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“It is all worth it to work here,” I assure her with a wide smile in return. My mind went back to Kyle as I filled out the lines, wondering what had happened to him after he moved. We’d been young and didn’t keep in touch as we might have if we were older.
“You’ll be meeting with the CEO and the management staff after this, where you’ll be assigned to a marketing team, and then someone will take you to meet them. Every team is skilled here, so it’s a win-win. There’s a reason we’re the number one marketing company in the US.” Kelly glanced at her phone as it rang and let it go to voice mail.
“Is what I’m wearing appropriate, or is it more casual than this?” I ask as I sign something.
“You could go more casual. You’ll be working long hours sometimes, and comfort is key. Slacks and blouses are perfect.” Kelly explained, and I nodded.
“Good to know. Thank you.” I reply, moving to the next page. “I didn’t interview with the CEO, did I? I know it was a panel.”
“No, we have a hiring staff for that. The CEO is Kyle Owens, and he doesn’t deal a lot with the hiring process.” Kelly spoke casually, but my hand froze over the paper.
“He’s the CEO?” I repeat, wondering how that can be possible. He’s twenty-five years old, just like me.
“Yes, he is. His father was a partner in the company and handed the reins over to him just six months ago. It’s a lot, but he seems to handle it well. Do you know each other?” Kelly asks and I consider my answer.
“We did when we were younger.” Much younger and completely different people, but it could be nice if we connected again, and I had a friend here in town. “It’s been a long time.”
I finish the paperwork, and Kelly leads me to a conference room, where we sit down. There are pastries and coffee, and Kelly urges me to help myself, so we do.
I am just taking a bite when the door opens and Kyle walks in. He stops to stare at me as I try to swallow, drinking hot coffee to hurry the process. Four people-three men and a woman-walk in around him, giving Kyle a curious look.
“Laina?” Kyle asks in shock, tilting his head at me. “Is that you?”
“It is. Surprise.” I smile and sip my coffee again to clear my airway. “Great breakfast.” I blush and look at the table, trying to regain my composure.
“Shall we get started?” Kelly asks, and everyone takes a seat.
“Welcome to C&K Marketing. It still feels weird to say this, but I am CEO as of six months ago after working here for the last six years while I was in college. We are the top marketing company in the United States and hold our employees to high standards to keep things that way. I know that the team hired you because you’re the best at what you do and it’s good to see you again.” Kyle stares at me for a moment and then blinks. “These are our team leaders. There are four teams composed of six people, and we put you with Marcie’s team.”
“Hello. I’m Marcie, and we’ll be working together.” The pretty brunette steps forward to shake my hand, and I smile at her. “I saw your resume, and it looks great. I think you’ll be a great fit.”
“Thank you,” I respond, and she steps back.
“I wanted to introduce you to everyone in case you ever need to confer with them about a campaign.” Kyle looks at the men. “This is Seth, Jacob, and Troy.” The men step forward to shake my hand. They are dressed in slacks and button-up shirts, casual but professional and all good looking though none can hold a candle to Kyle. I remind myself that Seth is blond, Jacob has dark hair, and Troy is a ginger.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I tell each one as we shake hands, smiling.
“Let me think if there’s anything else,” Kyle says, biting his lip the way I remember so well. It’s his nervous habit, and it makes me smile to see that he still does it. “I think we’ll send you with Marcie to meet the others and touch bases sometime this week?” He glances at Marcie, and she nods, and I stand up. I feel overdressed, but that will be different tomorrow, and I expect to be getting a feel for how the team works on the first day, anyway.
“It’s nice seeing you again,” I tell Kyle, and he nods with the same smile I remember from when we were friends.
“Let’s have lunch soon and catch up. Wednesday?” he asks, and I nod.
“I’d like that.”
“Great.” Kyle walks out with the men, and I follow Marcie down the hall, feeling empty without him near me.
What?
We go to a large room with a large table and seven Macs with five other people whom all look up at me.
It’s a mixed crowd and I smile nervously.
“Okay, so here we go. This is Lisa, Carter, Gregg, Melanie, and Eli. Guys, this is Laina, and she’ll be joining us.” I shook their hands and made a mental note of names, grabbing something unique about each person. Besides my nerves that were already present, seeing Kyle threw me off.
I can do this.
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