Randall drove down the open road and clicked the button on the garage door to open. The door slid upwards and he eased the car into his parking space.
It was after seven but it was raining, so the streets were already getting dark.
He pushed the door to his house open, to the kitchen, and listened. Nobody was home, obviously.
Lee was gone for the day. There was an odd scent lingering in the air, like the forest and he wondered if Lee had brought someone in or had worn a new perfume. Then, he remembered that she was supposed to talk to the prospective assistant and give her a download on their responsibility.
He walked down the hall to the playpen and chose a couple of toys for Dino to play with. Knowing someone would come and a big dog barking at them was not a welcome affair, especially if you wanted a new employee, Randall had put him in the backyard where he had a big house for himself when people scared of big dogs came to visit.
Randall opened the back door and peered out. As lazy as always, Dino bobbed his head up, seemingly waking up from his sleep after hearing the sound of the door opening. His eyes lit up and he yipped in delight.
"Come on in!" Randall chuckled when he saw Dino skip past him and into the house. He ushered Dino into the kitchen, knowing that both of them were ravenous. Randall had been shooting all day and hadn't had a proper meal on the set.
His head was pounding from the constant hum and lack of food. He looked forward to some peace and quiet. And playtime with Dino.
He left Dino to his own devices before going about his business.
He walked past Lee's desk and picked up the report sheet she had left him each day, updating him on messages and paperwork or any tasks that had not been completed.
He scanned the report and noted the new PA had come in and was set to return the next week. This was good as he didn't want a disruption in his schedule or routine. He didn't have the time for that.
Pushing the door open to his dresser room to change, he noticed the scent of wood prevalent there as well and he concluded that it must be a new perfume.
He really liked it. It reminded him of running in the forest, free and happy.
He quickly changed, dropping his worn clothes into the hamper and grabbing the huge stack of newspapers Lee left for him on the changing room table. He popped in some music and searched for the remote on the table by the couch.
After pressing play, he settled into the soft leather and began thumbing his way through the stack of papers.
Dino crawled up into the couch beside him and snuggled, asking for attention.
Randall sniffed.
Nothing.
After giving Dino some much-deserved pats, he got up and walked into the dressing room once again. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs.
Woods. Definitely.
He considered for a moment before he walked out and ran to Dino.
"Dino, does the other person smell of woods to you?" he asked.
Dino looked at him for a moment before blinking. Surely enough, it was the other person. But Randall wasn't ready for the information that Dino gave him next.
'I saw her peek out! It was the pretty doctor!' he told Randall excitedly.
Randall raised a brow in surprise. "Oh… that is…" he trailed off.
His research could wait. He was happy for his dog. To be able to hang out with the pretty doctor whom he liked so much… good for him. But Randall was ravenous. His research could wait, but his growling stomach could not.
- - - - -
The reduction of clinic hours was not an issue with the owner. The man was actually sheepish and apologized for making her take up for the absence of the others. The calls from her mom and dad were nice, especially because they were concerned about her new job and how she would settle into it.
She was excited about officially starting her new job. She had spent the last week training with Lee and felt pretty confident in managing what was expected from her when she was on her own.
She still hadn't encountered Mr. Wright during her training since he was never home during the times she was there. Strange because she was there into the evening on most days. Lee said that his shoots were running late these days and he often traveled to the next city for this project. He also traveled during the day to check on the projects of the Trust when he was not shooting a movie.
It was raining when she drove to Mr. Wright's house. She had gotten a secondhand car on EMI that she was using, considering the long journey and lack of transportation to where he lived. She wasn't going to spend her extra income on taxi fare.
Unfortunately, she couldn't find a spot out front and had to drive to a side street for a space to park the car.
She grumbled under her breath as she took out her umbrella and slung her bag over her shoulder. She managed to make it to the house fairly dry and she trotted up the stairs, letting herself in with the key that she had been given by Lee. She shook out her umbrella and took off her raincoat, pausing to hang it on the rack in the foyer before she walked towards her desk.
'My desk,' she thought blissfully.
Lee had removed all of her personal items and the desk was clean and free of any clutter.
She took a moment to sit in the chair and relish the moment. It was kind of daunting to have a desk job.
She picked up the list of work written by Mr. Wright, who had the most elaborate and distinct script she had seen.