The Sanctuary✔️

3

"Yeah Yeah, is this the new girl?" The tall blonde asked, distastefully.

"Yes, Summer this is Ashley. She will be taking over for me." Tommy says with pride over Summers' bitter tone and expressions. The girl glares daggers into Ashley as she stands there, waiting for something.

"Well, I am sure she'll just be great!" The sarcasm rolls off of her words and onto Ashley's skin as soon as they come out. "Can't wait to work with you, I'm sure you'll be great at getting my coffee." And with that Summer walks into the hallway and leaves, her rude and sarcastic manner sticking to Ashley like a fly in honey. Ashley looks down and bites her cheek out of a nervous habit, staring at the suddenly interesting desk.

"I'm sorry about her, she thinks she's entitled to everything. She's a bitch if you haven't picked that up. I'm Billy Tompson." the overly deep voice pulls Ashley's head up again with a nod.

"Ashley," She introduced herself quietly. "And I don't think she's a bitch."

"That's a first." Tommy mutters to herself but Ashley turns and looks at her with a small, almost sad look.

"How can I call her a bitch if I don't even know her?" Looking back at Billy and then to Tommy again, who has a very questionable look on her face, "I've only known you a day, that doesn't mean I'm gonna call you a player like everyone else." Billy nods and waves as he moves to the hallway, closing the door unlike Summer as he leaves the two girls alone in the nook.

Ashley pops more food into her mouth to avoid saying anything to Tommy after Summer's words. If Ashley wasn't able to pick up the heavy sarcasm in her voice she would have been confused, asking her what she meant.

But she isn't stupid. It's obvious Summer isn't a very nice person from the start, though she did understand why when they didn't even know each other. Ashley may put up with a lot in life, and most people would become judgemental; but if there was ever something Ashley wasn't, it was a judgemental person. She would never dare to judge and make a final decision on someone after only saying a few words to them.

So though it may seem like Summer was a bitch to Ashley, she wouldn't call her that. She shouldn't, others can but she couldn't bring herself to do that since she doesn't know anything about the girl. "You're an optimist aren't you?" Tommy asks her.

Ashley thinks for a moment before responding, "Sort of, I just don't like to be harsh towards people I just met."

"Even if they act that way towards you?" The old woman inquired.

Ashley nodded, returning her attention to one of the newer emails she had gotten. For the most part, the next few hours of work passed by rather smoothly. Between setting up meetings and reading emails to getting clients checked in for the first time and handling the phone to set up appointments with some, it was going great as she casually bantered with Tommy. Danny also popped in for a few minutes, "And then she sucked-"

"Tommy," Danny interrupted, acting serious though he had a smile on his face. "Not in front of the kids." He said as he gestured to the younger secretary.

Ashley pouted, "I am not a kid." She objected.

"You're as innocent as one." Tommy chimed.

"Am not-"

"I don't think I pay you guys to talk about innocence." Said a voice from behind Danny, it was deep and filled Ashley's ears. Danny quickly moved out of the way to reveal a tall man wearing a fitted black button up dress shirt with black pants and shoes, the first few buttons were undone. "Don't make me consider not paying you at all."

Danny cleared his throat and looked at his watchless wrist, "Well would you look at that, I gotta go do something. Bye Ash, bye Geezer." He waved at them before slipping past the man.