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Around the Edges
Tyler
Seattle, Washington
Days later
“Oh, no! You should look into hiring someone to make that for you, Mr. Carrington.” Hazel walked into the employee break room. “The two of us are far too busy to make our own beverages.”
“I’m honestly not sure if Americans are capable of making proper tea,” I said, opening cabinets in search of a tea kettle. “I’m fine making it myself for the time being.”
“Nonsense!” She took the teacup from my hands. “I’ve researched exactly how to do it, and I’ll tell all the interns to follow my exact instructions.”
I leaned against the counter as she placed my cup under a Keurig, filling it with hot water. When the machine finished, she grabbed a pre-packaged tea bag from a box called “Instant Brew Tea,” and set it in the cup.
She stirred it with a spoon a few times, then, for some strange reason, left the tea bag inside and added a few ice cubes.
“There!” she said. “Now it’s Southern style like my cousins make it, and all you need is sugar. We Americans know a thing or two about tea, after all, huh?”
This is not tea.“You didn’t put any milk in it.”
“Ew!” She scoffed. “Why would I?”
She wasn’t even worth giving a blank stare. I had yet to work a full week with this woman, and I couldn’t figure out how on earth she became the CEO. How she’d managedto come off as highly competent in the small chat threads before I arrived was a mystery.
Setting down her brewed cup of disaster, I clicked my pen. “Have you seen Miss March today?”
“Yeah, she’s here early as usual.” She shrugged. “She sent me all the files you asked for already if that’s what you’re after. They’re on your desk.”
I pretended to write something on my notepad.
Either Chloe was here in ghost-form for another day in a row, or she’d mastered the art of avoiding me. She answered my emails and completed her work, but I had yet to see her grace my presence since the day she walked out of my office.
“When do you want to go over the gala invitations for the bestselling authors?” I asked.
“The gala is months away, Mr. Carrington. I haven’t even bought my gown yet.”
“I know, but it’s one of the book industry’s biggest nights. We should have all the preparations done in advance, right?”
“I’ll have to talk to Chloe about all that,” she said. “I’ll get back to you by the end of the day, though.”
“Okay…” I glanced at our joint schedule. “What about tomorrow’s meeting with the social media director? Did you get a chance to read her comments and concerns?”
“Once again—” She patted my shoulder as if I was a young child learning a lesson. “Chloe handles light things like that for me because my time is far more valuable than hers. I handle the heavy stuff.”
“Do you mind telling me what this ‘heavy stuff’ is?”
Before she could answer, the Ghost of Chloe suddenly entered the room.
Dressed in a dark blue pencil skirt that hugged her hips in all the right places and a silky nude colored blouse that matched her towering pumps, she made me lose track of whatever I was about to ask next.
“Hey there, Chloe!” Hazel smiled. “We were just talking about you.”
“Good news, I hope.” She turned her back to me.
“Great news!” Hazel made spirit fingers with her hands. “I was telling Mr. Carrington that I handle the heavy things in the office, and you handle the light, insignificant things that can take up a lot of my day.”
“Yes.” Chloe still didn’t look at me. “That’s … exactly right. Speaking of which, I handled the social media meeting notes for tomorrow, and I have a team working on the gala.”
