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PROLOGUE
~ Amanda ~
Panicked, I sat upright in bed. Quickly, I turned to the side and realized, in shock and horror, that my 5-minute snooze had turned into a half-hour. I was running late for work. And I had a meeting with my editor this morning.
The first time I’ve had a meeting with my boss in over a month and I’m going to be late. Brilliant.
As I jumped out of bed, I started to strip even before I made it to the bathroom. I didn’t wait for the shower temperature to adjust before I jumped in—instant regret. I shrieked as the cold pellets of water hit my spine. To save time, I even brushed my teeth in the shower before rinsing myself off and running back into the bedroom to quickly dry and style my hair. Then I changed into the outfit I had luckily laid out last night. With a quick layer of makeup and a squeeze of perfume, I gave myself a once-over in the mirror before dashing for the door. I had clawed back about twenty minutes of my morning, but I was still ten behind.
Sunshine just managed to push past the clouds, highlighting all the puddles on the ground as I swiftly walked to my nearest subway station. I was at least glad we had one of the country’s best public transport systems, albeit it running a bit slow at times. It appeared today was one of them.
“Oh no,” I groaned as I listened to the voice on the intercom announce the train was running behind schedule.
Looking down at my watch, I noticed that the minutes were crawling back up, and I was running fifteen minutes late by the time I shoved my way onto the train. Nestled between two burly men, I was consistently poked in the ribs throughout my commute, and when I finally got off at my stop, I felt thoroughly bruised. Nevertheless, I didn’t have time to sit about and lick my wounds. I had a meeting to get to!
Using my elbows, I bustled through the crowds and out the turnstiles into the bright morning air above. I allowed myself a second to breathe before speed-walking across Cherrywood Park to my office. The receptionist grunted her greeting at me as I entered the building, and I politely said good morning back. I could feel the faint trickle of sweat run down my back as I realized I was now twenty-minutes late for the meeting. I rammed my finger into the button as I got into the elevator and held my breath until I got out.
“You’re late,” his secretary said with a raised eyebrow, “He’s not going to be happy.”
I apologized before raising my hand and knocking on the door. The voice inside bellowed for me to enter, and I could feel the secretary’s eyes watching me as I opened it and went in. My editor was standing up and looking out the window when I walked in but turned around when he heard my footsteps.
Looking at his watch, he frowned, “I don’t appreciate tardiness. Might I enquire as to your late arrival?”
My face went a bright hue of red as I replied, “I overslept, sir.”
The man looked surprised at my honesty before gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. I took my seat at the same time as him and waited for him to speak. It felt like hours dragged by before he finally said something.
“Your column has done better than anticipated. The readers are practically eating out of the palm of our hands.”
Relief washed through me, “I’m glad you think so. I made sure that I read through all the submissions before picking the best for each month’s theme.”
“And what’s this month’s theme?” he asked, leaning forward.
“Discovery.”
“Interesting. And have you got the relevant letter lined up?”
I nodded, “Yes, it’s a perfect fit.”
“What’s it about?”
I blushed and pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear, “It’s actually about two people who work together.”
He smiled and rubbed his chin, “Sounds like another whopper you got on your hands. Just keep up the good work, and I’m sure I’ll make it worth your while.”
The phone rang, and he signaled for me to wait while he answered it. I thought about the letter that I was going to publish for March’s issue. Finding love in the workplace was more common than expected but looking around, I didn’t think it was a possibility for me. I looked across at Phil, analyzing him as a romantic prospect. He wasn’t the worst to look at, considering he was quite a few years older than me. He did have quite a powerful demeanor, but that was to be expected for one of the best-selling journals in the area. But could I ever see myself romantically involved with him?
Never.
He hung up the phone and looked at me apologetically, “Sorry to cut our meeting short, but I just got a lead for one of our reporters. Let me know if you need anything in the meantime and schedule another meeting if you have any ideas.”
With that, he turned back to his screen, effectively dismissing me. I politely said goodbye before leaving his office. His secretary turned to me.
“Well, what did he say? Was he angry?”
“Not really. Just wanted to talk about the column. Sorry for being late.”
Her mouth was a thin line, “Just don’t let it happen again. I’m the one who has to deal with his foul moods for the rest of the day.”
