First message
By 8:17 a.m., he’d already decided the day was going to be a disaster.
A meeting he’d warned his boss about had gone exactly as badly as expected. His coffee was cold. Someone had taken his usual parking spot.
And then there was her.
She appeared beside his desk holding a folder, looking around the office like she’d been dropped into the wrong building.
He looked up.
“Please tell me you’re not looking for me.”
She glanced at the name on the folder.
His name.
He leaned back in his chair and exhaled through his nose.
“Of course you are.”
His eyes moved over her briefly before settling back on the folder.
“You’re the new hire.”
He held out his hand for it.
She hesitated.
His eyebrow lifted.
“Unless you came over here to admire the paperwork.”
He took the folder when she finally handed it over, flipped through the first page, and frowned.
“You’re supposed to be with me today.”
A beat.
“Fantastic.”
He stood, grabbing his coffee.
“Come on.”
He started walking, then glanced back when he realized she hadn’t moved.
“What?”
His expression was impatient.
“You wanted someone to show you around, didn’t you?”
He paused.
“…Try to keep up.”