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“Hey, Mom,” I say, setting my purse on the floor and gliding onto a stool at the island.
“Hungry?” she asks, sliding a steaming cup of coffee in my direction.
“No. I’m too nervous to eat.” I bring the cup of coffee to my lips and inhale before taking a timid sip.
“You have to eat something,” she scolds.
That’s my mother for you. She’s always worrying about if we’re eating and getting enough sleep. Cameron is twenty-seven, and she still fusses over him too. That’s the only reason I don’t complain. She’s our mother, and to hear her tell it, she’s going to worry about me if I’m twenty-two or eighty-two.
“I’ll just grab a banana,” I reply, reaching for a banana out of the fruit basket on the island.
“Don’t be nervous,” she tells me. “You’re ready for this.”
She’s right. I am ready for this. This is what I went to school for, and I graduated at the top of my class. Not to mention, they countered with a higher salary and more vacation. They want me. Although, I don’t really know if it’s me they want or if Eli is doing a favor for my brother. Is he taking pity on his best friend’s little sister and giving me the job just by association?
“Get out of your head, sweetheart,” Mom says gently. “You’re going to do great.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I gulp down the rest of my coffee, burning my tongue in the process. “I really need to go. I don’t want to be late.” Taking my now empty cup to the sink, I rinse it out before grabbing my bag and heading toward the door.
“Have a good day,” she calls after me, just as the door closes behind me.
My drive is uneventful, unless you count the fact that my mind is racing and my palms are sweating. This is my first big girl job. I studied for four years to be here today at this very moment. It’s a big damn deal, and I’m more nervous than I thought I would be.
Pulling into the employee parking lot, I take a slow, deep breath and exhale before gathering my things, locking my car, and heading inside. To my surprise, Jane is in the lobby waiting for me.
“Good morning, Marley.” She smiles warmly.
Her greeting alone has some of the tension leaving my body. “Good morning.”
“Carol and I got your office all set up. I scheduled a meeting with Mr. Morrison for this morning as well. She sent him an email on Friday, letting him know that you had accepted the position, and he could meet you today.”
“Did he not know who you chose?” I ask. It’s probably unprofessional, but I need to know if it was me alone who got this job, or if it’s because my new boss and older brother are best friends.
“No.” She blushes. “He gave us full rein to find and hire the best candidate. He’s got a lot on his plate, as he’s just taken over. Don’t hold that against him. He’s a good kid.” She chuckles. “Don’t tell him I called him a kid either. Although I did change his diapers, so there’s that.”
“Good to know.” I laugh along with her.
“Enough of that.” She waves her hand in the air. “Follow me.” She turns on her heels and leads us to an elevator marked for employees only. “You’ll have a code too,” she says as she pushes numbers on a keypad. “We’ll get you set up with everything you need.”
“Thank you,” I say, following her onto the elevator.
“There won’t be a lot of work going on today,” Jane explains. “You have a meeting with Mr. Morrison to introduce yourself and discuss his vision for your position and the future of the company from a marketing standpoint. We’ll take you on a tour of the building and each department. We need to issue you your computer and all of your passwords, all that jazz.” She smiles. “You’re going to meet a lot of people today, but don’t worry, we don’t expect you to remember all of their names. Well, maybe Mr. Morrison.” She smiles kindly.
“Sounds good to me.” I should tell her I know Eli Morrison. I should tell her he terrorized me as a kid and that he and I might as well be mortal enemies. However, I don’t say any of that. Partly because I’m afraid I’ll lose my job, and partly because we don’t feel much like enemies now that we’re both home and older. Our interactions the past couple of weeks have been limited, but they’ve been a far cry from the teasing he would dish out when I was a kid.
“Right this way,” Jane says, pointing to the left end of the hall. “This entire floor is the administrative offices. The right side of the hall is where Mr. Morrison and I are located. That’s also where the conference rooms are located. This side of the floor is where you will be, the CFO, and the accounting department. IT is located on the first floor, back behind registration.” She must see the gloss over my eyes as I try to remember everything that she’s telling me. “Don’t worry. You’ll catch on in no time. Right now, all you need to know is where your office is, where I am, where Mr. Morrison is, and the rest will fall into place.”
