way up the stairs and down the hall, she talked about how great it was going to be to work together, but once they were in the small, cramped set of offices, she made a beeline for Mutt and huddled with him.

Kate stood there, clutching her fake leather briefcase to her chest, wondering what she should do.

She had just decided to take off her jacket when Johnny appeared, looking both incredibly handsome and profoundly pissed off.

"Mutt! Carol!" he yelled, even though they were all standing right there. "That new company, Microsoft, is announcing something. I dont know what the hell it is. Mike is faxing the info. They want you to go to the company headquarters and see if you can talk to the boss. Bill Gates. "

Tully surged forward. "Can I tag along?"

"Who cares? Its a bullshit story," Johnny said, then went back into his office and slammed the door.

The next few moments were a blur of chaotic movement. Carol, Tully, and Mutt gathered up their supplies and rushed out of the office.

Kate stood there after they left, in the now-quiet, vacant office, wondering what in the hell she was supposed to do.

Beside her, the phone rang.

She peeled out of her jacket, hung it over her chair back and sat down, then answered. "KCPO news. This is Kathleen. How may I help you?"

"Hey, honey, its Mom and Dad. We just wanted to call and say have a great first day at work. Were so proud of you. "

Kate was hardly surprised. Some things in life never changed; her family was one of them. She loved them for it. "Thanks, guys. "

For the next few hours, she found it remarkably easy to fill her time. The phone rang almost constantly, and the in-box on her desk looked as if it hadnt been touched in years. The files were an absolute mess.

She became so engrossed in her work that the next time she looked at the clock it was one oclock and she was starving.

Certainly she was allowed a lunch break? She got up from her desk and crossed the now-clean office. At Johnnys door, she paused, gathered her courage to knock, but before she could do it, she heard yelling from his side of the door. He was on the phone, arguing with someone.

It was better not to interrupt. She set the phones answering machine on automatic pickup and ran downstairs to the deli. There, she bought herself half a ham and cheese sandwich. On impulse, she bought a cup of clam chowder and a BLT as well. A pair of Cokes finished her order. Bag in hand, she ran upstairs and switched the phones back on.

Then she went to Johnnys door again; silence came from the other side.

She knocked timidly.

"Come in. "

She opened the door.