Page 19 of Unlocking my Boss's Heart

“I don’t think I understand,” I replied slowly, looking between the two of them. The other woman didn’t bother introducing herself.

Rachael piped up, “I mean, we reviewed your file, and he sent your name as the new hire before he finished interviewing the other applicants. So, obviously, he knows you from somewhere...right?”

I swallowed, finally getting where this was going. “No. I—”

She interrupted me, “And we heard about your episode in the elevator. You guys didn’t even bother to hide it.”

“Hide what?” My mind was going a thousand miles per second. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Rachel’s friend stepped forward, her tone conspiratorial. “There were several other lawyers more qualified than you. So, what was the real reason he picked you?”

That’s when I noticed the undertone of this entire questioning. When Rachel started, she seemed genuinely curious. But now, her friend’s expression spelled out exactly how they felt about me being hired.

I took a step back, feeling under attack, but ready to defend myself. I knew I was just as qualified as the other applicants who had shown up for the interview. If not, I wouldn’t have been on the shortlist.

“Winnie, you’ll scare her,” Rachael silenced her friend, then turned back to me with a patronizing smile. “It's not like we have any bad intentions or anything. We just want to get on his good side, and you might have a few tips. That’s all.”

I had a feeling the opposite was true.

“Oh,” was all I could think to say.

Winnie smiled. “Well, if you have any tips, and I meananyat all…. You know what they say about women helping women.” She ended with a wink, and that was when I understood what she was implying.

Bile rose in my throat, bitter at the back of my tongue. Their insinuation hit me like a sledgehammer. Since they figured I didn’t get the job because of a family connection, they assumed he hired me because I was sleeping with him. And if they thought so, others probably did too, except they might not be as obvious about it as these two were.

“Sorry, I can’t—” My feet were already moving, and I left the bathroom without finishing the sentence.

Heat flared up from my chest to my neck, the first time I felt such anger. How degrading! I’d worked so hard to earn my degree and become a qualified lawyer with experience! If this was what people thought, the road to the top would be even harder than I’d imagined.

“Oh, my goodness, I’m late!”

I shot up from bed to get ready for work. Then I paused and checked the time on my phone. I facepalmed myself. The bold black font on the screen showed it was Saturday.

Relief came over me as I plopped back onto my pillow. For the past week, I’d been waking up super early to get to work before everyone else. I was determined to be an exemplary employee, to prove that I not only deserved to be at Waltons & Associates but that I’d earned my place through hard work.

But today, I could sleep in.

I sighed and snuggled deeper into my soft feather-down pillow. It smelled like home. How long would it be before the scent faded? The thought made my stomach clench. I’d been in New York for three weeks, working my tail off. I barely had a chance to settle in before I was launched into my new life.

But I wouldn’t let homesickness ruin this day. Today was a precious day—a free Saturday that I suspected would soon be one of my last. I was sure Anton's success didn’t come from him taking many days off, even on the weekends.

Don’t think about your boss, Celia, a voice at the back of my mind reminded me. But I reasoned back that rising to the top didn’t mean the exclusion of everything else.

My mind kept wandering.

Does he spend his free days visiting bookstores?

I sensed he wasn’t the type to spend his days off, sipping coffee in sidewalk cafes and reading novels. Likely, his visit to the bookstore in Greenwich had been a whim. I wouldn’t be meeting him around here again in passing, no matter how much I longed to run into him in a casual setting.

After a lazy morning in bed, I sat up. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a pink sticky note stuck to my nightstand. Leaning over I read what Maddison wrote without picking it up.

Out early. Left a Sephora gift card if you want to go shopping.

Next to the note was the said card. On the corner, written in black pen, someone had scribbled:From Tom. Typical Maddison, regifting what someone had given her. But it was thirty dollars, and I would happily use it if she no longer wanted to curry favor with this Tom, whoever he was. Besides, she rarely wore makeup unless she was playing a part on stage.

I glanced out the window. My blank canvas, aka the wall of the next building, blocked my view of the sky. In the living room, I paused in the silence. Despite being in New York for threeweeks, this was my first time alone in the apartment. I’d been putting in a lot of hours at my new job, leaving before Maddison woke up, and returning when she was either already in bed or working an evening shift.

The place felt dull without her sparkly energy. Even without the gift card, I wouldn’t have spent the day at home. The weather app said it was a beautiful day, just waiting for me to explore the city that had fascinated me since childhood.

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