"I can't believe she's dumping us," Peter mumbled, digging through the applications. "This close to the spring drop too."
"Think of it this way, Pete," Winston told him. "We've got time to train the new one."
"Peter, you knew there was a possibility that Aggie wasn't going to stay long term." Ray said. After almost a year with them, their current receptionist, Aggie DeWinter, had come in the week before stating she'd gotten accepted in an off-Broadway musical. Ray had been excited, but all Peter saw was that they needed to find a new receptionist. Now, they were digging through applications and interviewing women they didn't even knew lived in New York.
"Are there no decent receptionists in New York anymore?" Peter cried dramatically, burying himself in papers. Winston and Ray hid a smile.
"I thought we had it narrowed down to ten women?" Winston asked.
"But they're not what I'm looking for," Peter mumbled under the papers.
Winston shook his head. "You mean they're not Janine," he said. "We aren't going to find anyone that good."
Peter lifted his head. "I know, but I can dream, can't I?"
Winston laughed. "Ray and I are going grocery shopping...without Slimer. You need anything?"
"Yeah, if you find an incredible receptionist, bring her home."
Ray sighed, and followed Winston to Ecto. Peter dug through the applications again as Ecto left . He'd just gotten them into an order when he accidentally elbowed a stack. Paper went all over he floor. Cursing, he crawled under the desk to pick up the papers. He heard the door open and someone walking through the reception area, but he didn't bother to get up.
"Can I help you?' he muttered, still picking up papers.
"I'm here about the application in the paper?" a female voice asked. Her accent was definitely Brooklyn, and Peter decided he wasn't hiring her right there. It didn't matter if she was tall, leggy, and blond.
"Do you even have any reception experience?" he asked in the most bored voice he could muster. The woman seemed amused.
"Of course. I juggled an entire office once, plus played nursemaid with my bosses, helped them on assignments, cleaned up after them, did their shopping, baby-sat their mascot, and ran a pretty tight office."
Peter stopped picking up papers. That Brooklyn accent was definitely starting to sound familiar. Sitting up, slightly, he peeked over the desk. The amused face of Janine Melnitz looked back at him. Sitting up quickly, he looked in shock at their ex-receptionist.
"Then why do you want this job?" he asked. She smirked.
"Call me a glutton for punishment. I've been approved by my doctor to come back to work. No stressful stuff for right now, and if I remember correctly, the spring is usually slow."
Peter stood up, not really believing she was really here, and willing to come back to work.
"You're serious?" he asked.
She nodded. "I can start today."
Peter stared at her, then scooped up the papers on the desk and pushed them into the wastebasket. "You're hired. You can start tomorrow. I'll have to introduce you to my associates." He hit the intercom. "Spengs, come down here, and meet our new receptionist."
"Peter, I'm busy," came the annoyed voice.
"Now Egon," Peter stressed, then looked back at Janine happily. "I'll have to introduce you to the others later. They went grocery shopping."
"Without Slimer?" Janine asked.
Before he could answer, he heard Egon walking down the stairs. "Peter, I'm very busy, and..."
"Egon, come meet our new receptionist. Try not to scare her off this time. Ms. Melnitz, Dr.Spengler."
Egon's head shot up, and he looked at Janine, who was standing beside Peter, smiling at him.
"Nice to meet you Dr. Spengler," she said.
Egon didn't know what to say. He stood there, staring at her. Peter grinned.
"Well, say something Spengs," he suggested.
Egon opened his mouth and the door opened again. "Ray forgot the list," Winston mumbled, walking into the firehouse, followed by Ray. "It wasn't my fault. I thought you..." Ray trailed off, stopping in his tracks staring at the receptionist next to Peter.
"Janine!" He cried out happily, running towards her. She stepped back, bracing herself. Ray rushed up, hugging her. Winston finally joined them.
"Come to visit us?" he asked. Peter grinned, shaking his head.
"Nope. She's our new receptionist."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Egon finally spoke, walking over to them. Janine glanced over at him, then looking at the four of them, nodding.
"I promise. I talked to Dr. Whittman when I saw the ad in the paper. He said I could return as long as I continue my sessions, and I start out slow. And since spring is usually the slow period here, I figured I'd come down and apply." She sighed, smiling at the four men she'd come to befriend over the years. " It won't go back to like before, and it may take some time before I remember exactly how everything works around here, but if you don't mind working with me, I promise I'll do my best to get things back to normal."
Peter smiled, touching her shoulder, noticing that she didn't shy away like before. "Welcome back Janine."
She smiled at all of them. "Thanks Dr. V. Now I believe you said I didn't have to start until tomorrow?"
He laughed, letting go of her shoulder. "Go home Melnitz. I'll see you in here tomorrow at nine."
Janine nodded, smiling, and picked up the purse she put down by the desk when she first walked in. Egon took a step towards her.
"Janine?"
Janine stood up, looking at him. "Yes, Dr. Spengler?"
"I believe you still owe me dinner."
She frowned. "I do?"
He nodded. "There's a bistro down the block if you'd like to go there?"
She smiled. "I have a better idea. I'm suppose to meet my parents for dinner, why don't you join me there?"
He nodded. "Let me get my jacket," Janine watched him walk over to the coat rack at the other end of the room. She glanced over towards the desk were Peter was watching her. She smiled at him, and after a moment, he smiled back. Egon walked back to her.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded, and opened the door.
Peter watched them leave, then sat down at the reception desk. Hopefully with a little work, things would get back to normal. Not that things were normal before, but still...they were back together again.
