How to Tame a Dragon Ch. 03

She joined the two ladies in the kitchen and they ate their dinner to a good deal of light hearted gossip. When Izzy offered to help Rosie with the washing up it was with an air of quiet desperation. Mrs Coats looked at her knowingly. "You're better now aren't you Miss Izzy? And I think that you're getting a little bit stir crazy."

"I just need to feel useful again." She told the little lady.

"So what kind of thing did you do before you got sick?" She asked Izzy.

"I was a book keeper. But I can type and I can do filing, anything like that." She smiled wryly at Mrs Coats. "I don't supposed you need me to cook your books for you?"

Mrs Coats laughed. "No miss I don't." She paused and shot her a look. "But, the man Mr Daniel employed to do that sort of thing... well he up and quit just before Christmas; and he's not been able to find anyone to replace him as yet."

"Ooh I don't think so!" Izzy laughed holding her hands up defensively, she was not confident enough in her ability, to approach Daniel for work.

"Pity." Mrs Coats sniffed. "It could have solved your problem and his." She looked again at Izzy who shook her head emphatically.

"Well, suit yourself," she shrugged

Izzy left the two ladies and wandered aimlessly around the house. She found herself in the library looking around dreamily. She ran her fingers lightly down this book and took that book of the shelf. She opened it, and flicked through some of the pages before putting it back in its place. She gave a happy little sigh as she looked around at all the books there. As she neared the back of the room the sound of grumbling caught her attention. She moved silently to the half open door there and peeped inside.

Daniel was sitting at a desk with a pile of bills and receipts in front of him. He ran his fingers through his hair in a gesture of frustration. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this lot?" he grumbled to himself. He looked up to see Izzy hovering uncertainly in the door way. "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked every inch the polite host under sufferance.

Izzy wandered cautiously into the room. "Actually I think there might be something I can help you with..." she offered nervously.

"Oh?" Daniel raised a brow in cold impatient query.

Izzy indicated the pile of paperwork on his desk. "I could make sense of that lot for you," She told him quietly, she shrugged her shoulders. "It is after all what I did for a living... before I came here."

"So you're unemployed at the moment then?" he sneered cruelly.

Izzy shrugged her shoulders again, dismissively. "Staff cut backs," she said vaguely

Daniel looked at her speculatively for a moment before shoving the pile of paper work at her. "Be my guest -- if you think you can do something with it." He stood up. "I've a computer there in the corner if you think you can make use of it," he offered a bit more politely, when he realised that she was serious.

"That could be useful..." she nodded thoughtfully. "I'll need some other things as well," she told him calmly, "some stationary -- and other bits."

"Oh? Like what?" Daniel frowned.

"Oh let's see, a stapler, hole puncher, some A4 paper, a couple of A4 file folders wouldn't go amiss either..." She was ticking the items off on her fingers and Daniel held his hands up defensively.

"Alright, alright," he grinned at her, "all those things, you should be able to find in that cupboard over there."

"Excellent!" Izzy walked over and started to take the items out. She laid them neatly on the desk and sat down rolling up her sleeves in a business like fashion. She'd left her hair hanging down her back, but now she tied it back, with the ever present bobble that she had on her wrist.

Daniel stood watching her for a few minutes. Her eyes were alight with interest and there was real colour in her cheeks. She looked very pretty sitting there and he felt his interest stir. He pulled himself together and headed for the door. "I'll leave you to it for a bit then," he said over his shoulder.

"Bye..." was her absent minded response, as he closed the door.

Daniel stood on the other side of the door grinning foolishly. If only half of his problems could be solved with that kind of ease...

He wandered off whistling softly to himself.