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I walked to the center of the massive lobby and looked up at the huge fan. Each slowly rotating silver blade was shaped like an airplane wing.
Glass cases throughout the lobby displayed products manufactured by McGregor. They made everything from tools to parts for cars.
I approached the elderly security guard who was sitting behind a shiny white desk not far from the front entrance. “I think I’m all set now.” My cheeks bloomed red as his eyes darted to the stain on my shirt and then wandered back up.
“The rest of the interns have yet to arrive—you’re early. But you can go on up.” He pointed to a set of elevators on the other side of the lobby. “Third floor. The receptionist is due in at eight. You can have a seat in the waiting area up there until she comes.”
I glanced at the large face of my silver watch. It was seven thirty. I had hoped to spend some time with the other interns before my day officially began, but apparently, no one else had planned the same. Well, they’d probably start arriving any time now.
“Thanks,” I said, and tipped my head. My heels clicked in the empty lobby as I made my way to the elevators. I diverted my attention away from the mirrored doors and to the floor, unwilling to face the embarrassing stain.
When I stepped out of the elevator on the third floor, the lights began to click on, row by row, the darkness cascading away like dominos. A few chairs and side tables accompanying each were scattered about the space. The receptionist’s desk was a sleek black metal with only an Apple screen displayed on the flat surface. And beyond the desk was a frosted glass wall—the rest of the office, an opaque blur.
I wondered where my office would be. Or would I even have an office? Sparks of excitement stirred inside of me as I thought about the next twelve weeks. I would work hard, and I’d prove myself. Maybe they would hire me at the end . . .
I crossed the seating area and approached the large, expansive window. Through it, I glimpsed trees, thick and full. The burnt-copper color of the leaves swayed in the breeze and a few flitted down to join the sparse carpet of leaves on the grass. I had always loved making leaf piles when I was a kid and diving into them.
I missed my family already, but I didn’t regret my decision to come.
I sighed and walked over to the wall on the other side of the room, checking out the framed black-and-white images that graced the gray-painted wall.
There were five pictures, each with text captions below the frames.
The first image was of an old building—the caption said it was the original McGregor factory. I’d had no idea the company dated back to the mid-1800s. Each photo showed the company’s growth and expansion over the years. The last image was a photo taken in 2005 with a group of kids out front of this building. Apparently, following the Irish Potato Famine, the company had started the McGregor Foundation, which distributed food worldwide to those in need.
The sound of the elevator doors dinging had me looking over my shoulder. A group of five or so people came out—four guys and one girl. They looked similar in age to me—they had to be the other interns.
They poured into the waiting area, and I held my hand up and waved, turning my back to the wall. Oh God, did I look like an idiot? I snapped my hand back down and lowered my head. My throat grew warm, and I shivered with nervous anticipation. “Hi,” I muttered and took a step closer to the pack.
“Hey,” the girl said, nodding my way. She had short, wavy brown hair and a friendly smile.
The neighboring elevator opened a moment later, and a few more people stepped into the room. The waiting area officially began to feel crowded.
“I’m Kate.” The friendly brunette held out her hand.
“Anna. Nice to meet you.”
“You excited?”
“Excited and nervous, I think.” The crowd of people murmuring around us made me all the more tepid. I didn’t want to be intimidated by them, but how could I not be? Only two people would be selected from this group for permanent positions.
I can do this. I forced myself to chat with the other interns and learn their names. There were two who stood out to me immediately. Kate, of course, because she’d been the first to say hi. I had discovered she was from New York, which was about as foreign to me as Ireland. The other was Narisa, who was also super nice. She had just arrived from Thailand.
“Wow, look at you all. What a lively group!” A female voice—Irish—floated through the room.
I turned to see who was speaking as the rest of the interns silenced.
“Well, let’s get you to the conference room. You are jam-packed in here.” The woman had black hair cut in a pixie style and deep blue eyes that glowed behind hip, red-framed glasses. And she was tall—Amazonian tall.
“My name’s Bella, by the way,” she said while glancing over her shoulder as she led the way through the door in the middle of the frosted glass wall. On the other side was a large room filled with cubicles, and I wondered why all of them were empty. Did everyone arrive at eight on the dot?
“Mr. McGregor likes to keep things a bit more relaxed here,” Bella said before stopping outside a door and facing us. “We don’t schedule meetings before nine, and workers are encouraged to build a schedule that works well for them.” She smiled at us and propped her hands on her hips. “Which is why we had you come in early, so he could focus on you guys without interruptions.”
“We’re meeting the owner?” Kate asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“One of the McGregor sons, in fact,” Bella said, waving her hand in the air toward someone and grinning.
“Good morning, Bella.” The deep voice moved slow across the room, and my knees almost buckled. “Good morning, everyone.”
