Grace Thompson walked into the Titan Publishing building at 14 Salem Circle and began to tremble. She clutched the newspaper in her hands and walked up to the receptionist.
"Hello. My name in Grace Thompson and I'm responding to the ad in today's 'Salem Chronicle' for a secretary."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, I don't. I didn't know that one was required."
"One usually is, but I'll see if Ms. Roberts is free. If you'll take a seat I'll find out if she can see you."
Grace sat down in the chair the receptionist had indicated and began to pray that Ms. Roberts would see her, and give her the job. She smoothed the skirt of the old, worn suit she had gotten from the Salvation Army. Grace knew she didn't look her best, but she reasoned that anyone who had walked to Salem from Georgia would look almost as bad as she did. It had taken two months to make her journey, but that was mostly because she had taken rural country roads. Her father would have never looked for her there. The only problem would be if Jeremy Thompson called the police on her, and that was a possibility. Grace was only sixteen, and still technically a minor, but her experiences had made her older.
"Ms. Roberts will see you now Ms. Thompson." The receptionist jerked her from her thoughts and gestured towards the elevator, "Titan offices are on the sixth floor."
"Thank you." The elevator door slid closed and Grace sighed. This interview had to go well. She had no other options, and Salem seemed like a nice, normal town where she could be happy and inconspicuous for years. As the doors opened to the lavish offices of Titan Publishing, Grace felt her breath catch. It was the most beautiful building that she had ever seen. Another receptionist raised an inquiring eyebrow at her and Grace smiled.
"I'm here to see Ms. Roberts. I believe she's expecting me."
"Third door on your left. Knock before you enter."
Grace knocked cautiously and a commanding voice answered "Come in."
Kate Roberts sat at her desk and carefully looked over the nervous girl who stood in front of her. If you turned the clock back, Kate thought, that could be me. The two women looked slightly similar. Grace's milk-chocolate brown hair fell to her shoulders, while Kate's hair had a hint of red in it, but both had large brown eyes that resembled a sad puppy's. But there was nothing sad or vulnerable in Kate's eyes and there hadn't been for many years.
Kate Roberts had gotten her start in business several years ago, after meeting Stefano DiMera. She had been a call girl, who worked to support her son, Lucas and Stefano had liked the way she thought. Since that fateful meeting, Kate had worked hard to establish herself as a good businesswoman, and she had. Titan Publishing was one of biggest businesses in Salem. What she saw in Grace was the same scared, lonely girl who needed someone to give her a break that Stefano had seen in Kate Roberts more that twenty years before.
"So, Grace, what brings you to Salem?"
"I was traveling around a lot and I saw the ad."
"Do you have any secretarial skills?"
"I can type sixty words a minute, and I know how to work computers fairly well."
"Do you know shorthand?"
"No, but I can write very quickly."
"Well, you're a little rough around the edges. How old are you?"
Grace thought, if she told the truth, not only would Kate not hire her, but she might call DCFS, "I'm nineteen years old."
"You haven't gone to college, I assume."
"No, I took care of my family for a year." Actually for four years. She hadn't gone to college, her father made her quit school after seventh grade.
"I'm going to give you a break. You're hired. You can start work tomorrow. You'll be my son Austin's secretary. His office is at the end of the hall. I'm going to give you two hundred dollars advance on your first pay check. Go buy yourself a new suit or two."
"Oh, thank you Ms. Roberts, thank you. I won't let you down."
" See that you don't. I don't usually do things like this for people. I expect you to be here at 8:30 tomorrow morning. That's all." Kate waved impatiently at the door, and Grace hurried out, grasping the money in her hand and grinning.
