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“Thank you so much for your help,” I said, smiling, and turned for the elevator. When it arrived, I tapped my card to the sensor and off I was to the fourth floor.
In a handful of seconds, the elevator opened to a silent, empty floor. The corridor was wide and completely white. One huge door was in front of me and it was the one I was looking for. Tapping the card to the sensor, I tentatively pushed the heavy wooden door open and was immediately transported into a different world.
The room was the largest, cleanest, brightest laboratory I had ever seen. It seemed to stretch for miles and miles. It was sectioned off by low partitions and glass walls. A number of researchers worked at different tables in the first section. Some were talking, all were wearing immaculate lab coats. At a second table, a larger group stood around, taking notes and keeping an eye on what looked like a gel electrophoresis experiment for DNA examination. I had seen it several times and even done the experiment myself in the past, but the high level of the equipment here made it all look a lot more sophisticated.
At the center of the group, commanding everyone’s attention, was a woman who looked to be in her forties with dark blonde hair pulled up into a simple French twist. She had safety glasses on and the way she effortlessly took control over the situation told a story of strength. She gave off an unmistakable aura of confidence and genius. Dr. Jessica Stone was a true woman of science being the institute’s lead research scientist on epigenetics.
I slowly took a step closer to the group.
“Dr. Stone?” I asked, forcing confidence into my voice, as there had been a pause in the action. She glanced up and looked at me, nodding. I took that as a sign that she wanted me to wait, so I took a seat at another table where I could observe their work clearly. Naturally, I was so intrigued by my surroundings that I was almost giddy. I felt completely at home in all this science.
My smartwatch buzzed with a text and I quietly pulled my phone out of my bag. There was a text from Jennifer. “Good luck,” it said. I still found it hard to believe that with everything on her plate, she still had time to think, and text, me.
About ten minutes later, everyone dispersed, and Dr. Stone walked over to me.
“Hi, Dr. Stone. We spoke on the phone. Thank you so much for taking some time to meet with me today,” I said, extending my hand. She grasped it politely and smiled at me.
“Absolutely, Dr. Palmer. Please, let’s go talk.” She gestured toward me to follow her, and we walked through the lab to her office.
“Take a seat,” she said, closing the door. It was a small space that held only a desk and a couple of guest chairs. I sat down as she settled in behind her desk.
She slipped off her safety glasses and took a long sip from the water bottle on her desk.
“I’ve read about your research, Dr. Palmer. I looked into your background and I have to say, I’m very impressed. You're doing really great work.” Her voice was a little raspy, as if she spent a lot of her time needing to speak loudly to make sure she was heard. A hazard of being in a male-dominated field.
“It’s Amy, please. And thank you very much.”
The moment she asked me to come physically instead of calling or sending an email to give feedback, I became hopeful. I had high hopes that this would be different and productive.
“I talked to the director about you and your research and he was also very impressed. He agrees that you're a spectacular scientist and are destined for major contributions.”
I tried to appear professional and detached, but I couldn’t help the small smile. This was going better than I expected.
“Unfortunately–” My heart dropped at that word. I heard that way too often. The smile froze on my lips. “While we would be interested in looking into your research more, it’s not going to be an immediate priority for the institute.”
Chapter 3
Daniel
Evanwassprawledouton the couch in my office, earbuds stuffed in his ears, and chuckling softly every now and again as he scrolled through his phone. My brows pinched together and my neck held a familiar tightness, like the start of a headache, as I glared at him.
I shoved my chair away from the desk and stood up to pace, scowling.
As I passed the couch again, I glanced at Evan’s long frame. People called him a playboy. He was good looking and effortlessly charming. At the same time, he managed to look completely innocent, but always with a cheeky smile. He was tall, kind, and always polite. People immediately trusted him.
Sometimes he appeared lazy, like right now, wearing a gray sweatshirt and slim cut black joggers with white sneakers. An outfit that seemed completely low-key but probably cost more than what the average person paid in rent for a month or two. But he actually wasn’t lazy at all. He just approached things differently.
I couldn’t help but be envious as I glanced down at my pristine navy suit and crisp white shirt. I had to look the part, but it always felt a little uncomfortable. People thought I was hard and crass, but maybe for good reason. I couldn’t really bring myself to care about that part, though. I changed myself enough to try to fit this mold that didn’t fit me. I wouldn't change anymore.
I rolled my eyes at Evan's relaxed appearance. But I reminded myself that he wasn’t the cause of my annoyance.
Still, it was annoying that he was in my office and wasn’t paying attention.
“Evan,” I said firmly.
“What’s up, man?” he said easily as he pulled out the earbuds.
“You could hear me this whole time?” He really did enjoy intentionally annoying me.
