"Hey," she mutters as she passes me. She must've noticed I was staring at her. I wonder if she lives around here, but if she does, why is she using the bathroom at the coffee shop?
I shut down my laptop but remain at the table, wanting to see the girl again. But she's taking forever in the bathroom and it's after nine. I have to go. Zoe needs to close the place so she can get home to her family.
"Sorry," I tell her on my way out. "I didn't realize it was so late."
"Don't worry about it." She walks me to the door. "I'll let you out."
She unlocks the door and opens it. "Have a good night! Be sure to come back."
"I will." I glance back at the bathroom, hoping that girl will come out so I can figure out why I can't stop thinking about her. She's beautiful, yes, but there's something else about her. I'm drawn to her and don't know why.
"Did you need something else?" Zoe asks.
"Oh, sorry, no." I say, stepping out to the sidewalk. "Goodnight."
I leave and walk back to my apartment, the whole time thinking about that girl. I need to see her again. I want to know more about her. But I have no idea why. I've seen beautiful women before but never had them take over my mind like this.
I'm going to go back there tomorrow. And I'm going to keep going back there until I see her again.
3
Miles
"The Samson case is behind schedule so I'll be assigning several of our new hires to work on it," Mr. Kasburger says. He continues to talk but I keep tuning him out because this update meeting has been going on for an hour and I'm finding it hard to pay attention.
Every time my mind wanders it goes to that girl from last night and then the questions start. Where does she live? What does she do? How old is she? How did Zoe know her? And the question I most want to know...does she have a boyfriend?
When I moved here I decided to focus on my career and set my love life aside until later. I'm in no rush to get into another relationship, and dating takes time, which I won't have with this new job. But then I saw that girl and suddenly I want to date again. Unfortunately, there's no way a girl that beautiful is single. If she is, it's because she wants to be, not because guys aren't interested.
"Miles!" I hear Mr. Kasburger's voice and turn to look at him at the end of the conference table.
"Yes?"
"Did you hear anything I just said?" His bushy white brows lower over his narrowed eyes as he glares at me.
"Yes. The Samson case. I'll get right on it."
He keeps his eyes on me, but remains silent, making me think I was wrong in my response. I have no clue what he's been talking about the past five minutes so I just said the last thing I heard.
Mr. Kasburger's eyes turn back to the conference table. "Does anyone have any other matters to discuss before we disperse?"
"I'm having issues with my laptop," Mark, one of the new hires says. "I can't connect remotely."
"Talk to the IT department," Kasburger says, seeming annoyed. "And for future reference, those types of issues aren't discussed in these meetings. These meetings are for client matters only."
"Yes, sir," Mark says, his face getting red.
"Good day, everyone." Kasburger leaves and we wait until he's down the hall before getting up from the table. He's a senior partner at the law firm and our toughest boss. Also the meanest. The other partners are younger and not so by-the-book as Kasburger. The guy has rules for everything and feels the need to enforce them, such as his rule for shoes being polished.
I'm not kidding. Yesterday in the hall, he stopped me to tell me to polish my shoes. They're dress shoes I bought for interviews last spring. I've worn them a lot but they still look good. Apparently, Kasburger doesn't think so and said they didn't shine enough. He took me to his office and gave me shoe polish and made me polish them right then and there. Then he told me he expects my shoes to be polished like that from here on out. I honestly thought it was a joke, like he was just messing with the new guy, but he was totally serious. Later I talked to some of the other new hires and found out the same thing happened to them, so at least it wasn't just me.
"You want to meet after lunch?" Lisa asks as we walk back from the meeting. She sits at the desk next to mine.
"What are we meeting about?"
"The Samson file," she says, wrinkling her nose. "Were you not listening?"
"Guess not. My mind kept wandering in that meeting."
"You have to pay attention, especially with Kasburger. He's been known to fire people for not listening."
"Really? Shit. Good to know."
We stop at her cubicle and she sets her notepad down. "I need to get some stuff done before lunch but I could meet around two."
"Okay, but I still need to know what we're talking about."
She checks her watch. "I don't have time to explain it right now. Want to grab lunch at noon and we can go over it? Then when we get back you'll have time to review the file before our meeting."
"Um, sure. Okay."
I was hoping to have some free time at lunch to go out and enjoy the weather. It's a warm September day and I'd planned to get some food and eat in the park. But now I have a meeting. I'm used to being in class a few hours, then doing whatever I want the rest of the day. I need to adjust to this new schedule and new way of life.
Just before noon, I stand by Lisa's desk. "Ready to go?"
She turns to face me. "It's lunch already?"
"Yeah, but I can come back if you're not ready."
She's already up and grabbing her keys. "Let's go." She walks past me and continues to the elevators. "I usually don't even eat lunch. I don't have time."
"How long have you worked here?"
"Eight years." She checks her phone. I just met her but she seems like one of those high-strung people that doesn't ever relax. Or maybe it's the job making her that way. I hope not. I don't want to end up like that.
The elevator opens and we ride down to the first floor. She steps out first and I follow her outside. She's on her phone, texting someone.
"My nanny is completely incompetent," she says, texting as we walk down the busy street.
I didn't know she had kids. This is the first time she's mentioned them and she doesn't have photos of them on her desk.
"How many kids do you have?"
"Three. Two boys, nine and six, and Macie. She's four. Anyway, I hired this nanny last month and she can't even remember the simplest things. She reminds me of my ex. He couldn't remember anything either. Why do people have to be so incompetent?"
"Spare change, miss?" a man says to her as we wait at the intersection. I look down and see a homeless guy on the ground, leaning against the building. He's right next to Lisa, holding a plastic cup up to her.
"Get a damn job like the rest of us," she says as she shoves her phone in her purse.
The light changes and we cross the street. I assume she's picked a place for lunch. She's walking fast, like she knows exactly where we're going.