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“Actually, Finn.” I slide my eyes closed in dismay as my friend calls out to me, refusing to let me go just yet. “I wanted to talk to you about that, if you have a moment.” He sounded uncomfortable as he spoke. Uh-oh. “Erm, if you don’t mind, that is?”
“What’s going on, Bill?” I turn back to look at him curiously with a thundering pulse. “Is everything alright?”
“Please, feel free to say no if this isn’t something that’s appropriate, but I was just wondering… well, if you might be looking for any interns at your company.” His cheeks flame pink with embarrassment. “Stella is willing to work hard, to do whatever is necessary. She just needs some work experience, that’s all. But if this is awkward, then refuse, I won’t mind. I’m just trying to sort things out for her, trying to give her a foot up in the right direction.”
My God, he’s such a nice man, such a great father, that all I can do is agree. When I tell him that of course, I will have Stella come and work as an intern in my company, I’m not even thinking about the strange feelings that I have for her. I’m certainly not considering what it will be like to have her walking around in my office every day looking as gorgeous as she does…
“Oh, you’re such a great friend.” Bill sags with visible relief. “I don’t know what I would do without you. Stella will work hard for you, I swear, and you only need to have her around until she’s in the way. Work experience will help her get another job and help get her up the ladder. That’s all she needs. She’s a great girl and is very determined to succeed.”
“I’m sure it will all work fine, Bill. I will keep you in the loop. There’s no need to worry.”
I shake Bill’s hand before I slide myself into the car and finally drive away. That’s the moment everything sinks in and I realize that I might well be in trouble. Stella is beautiful and she’s stirred up all sorts of things inside me, but she’s absolutely one hundred percent off limits. I can’t believe that I even need to remind myself of that, but I do.
Oh, God, today really has been a nightmare, bouncing from one dilemma to another. It isn’t even nine AM yet and my brain is scrambled. I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to make it through the next few hours without falling the hell apart. Women seem to be my issue of the day, first Nicole and now Stella, so maybe that’s a sign to keep to myself all day long. I can do that!
2
STELLA
“You look great,” Dad declares with a wide smile as he sees me in my pencil skirt and blouse, all professional and ready to start my first day at work… well, kind of work, anyway. I don’t know if I can count an internship at the office of my father’s friend as a job. It certainly isn’t the sort of job like the one I had lined up in the city, but since that fell through in an epic fashion, I don’t exactly have any choice, do I? It’s this or nothing. I don’t want to do nothing. “Really professional, Stella.”
It wasn’t just the job that I had lined up, either. It was the apartment as well. I had such a nice home lined up that I was going to live in while I started my brand-new, exciting, glamorous life. I was so excited. Much as I enjoyed college, I was looking forward to the next step, to growing into the woman I was always meant to be. That woman isn’t supposed to be living back with her parents and working for her dad’s friend, but here I am, doing just that. Urgh, this is a bit of a mess.
My friend from college, Erin, offered me a place to stay with her, but I couldn’t do it without a job. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.
“Thanks, Dad.” I feel a little bit petulant as I say this, almost like a teenager again. But I refuse to zip back into that version of myself just because I have to sleep in my old bedroom. I’m twenty-two years old, damn it. I need to act like it. “I hope I do well.”
“Oh, Finn knows that you’re going to do well,” Dad insists. “He knows what sort of worker you will be.”
Oh, God, now I’m wondering if Dad laid it on thick, if he made me look like some kind of freaking angel. I really don’t want that either. I don’t want the pressure to be too much for me, the expectations to be too high. I don’t want the self-made, wealthy, amazing businessman whom my dad really respects, Finn Robinson, to be let down by me. I just want this to be normal.
“I appreciate your getting me the internship, Dad,” I say in a warning tone of voice. “But you can’t get in the middle of it from now on. You can’t ask Finn how I’m doing or interfere anymore. Otherwise, he will only see me as a kid whom he’s doing a favor for. I want him to see me as someone to take seriously if this is going to kickstart my career. Is that okay?”
Dad looks a little hesitant but nods in agreement. I think he understands, which is good. It’s better than his completely shutting down and being upset just because I want to expand and grow into an adult myself, in my own way, by myself as much as I can.
“Yeah, okay. I get it.” He holds up his hands in a surrendering gesture. “I won’t get in the way. I know this is all about you.”
Eventually, I say goodbye and manage to walk away from my dad. He offers me a ride to work, but I turn him down. I’m morethan happy to take the bus, to do this as I would do if I were living on my own. The more independence that I can have, the better. I know this is a little bit weird because my next door neighbor is going to the same place as me, as my boss, but I’m certainly not going to let Dad talk me into getting a ride with him. This is all a little bit embarrassing enough withoutthaton top of it.
The bus ride isn’t too long. It doesn’t give me enough time to get my nerves in check. I’m at the office building before I’m ready for it, about to step inside to see what the future will hold for me. Oh, God, I’m not ready for this. Not at all…
“Ah, good morning, Stella.” Finn is the first one to greet me as soon as I step inside, which is nice. I thought that I might have to deal with a frosty receptionist who doesn’t really want me around. “I was just letting everyone know that you’re coming.”
“Oh… right, sure.” All of a sudden, I feel like I’m the center of attention and I don’t know if I like that. “Okay, well good.”
“I will introduce you to everyone as you go around, but I’m the main person you will be working alongside.”
“Oh, really?” That’s pretty amazing, actually, for a boss and the head of a company to want to work so closely with an intern. Normally, from what I have heard from other people, interns are only given the dirty work and stuck in the corner of the office to be disrespected. I guess that’s what I’ve been dreading. But it seems like this might actually be a good experience, after all.
“For sure.” He grins. “That way, I can train you up properly on the computer system and the processes we have here. I can make sure that you are getting the most out of this experience, and we’re getting the most out of you as well.”
As our eyes lock together, I feel my heart flutter with excitement. I am one hundred percent in awe of this man and I can’t’waitto learn from him. All the nerves that I was experiencing before vanish into nothingness. Now, I’m just keen and invigorated. The dampeners I’ve been drowning in ever since my life plan fell apart melt away, and I start to feel enthusiastic once more. This is a good feeling for me. It brings my ambition and my sense of self back to the surface.
I can’t wait to learn the ropes and to give everything that I have to this company. Finn is clearly a great boss, and I’m thrilled to see how this translates into productivity and a great working environment. I can’t wait to be a part of it…
I’m dizzy,I realize as Finn shows me his filing system in great detail, almost as if he’s expecting me to be around for a very long time. He really has taken his time to show me and help me understand everything, for which I’m really grateful. I’m starting to feel more like I belong here with every passing second, which is wonderful. I wasn’t expecting to feel this good.
Now I’m dizzy. Really dizzy, and I have a funny feeling that this is about so much more than just awe. My feelings for Finn are soaring high, spinning way out of control, and the more time that I spend in his company, the more overwhelmed I become.
