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In my final interview, they asked me, ‘Where do you see yourself in five years, Anna?’
And I said, ‘Running a department here. In ten, I’ll be running the whole show.’
Which had made them laugh, so I’d smiled along like it was kind of a joke, but I’d been deadly serious. I’ve always had ambition in spades. Dad says I get it from my mother, which I know should be a compliment but always makes me feel icky. Mum’s ambition was more like a poison than a positive trait. Before now, myambition has been channelled into hockey, tennis, cello and piano lessons, school plays … basically any extra-curricular I could get my hands on to beef up my university application. But things are different now.
Now, the end goal isn’t just the next three years. It’s the entire rest of my life.
And right now, that means doing the best I can at this internship.Beingthe best.
Andnothingis going to get in my way.
‘Oh, hello, stranger!’ Laurie – my designated buddy – calls out. She was the kind (read: only) person who took pity on me and showed me how to adjust the height on my desk chair when I couldn’t find the right lever. She’s sitting opposite me, and waves at someone behind me. ‘Didn’t expect to see you around today, I thought you were in client meetings to help cover for Nadja!’
Behind me, a guy chuckles and says, ‘Ah, you know me, Laur. Can’t resist scouting out the new recruits, and I had a little time between calls. How’re they looking so far? I heard you got one.’
Laurie grins and then cuts a look at me – amiable, like this is a joke I’m in on, not the butt of. I’d guess she’s in her thirties. There’s a large sapphire engagement ring on her left hand. She seems nice so far, so I smile back, then turn to look at the newcomer and make myself part of the conversation.
Before I can quite spin around on my chair, though, a hand settles warm and heavy on my shoulder and twirls me around. Between the two of us, I have enough momentum to do a full rotation. Startled, I throw my legs out to catch myself.
My knees bump into the newcomer’s when he doesn’t quite move out of the way in time, making him stumble backwards and a mortified apology spill out of my lips (even though it was absolutelynotmy fault). My cheeks begin to burn; wouldn’t it be just my luck if I’d almost knocked Topher Fletcher himself on his arse on my first day?
The guy standing a mere few inches away, laughing and apologizing with a broad smile on his face, is cute. He’s not much older than me and tall, wearing a crisp blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a halfway smile on his face. He’s got curling, dark hair and bright green eyes, and …
The blood drains from my face – from my wholebody. I turn cold all over, goosebumps prickling across my skin, heart thundering so hard it’s about to tear its way right out of my chest. I think I see something flicker across his face for the moment – surprise, maybe, or uncertainty – but it’s gone so quickly that I must have imagined it.
His smile stretches a little wider, eyes dancing with mischief and the memory of a kiss by a river, and he sticks his hand out towards me.
‘Hi there,’ he says, as if we’re complete strangers. ‘I’m Lloyd Fletcher.’
There’s a ringing in my ears, and I barely hear him introduce himself. I barely hearmyselfwhen I reply, ‘Hi, I’m Anna. Anna Sherwood.’
His hand is still outstretched.
I take it. My best interview handshake – a single firm, quick pump. But when I loosen my grip, he doesn’t – his hand stays there, light against mine, his touch dragging along my fingers and sending a jolt of electricity all the way up my arm, right to the bottom of my chest. It makes me gasp. I hope to hell nobody hears it.
But Lloyd smirks, just a little, and I knowheheard it.
‘So, Anna, how’re you settling in?’
Anna. Does he really not remember?
‘Uh, y-yes, good, thanks. Looking forward to getting stuck in,’ I stammer, my voice working quicker than my brain. And then, like it’s not obvious, I gesture toLaurie and the others and say, ‘I’m in the Project Development team.’
‘The worst,’ he drawls, and behind me, Laurie laughs.
She clicks her tongue. ‘Don’t scare her off too early. At least let me rope her into doing some financial analysis first. Which reminds me – how good are you with Excel, Anna? Michaela said you did some coding at uni?’
‘Oh, I’m sure she’s a whizz. She’ll probably write you a program to run it all for you.’
I cut Lloyd a glower nobody else sees, my brain having finally stopped reeling and caught up. He looks so totally innocent that even I start to doubt if we have actually met before. I can feel thunderclouds gathering over my head.
‘I’m not too bad,’ I tell Laurie, and then shoot out of my chair, shoving it under the desk and keeping my head down as I skirt around Lloyd, giving him a wide berth. ‘Sorry, I just, um, I – I need to pop to the bathroom.’
It takes every ounce of my willpower not to bolt.
‘Nice to meet you!’ he calls after me.
Hopefully, I’m far enough away that he doesn’t see how that makes me cringe.
