“You must be John,” came a friendly female voice. 

John snapped his head up and hurriedly shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Uh yeah,” He replied, caught off guard. He found his mouth was suddenly dry at the sight of the gorgeous woman standing in front of him. She wore a black pencil skirt and white blouse that struggled to contain her considerable chest. In her heels, she towered over John’s small frame. 

“I’m Tiffany” she beamed, extending her hand. “I am sorry to keep you waiting, I just couldn’t get off my last call and I don’t even have anyone here to greet you. But I suppose if I did, you wouldn’t be here,” she concluded with a small chuckle. 

John took the offered hand, and gave his best entering the workforce handshake, trying to seem more confident than he felt. Her hand was soft and John felt his heart quicken at the touch. 

She went on to explain how her last front desk girl had returned home for the summer. “I am hoping to find a girl,” she started and then quickly corrected herself, “sorry, I meant a desk person, who will be a little more permanent. That’s why I was so delighted when I got the call from Rebecca.” 

John smiled warmly, making sure he kept his eyes only on her face. He had been very grateful to his stepmom and didn’t want to mess this opportunity up. Despite the siren song her chest seemed to be crooning, he was sure nothing would sour the interview quicker than being caught leering.

He had graduated high school less than a month ago, and with less than stellar grades his senior year, he knew college wasn’t going to be an option. His stepmom had been more than gracious about everything. John’s dad had walked out on them three months prior without so much as a note. Since then she had been trying to make the best of a crappy situation. Upon graduation, she had told John he didn’t have to move out or start paying rent but she did expect him to get a job. He could take two weeks off to celebrate graduating, but after that she he was to start looking for work and to have found something by the end of June. 

John had spent his two weeks off primarily playing video games. His friends were all going away to college and most of them had very little free time between getting ready for their next chapter and one last big hurrah with their families. When John started the job hunt, he quickly found it harder than initially anticipated. He had never had a job while in school, and found most places turned him away after the first interview and quick glance at his resume. Despite his bleak prospects, John was adamant he didn’t want to work at a fast food place with a bunch of ‘teen agers’. Even though he was barely out of high school himself, he now considered such work beneath him. 

As he  had neared the end of the second week of job searching with no real prospects, he confessed his situation to his stepmom over dinner. She listened patiently as John shared all the places he had applied and all the interviews he had been on, but how it all amounted to nothing. When he got done, he sat in his chair sullenly pushing the pasta and chicken around his plate, unable to meet his stepmom’s gaze. 

Rebecca watched deep in thought for a moment before speaking up. “You know John, I have a friend who may have something available. It would just be an office position, answering phones and such, but she works in real estate and there may be a chance for you to learn the trade if you like it,” she offered in a hopeful tone. 

“Really? That would be great.” John had beamed excited at the prospect of working in an office.

Rebecca smiled across the table at John. She had met and married his father when he was 13. He had always been a very slight child and even from that young age she had figured he would have a hard time in life. He was far quieter and more reserved than his peers. In fact she had often thought he had more in common with girls his age than the boys. 

o0o 

“Well I am sure we will be a great fit,” Tiffany was saying. “And it never hurts to have such a cute young man at the front desk.” John felt his face flush a deep crimson at the comment. 

Tiffany got him settled behind the large white desk and showed him how to log into the computer, her mail and various calendars. “Basically, the job is to just answer the phone when it rings, add appointments to my calendar and greet anyone who happens to come in. But it’s mainly just the first two. Now, I won’t lie. It can get pretty boring so feel free to be on your phone when it’s slow. All I ask is that you answer the office phone promptly and don’t be looking at porn.” She said the last part with a laugh.  The red that had been receding from his cheeks flared back at the mention of porn and he gave a small chuckle of his own to hide his embarrassment.