"Think of it this way, Pete," Winston told him. "We've got time to train the new one."
"Peter, you knew there was a possibility that Aggie wasn't going to stay long term." Ray said. After almost a year with them, their current receptionist, Aggie DeWinter, had come in the week before stating she'd gotten accepted in an off-Broadway musical. Ray had been excited, but all Peter saw was that they needed to find a new receptionist. Now, they were digging through applications and interviewing women they didn't even knew lived in New York.
"Are there no decent receptionists in New York anymore?" Peter cried dramatically, burying himself in papers. Winston and Ray hid a smile.
"I thought we had it narrowed down to ten women?" Winston asked.
"But they're not what I'm looking for," Peter mumbled under the papers.
Winston shook his head. "You mean they're not Janine," he said. "We aren't going to find anyone that good."
Peter lifted his head. "I know, but I can dream, can't I?"
Winston laughed. "Ray and I are going grocery shopping...without Slimer. You need anything?"
"Yeah, if you find an incredible receptionist, bring her home."
Ray sighed, and followed Winston to Ecto. Peter dug through the applications again as Ecto left . He'd just gotten them into an order when he accidentally elbowed a stack. Paper went all over he floor. Cursing, he crawled under the desk to pick up the papers. He heard the door open and someone walking through the reception area, but he didn't bother to get up.
"Can I help you?' he muttered, still picking up papers.
"I'm here about the application in the paper?" a female voice asked. Her accent was definitely Brooklyn, and Peter decided he wasn't hiring her right there. It didn't matter if she was tall, leggy, and blond.
"Do you even have any reception experience?" he asked in the most bored voice he could muster. The woman seemed amused.
"Of course. I juggled an entire office once, plus played nursemaid with my bosses, helped them on assignments, cleaned up after them, did their shopping, baby-sat their mascot, and ran a pretty tight office."
Peter stopped picking up papers. That Brooklyn accent was definitely starting to sound familiar. Sitting up, slightly, he peeked over the desk. The amused face of Janine Melnitz looked back at him. Sitting up quickly, he looked in shock at their ex-receptionist.
"Then why do you want this job?" he asked. She smirked.
"Call me a glutton for punishment. I've been approved by my doctor to come back to work. No stressful stuff for right now, and if I remember correctly, the spring is usually slow."
Peter stood up, not really believing she was really here, and willing to come back to work.
"You're serious?" he asked.
She nodded. "I can start today."
Peter stared at her, then scooped up the papers on the desk and pushed them into the wastebasket. "You're hired. You can start tomorrow. I'll have to introduce you to my associates." He hit the intercom. "Spengs, come down here, and meet our new receptionist."
"Peter, I'm busy," came the annoyed voice.
"Now Egon," Peter stressed, then looked back at Janine happily. "I'll have to introduce you to the others later. They went grocery shopping."
"Without Slimer?" Janine asked.
Before he could answer, he heard Egon walking down the stairs. "Peter, I'm very busy, and..."
"Egon, come meet our new receptionist. Try not to scare her off this time. Ms. Melnitz, Dr.Spengler."
Egon's head shot up, and he looked at Janine, who was standing beside Peter, smiling at him.
"Nice to meet you Dr. Spengler," she said.
Egon didn't know what to say. He stood there, staring at her. Peter grinned.
"Well, say something Spengs," he suggested.
Egon opened his mouth and the door opened again. "Ray forgot the list," Winston mumbled, walking into the firehouse, followed by Ray. "It wasn't my fault. I thought you..." Ray trailed off, stopping in his tracks staring at the receptionist next to Peter.
"Janine!" He cried out happily, running towards her. She stepped back, bracing herself. Ray rushed up, hugging her. Winston finally joined them.
"Come to visit us?" he asked. Peter grinned, shaking his head.
"Nope. She's our new receptionist."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Egon finally spoke, walking over to them. Janine glanced over at him, then looking at the four of them, nodding.
"I promise. I talked to Dr. Whittman when I saw the ad in the paper. He said I could return as long as I continue my sessions, and I start out slow. And since spring is usually the slow period here, I figured I'd come down and apply." She sighed, smiling at the four men she'd come to befriend over the years. " It won't go back to like before, and it may take some time before I remember exactly how everything works around here, but if you don't mind working with me, I promise I'll do my best to get things back to normal."
Peter smiled, touching her shoulder, noticing that she didn't shy away like before. "Welcome back Janine."
She smiled at all of them. "Thanks Dr. V. Now I believe you said I didn't have to start until tomorrow?"
He laughed, letting go of her shoulder. "Go home Melnitz. I'll see you in here tomorrow at nine."
Janine nodded, smiling, and picked up the purse she put down by the desk when she first walked in. Egon took a step towards her.
"Janine?"
Janine stood up, looking at him. "Yes, Dr. Spengler?"
"I believe you still owe me dinner."
She frowned. "I do?"
He nodded. "There's a bistro down the block if you'd like to go there?"
She smiled. "I have a better idea. I'm suppose to meet my parents for dinner, why don't you join me there?"
He nodded. "Let me get my jacket," Janine watched him walk over to the coat rack at the other end of the room. She glanced over towards the desk were Peter was watching her. She smiled at him, and after a moment, he smiled back. Egon walked back to her.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded, and opened the door.
Peter watched them leave, then sat down at the reception desk. Hopefully with a little work, things would get back to normal. Not that things were normal before, but still...they were back together again.