Both Carly and I nod as she explains everything, and the longer she goes on, the more excited I get. I already feel inspired to write, and I’m anxious to get settled in my office and get to work.
Mercedes points to one of two doors at the front of the room and says, “That office is mine, and Ali, yours is the one right next to me.”
My eyes widen, and I wonder how I got the office right next to the boss, and I catch Mercedes smiling at me out of the corner of my eye. “The advice column is kind of like a new branch of the blog so essentially, we would be partners.”
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.”
She smiles at my response. “Go ahead and check it out while I show Carly to her office and then we can talk some more.”
I agree and head toward my new office while Mercedes takes Carly into one of the offices on my left. A smile spreads across my face as soon as I walk in the door. It feels right, like I’m supposed to be here. The walls are purple but the rest of the furniture throws off a somewhat masculine vibe that balances the space. There is a large glass desk in front of a wall of windows that looks out into the city I love. In front of the desk are two pristine white lounge chairs that look like you just sink into them and never come out again.
“Like it?” Mercedes asks, stepping into the office behind me, and I turn to face her, grinning.
“Yeah, I love it.”
“There was this study that said purple promotes creativity but you’re welcome to change it if you would prefer something else.”
I shake my head. “No, I really do love it.”
“Good, sit down and let’s chat then.” I move behind the desk and sit in the office chair while Mercedes sits in one of the lounge chairs across from me.
“So, like I said, we’ve had a ton of interest in the column already, and I’ll have one of the interns bring you the letters. You can go through and pick a couple that you want to answer first. I’d really love to do one a day during launch week just to kick things off right.”
I nod, looking down at the desk calendar laid out in front of me. “And when were you thinking launch week would be?”
“Uh, well, kind of this week. Do you think you can write a response a day?”
“Okay,” I laugh, looking down at the calendar again. “Yeah, I think I can manage that.”
She claps her hands together and smiles. “Perfect. I’ll have those letters here soon.”
“Thanks, Mercedes,” I say, and she smiles as she stands and leaves my office. I take a deep breath and lean back in my chair, looking around my office and soaking up this feeling of happiness that I’m unaccustomed to feeling at work. My phone buzzes on the desk, and I scoop it up.
Storm:
How you feelin’?
I bite down on my lip as I try to fight back a smile. It’s just a simple text but it makes me practically giddy.
Me:
I’m good.
I set my phone on the desk, staring at it intently and willing it to buzz again. When it does, I jump and snatch it up.
Storm:
You sure? You need anything?
Me:
No, I’m all right. Thank you, though.
I’m grinning like a thirteen-year-old girl with her first crush, and I can’t even tell you what it is about Storm that makes me act like this.
Storm:
What about some company?
Bear and I could come over.
I stare at his text, pursing my lips as I read it again and again. I can’t deny that he makes me feel something I haven’t felt in a long time. And yet it’s different with him in a way I can’t explain. It scares the hell out of me though, and I know I should stay away for my own well-being. My whole no-dating rule flew right out the window the first time he looked at me, and I’m desperately trying to hold on to it. My phone buzzes again, and I glance down.
Storm:
I would promise that we don’t bite but
you already know how well trained Bear is.
I giggle and think about just how much I would enjoy Storm sinking his teeth into my skin. No, Ali! Thinking things like that will definitely not help my situation. Blushing, I turn back to my phone and blow out a breath, a little disappointed that I’m not home.
Me:
I wish I was home but I started my new job today.
Sorry.
“Miss James,” someone calls, and I look up. A college-aged guy with curly brown hair is standing in the doorway to my office with a big box in his hands.
“Are those the letters?” I ask, my eyes wide, and he nods, stepping into the office and bringing them over to my desk. Holy crap. Mercedes wasn’t kidding when she said there was interest in the advice column.
“Thank you.”
He nods in response and turns to leave. As he walks out of the office, I grab the box and move it to the floor with a thud. I run my hands over the letters on the top, wondering how the hell I’m going to pick from all these. My phone buzzes again, and I look away from the box, sighing.
Storm:
No worries. Some other time, then.
That goofy grin is back on my face, and I bury my head in my hands, trying to think through this crazy giddiness fogging my mind. Am I really doing this? No, I can’t.
Me:
Yeah, maybe.
As soon as I press send, my stomach knots but I set my phone down on the desk and reach for the first letter in the box to distract me. Enough thinking about my stupid hot neighbor. Hopefully, work will distract me enough to get back on track.
Chapter Nine
Alison
Stepping into the foyer, I close the door behind me and lean back against it as I reach down and slip my heels off, letting out a sigh of relief. As I drop each heel to the hardwood floor, I wiggle my toes and close my eyes. My feet ache, and my knee is killing me but I’m riding a high from my first day at the blog. It’s been so long since I felt this excited or inspired by my work, and I already can’t wait to go back tomorrow and do it all over again. Most of my morning was spent going through letters, trying to find the perfect one to respond to before I went to Mercedes and asked if I could publish the article I wrote for Mr. Klein as my introduction for the blog.
I wanted to let the readers know who I was and despite the terrible situation, I really did like the article I wrote. She was thrilled with the idea and said it was the perfect thing for my first piece. I had to tweak it some, adding in the backstory as to why the article got written in the first place and then how I ended up at the blog, but I think it only made it better. I handed it off to Mercedes as everyone headed out for lunch, and by the time we got back it was up on the blog.
I’m terrified to hear the response to it tomorrow but I’m happy. Like deep down in my soul happy for the first time in a long time, and it wasn’t until I was standing in my new office moments after my first column went live that I realized just how unhappy I had been. Mr. Carlyle retired, handing the reins over to Mr. Klein right around the time that Adam cheated on me, and it all took a toll on me. While I focused on work to avoid my pain, all the color drained out of my world. I didn’t notice that my life had been diminished to lifeless shades of gray, and I was just going through the motions. Until Storm lit up my sky.