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I slap Erik flat across the face for the way he let me drive away without saying goodbye. That would be equally as bad.
Wild animals eat them before even making it into the building. I would just be sad and scared of going outside if that happened.
My brain had to stop coming up with these. It was derailing my attempts at pretending that I wasn’t shaking.
Tens of emails flowed in as soon as I turned on my computer. A constant stream of dings had me muting the sound. Questions about ongoing projects, requests from the sales team, and a companywide communication announcing Project Porcelain. Most of these emails could be addressed right now, so I took care of them while waiting for the true workday to start. Others would have to wait until I could debrief Lainee about them since she would be running point on most of our other projects.
My phone chirped next to me, scaring me since I always had it on silent in the office. Parker’s name flashed across my screen.
Parker:Wishing you the best of luck today. You’ll do great!
Me:Thanks! I’m getting more and more nervous as the minutes march on.
Parker:Think about it this way – as each minute passes, you’re one minute closer to hanging out with me ;)
Me:Feeling a little cocky this morning, are we?
Me:But I am looking forward to it. The Boathouse. 5:30 :)
Parker:Can’t wait :)
A soft knock made me jump and throw my phone. I slammed it down onto my desk, trying to catch it. I dejectedly sighed and saw Lainee sheepishly standing by the door. She held a laugh back from seeing my phone’s journey from my hands to the desk. I had to get my jumpiness under control.
“Sorry, Blake. I didn’t mean to scare you. I wanted to run the itinerary for the day with you."
Lainee took a seat across from me and reviewed the schedule for today.
The California team would be arriving here within the hour. She had already requested IT, meaning Gordon, since he was the only one who could do it, to set up their computers. He had committed to doing it by the end of the day. She had also booked the conference room for our kickoff meeting.
After lunch, Amelia and her team were due to arrive. Gloria, the receptionist downstairs, would notify Lainee when they were here, and she would greet them. The temporary badges that allowed them to access our office had already been requested. All she needed was their picture. She had also ensured that the small team room was set up like a coworking space for the days they would be here.
Lainee was incredible. She never gave herself enough credit for how much easier she made my life. I made a mental note to talk to Connor about promoting her or giving her a hell of a raise. She walked out of my office, satisfied at my signing off on everything she said.
Every minute that went by was a minute closer to seeing a part of my past I would have preferred to leave behind. It was a minute closer to meeting the team that would help determine if I got to take the next step in my career. But it was also a minute closer to seeing swoony light eyes that made me smile and forget about everything else this weekend.
Another knock startled me. I was entirely too jumpy today for my office door to be revolving. I looked up to see Connor. He wore a black suit, which was typical of him. Today, his tie had little lipsticks printed on it. I had to give it to him; he was committed to being on theme. He owned a tie for every kind of client we had.
“Big day today, Blake,” he sat across from me. “How are you feeling?”
“Do you want honesty or a canned response?” I asked.
“I don’t pay you to lie,” he laughed.
“I’m terrified. Nervous. But weirdly excited.”
“I’d be worried if you weren’t all three. This isn’t going to be easy. It’ll probably be the hardest project you’ve ever managed.”
“Is this supposed to be a pep talk? Because if it is, you might need to understand the concept of one better.”
“No,” he chuckled. “You don’t need one. I was going to wish you luck and let you know that I’ll be here for the first bit of kick-off, and then I have lots of meetings. But I’ll be back, briefly, after lunch to meet Amelia and her team. My daughter has a school awards thing that I’d like to attend.”
“Family first. I’ll ensure everything is under control. Gabby will be here with muffins and coffee soon, so I hope you’re hungry.”
“For Gabby’s muffins, there’s always room.”
Connor’s confidence in me was both comforting and unnerving. I was glad he felt like I had a handle on everything, and he didn’t look over my shoulder, but part of me wanted him to. Part of me wanted him to be an overbearing and micromanaging boss so I didn’t have to be the responsible adult in the room. But that wasn’t his style.
He was throwing me into the deep end; it was sink or swim.
