by Mo-Nighean-Donn
Lily gave the paper shredder a soft kick with the toe of her ballet flat. The hard, plastic bin rattled in response but otherwise did nothing. She didn't know what she had expected it to do, it wasn't like magic could fix the contrary machine. Sighing, she readjusted the wide black headband holding back her dark red hair and knelt grimly to work.
Ever since she'd started this bloody temp job she'd been at war with most of the machines in the office. In the beginning, she had put it down to her own inexperience, but after three months, it was beginning to feel personal. In this instance, the shredder had jammed—again—and flatly refused to respond to her ministrations.
After repeatedly attempting to move the paper jam in either direction with no success, she removed the bin and pulled any lingering strands of paper out of the way. Perhaps a clear space below would encourage the crumpled wad through the teeth of the machine. She returned the bin to its place and pressed the button. No such luck.
Softly muttering curses, Lily removed the bin again and pulled at the teeny strips of paper protruding from the gears. A few tore away but most stubbornly refused to budge. Lily stood to reassess the situation and could think of nothing else for it. The mechanism simply whirred uselessly when she turned the shredder on, and trying to reverse the paper so she could remove it completely had also proved futile.
Ten minutes later, she was still on her knees, the floor around her littered with white dust and the few tiny scraps she had managed to dislodge. She'd already broken one nail reaching blindly into the gearbox attempting to tear the jam loose.
"Need a hand?" inquired a smooth voice behind her.
Lily shook her head fiercely, still tugging at a recalcitrant knot. "Thanks, but I've got it."
She felt somebody crouch beside her, blocking her light. A strong, lean hand moved into her field of vision and gently edged her hand away from the problem. She sat back on her heels and looked at the newcomer as he rummaged about. He was dressed for business, in black slacks and a pale blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows. His silver and navy striped tie had been loosened, probably at the same time as he had rumpled up his hair. The dark black mass was in wild disarray, sticking out in every direction. If it had been blond, he would have looked like a duckling. As he worked, his glasses slipped down his aquiline nose, and he absentmindedly nudged them into place with his other hand.
"Looks like you've done a bang-up job here," he mused. "What did you do to make it turn on you?"
"I didn't do anything," Lily cried defensively. "These machines just have it in for me." She was acutely aware that her headband had slipped again, that her dark purple skirt was dusted with white, and that when he had approached she had been on her hands and knees with her arse in the air, muttering obscenities at the vagaries of technology. She could feel her cheeks heating, and a fire sizzling in the tips of her ears.
The stranger finally turned to look at her, and his eyes widened appreciatively at the sight. He smiled, a glowing, disarming smile with mischief lurking in the corners of his eyes.
"James," he stated simply, extending a hand.
"Lily." She shook his hand briefly, surprised to find it cool instead of warm. Somehow, she had expected his hand to be warm—she didn't know why. When he turned his attention back to the problem at hand, she surreptitiously wiped her hand on her skirt, trying to brush away the tingling in her palm.
"I think I've about got it," James said. "Your method is sound; it's just your technique that needs modifying. The trick is to start at the edges and loosen those. Most people go straight for the mess in the middle, because that's the logical thing when you're upset, but if you can eat away at it from the outside, it'll be gone just that much sooner. Works like magic."
Lily grinned despite her embarrassment. "You're an expert on paper jams in obstreperous shredders, then?"
"Oh, yeah, professional. It's in my blood, I guess. I cut my eyeteeth on the crosscut shredder in my dad's office, and well, after that, what else could I do with my life?"
"What about printers? You any good with those?" Lily challenged.
James turned squarely to her, put a hand to his chest and lifted his chin. "You see my work with shredders and you question my ability with printers? Show me any printer, scanner, fax machine, or copier and I guarantee I can fix it. I told you, I'm a professional."
Lily giggled. "Modest, too."
He dropped the dramatic front and grinned, which was very different from his smile and made Lily's stomach do flips. "Well, my mates do say I could work on that, but I say, when you're the best, why hide it, you know?"
"No, I wouldn't." Lily sighed and stood up, carefully backing away from him. She deliberately busied herself with unnecessary paper sorting while James finished fixing the shredder. When at last the gears were grinding and cutting once more, he stood, brushed his hands clean dramatically, and bowed, displaying the top of his head liberally dusted with white.
Lilly giggled.
"What?" He straightened, confusion crossing his handsome face.
"Nothing," she demurred.
"That giggle was not nothing, so out with it."
"You've got paper in your hair." She hid her growing smile behind her hand.
"So do you," James countered, reaching up to ruffle his own hair, setting loose a shower of dust as he did so.
"Oh—!" Her hand flew to her hair. She pulled her headband loose and began combing frantically through the long, tangled strands with her fingers.
"Here, better let me." He leaned forward to help her, gently plucking tiny paper bits from the mess she'd made.
Lily was all too aware of how close he stood. Her cheeks flushed, and her breath caught when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"All done." James too had noticed their proximity, but made no move to back away.
"Um, I should get back to work," Lily said haltingly. What was it about him that made it hard to breathe?
James started. "Right, yeah, uh—I should, go—too." Again, he ran his hand through his hair, a gesture to unconscious Lily wasn't sure he knew he was doing it.
"Thanks for you help, with the shredder I mean." she stammered.
He grinned. "Any time. If that printer gives you trouble you just let me know."
"Okay."
Okay?! That was the best she could come up with? Get ahold of yourself, Evans!
He walked a few steps, picked up a briefcase Lily hadn't noticed until now, and hesitated. "On second thought, you want me to take a look at that printer now?"
She smiled. With him a few feet away she was her own woman again. "No thanks. I think I can make it behave."
"You sure, because it could just be waiting 'til I'm gone, then it'll go crazy on you. I'm talking paper jams, fax won't connect, ink everywhere." He paused, leaned forward conspiratorially, and added, "It could be dangerous."
Lily perched on the edge of her desk and crossed one knee over the other. "Really, I've got it sorted. You look like you need to be somewhere."
"Oh, oh yeah, well, not really. I mean—"
"No, really," Lily insisted. "You've been a big help, and I appreciate it, but I don't want to keep you."
James's shoulders slumped a little, making Lily feel just the tiniest bit sorry to see him go. "Alright, yeah, well, nice meeting you Lily." He brightened. "Maybe I'll see you around here again sometime?"
"Rather likely, considering I work here." She replied dryly.
"Yeah, alright, well, cool. See you around then."
"See you." Lily turned back to her work with a small, soft smile playing about her lips and in the corners of her eyes. Reaching a hand into the deceptively deep pocket of her skirt, she touched by burnished handle of her wand. Magic may not work to fix shredders, but it did a hell of a job keeping the printer in line. She had it sorted.