Disclaimer: Don't own Coronation Street or any of the characters, they belong to ITV.

A/N I think this will be a two-shot. Please tell me what you think of the story by leaving a review.

Maddie knocked on Carla's door. Carla had asked Maddie to come and see her once Maddie and Kirk were back from the delivery run to Atkinson's, McMillan's, Kirkbride's and Adamson's (which they would do in that order!). With Maddie choosing the route instead of Kirk they'd be back in two hours instead of four. Carla thought about that. Maddie had been a find. One she'd nearly let slip. Lesson there!

"Come in!"

Maddie opened the door nervously. She had been praised last time she saw Carla but lightening didn't strike twice in the same place.

She stood in front of Carla's desk.

"Mrs Bar.. sorry! Mrs Connor! You wanted to see me."

Carla's eyes didn't move from the papers on her desk.

"Yeah, I did want a chat. Take a seat."

This made Maddie more nervous. In her experience people only told her to sit if she was in really serious trouble or they had really bad news to deliver.

Carla finished her reading, looked up and smiled. Maddie tried to smile back but found she couldn't.

"Right, Maddie. Since you've been here you've succeeded in making Kirk look bad! All this efficiency! Do you know the petrol bill for the van is down 60% this month?"

"I.. I wasn't trying to make him look bad, just trying to do my job." Maddie's eyes went to the floor.

"Well you've done it very well! So I thought I'd see what else you can do."

"I'd rather not make Sally look bad in sewing!" Maddie was beginning to relax a little.

"Hahaha! No that isn't what I had in mind, although I don't think you'd find it difficult. How do you fancy ending up working in here with me?"

If a feather had bumped into Maddie at that moment she'd have fallen off her chair.

"Wh...What? Me? In an office? Look, school and me hardly saw each other!"

"But you can use a computer?"

"Yes!"

"You can add up, subtract, multiply, divide."

"Yeasish with a calculator."

"Can you use a word processor? Or a spreadsheet?"

"Word processor? Spreadsheet? Don't know, I'll ask Sophie to show me!"

"Aye she's a bright girl that Sophie, should be at University really not serving in a shop! Well OK then, see how you do and we'll see where we go from there. Goodnight."

"One thing though, you do know it'll get right up Sally's..."

"Yeah, she'll blow for a bit, mutter for a bit and then knuckle down. That's what she does. Goodnight!"

"Thanks, goodnight!"

With that Maddie left the office wondering when she'd wake up from this dream to find herself in another shop doorway under cardboard. Or had she died and Heaven was real? No, with all the bad things she had had to do to survive Heaven is not a likely destination...

As she left the factory she glanced right. KEVIN! Oh no! She'd be letting him down! She'd hate to do that! Not after he'd shown such faith in her.

Ten minutes earlier

At home Kevin and Sophie are having a chat in no.13. Jack is upstairs asleep.

"Maddie's late tonight."

"Yeah Carla wanted to see her."

"Ohh?"

"Yeah, don't know what it's about though."

"She's come on she has. Still a bit gobby though."

"But loyal!"

"Oh yeah she's that all right. Gift of the gab too, Luke was telling me what she did with Templeman, aka narky Weatherfield..."

Sophie chuckled at the memory "Yeah that was funny! Well it is now anyway."

"He came in today yer know, wanted to know where the "efficient woman" was!"

This made Sophie laugh out loud. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him it was her day off! He said 'Oh left has she? Saw she was wasted on a place like this.'... "

"Who's wasted on a place like what?" Neither of them had heard Maddie come in.

"Oh nothing! I was just telling Sophie narky Weatherfield came in today." explained Kevin

Maddie stiffened and sat down.

"Maddie, there's no need to look so worried! You're doing a good job." said Kevin

"Look please don't tell Sally..." Maddie started then stopped.

"Maddie! Don't tell Sally? Why wouldn't you want Sally to know your doing a good job?" Kevin was puzzled, so was Sophie.

"No not that! Look Carla called me in before. She wants me to work with her in the office full time..." Maddie was crushed by a hug from Sophie. "... I know I'd be letting you down! Hate doing that after all the faith you showed in me!"

"No, don't worry about that, I'm made up for you, I really am." Kevin was beaming at Maddie.

"Also I've got to get Soph to teach me to use a word processor and a spreadsheet first. So yer know. Might not happen. You might be stuck with me." Maddie said.

"Of course I'll show you! You'll pick it up in no time!" said Sophie. Kissing Maddie's face furiously as she did so.

"But not a word to Sally. That must come from Carla!"

"Yeah, course! If Sally catches you teaching Maddie, Sophie, tell her I asked you to as I need help in the office!"

"And I am really sorry..." Maddie was really conflicted about this.

"Don't be! I'm impressed! Carla's hard to please! And if it doesn't work out you can always come back!" said Kevin with a smile.