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Chapter 1
Jess
“He broke up with me.”
“What?”
“Matt. He broke up with me,” I tell Hailey, unable to believe my eyes as I sit here and reread the same paragraph my boyfriend of six months, well,ex-boyfriend, just sent me a minute ago.
I’m sorry to be doing this over text, but I don’t think it’s working out between us. We’re just too different. You’re too safe, and I think I want someone more adventurous.
Hailey gets up from her desk, marches over to mine, and grabs my phone from my shaky hand. Her heart-shaped face distorts, and her blue eyes narrow in disgust when she reads the text. “Please tell me this is a joke.”
“I wish it was,” I sigh, staring at the blinking cursor on my screen. I was in the middle of editing a video for my boss. How am I supposed to finish it now, when all I can focus on are those words? “What does he mean by that, though?” I whip my head up at Hailey. “Am I too safe, Hailey?”
“Well, yeah,” she says with a shrug. Sometimes, I wish she wasn’t always this honest. “But it’s a good thing,” she quickly adds when I sink into my chair. “There’s nothing wrong with following the rules and routines. Your ex is a dick, and you’re lucky to finally get rid of him.”
He got rid of me, though,I want to say, but as great of a friend as Hailey is, she’s terrible at sympathizing with others. I watch as she returns to her desk, flops back into her chair, and swings one leg over the other. Her tiny skirt rides up to reveal her thighs, and as she hums and twirls a strand of hair aroundher finger while scrolling through emails, I notice nerdy Steven sitting a few desks away with his eyes glued to her flawless long legs. It kind of makes sense that Hailey can’t relate to me. Girls like Hailey never have to work hard to keep a man. My green eyes and plain black hair can’t hold a candle to Hailey’s blue-eyed, blonde beauty.
Someone clears their throat, causing me to jump. When I spin my chair around, my boss, Maxine, is standing in the doorway to her office. She’s wearing a white suit today, her red hair is pulled back in a sleek bun, and her scarlet lips form a frown as always.
“Jess, where is the video I was supposed to receive fifteen minutes ago?”
“Sorry. I’m…I’m working on it,” I say nervously.
Maxine rolls her eyes. “Still?”
“I’m almost done. I…something happened and—”
“I don’t care. Hurry up and send it to me. Also, can you forward the email I sent you to Bertha?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Maxine shuts the door behind her, and my computer chimes with an email notification. Damn, that was quick. I click on it, eyes going wide at the email’s title.
“They’re filming the new season ofMountain Menalready,” I tell Hailey, who spins around in her chair to face me.
“Yup. They’re going to Alaska to film with this wilderness guide next week. Zac told me that he got picked to be a part of the filming crew.”
My eyes widen. “Zac? Zac Mason? Isn’t he also an intern?”
The first day I showed up to work as an intern, I was told that my job wouldn’t include travelling with the filming crew. I would just be doing the background tasks, like editing videos and answering emails. So, how is Zac from freakingfinancegoing on this trip? It’d make more sense that I was picked for this. After all, I’m an editorial intern.
It’s not that I actually want to go to a mountain to be surrounded by nothing but snow and wild animals. I’m fine with my job as is, it pays well for a graduate position, and all I have to do is sit behind my computer all day. However, hearing about Zac getting picked to join the crew offends me a little bit. Does my boss also think I’m ‘too safe’?
“Where are you going?” Hailey asks when I get up and straighten my pencil skirt.
I flip my ponytail over my shoulder and take a deep breath. “If I don’t come back in fifteen minutes, please know I love you.”
Hailey bursts out laughing as I spin on my heels and march towards Maxine’s office. I say a prayer with my eyes closed before knocking three times.
Silence. And then…
“Come in, Jess.”
With my heart in my throat, I reach for the handle and open the door. Immediately, I’m greeted with the woody, winter scent of my boss’ candles. Her office is always so bright because she has large floor-to-ceiling glass windows with a beautiful view of the city of Los Angeles. It’s sunny outside, light reflecting off the windows of nearby buildings. The view outside is a stark contrast to the wintry scent inside. I’m mesmerized by the scenery for a few seconds before snapping back to reality when Maxine asks, “What is it now, Jess?”
“Uh…”
