Page 1 of She Was Made for Me

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Violet

If I have one piece of advice for anyone trying to impress their boss, it’s not to fall asleep face-down on the floor of their office.

I don’t even realize where I am until I hear the click of her office door closing, the sound of her setting a grande Americano on her desk. An AmericanoIwas supposed to have ordered.

Shit.

“Oh, Violet,” she says as I rouse myself from my slumber on her carpet. “Not again.”

“Sorry, Deb.” I groggily pull myself up, rubbing my eyes. This is not the first time I’ve spent the night at the office, and probably won’t be the last. I glance at the posterboard and Post-Its strewn around me and wince. After Deb went home last night, I stayed on to create a Gantt chart in an attempt to increase productivity for our latest project. I find it easier to work on the floor, where I can spread out.

And, evidently,passout.

Deb peeks into the trash can. “Did you order dinner, at least?”

“I…” Crap.Dinner. I knew I’d forgotten something. “Um, no.”

She sets her purse on her desk with a sigh, her ebony curls perfect as always, her mahogany skin glowing from her early morning workout. I’ve never seen Deb look disheveled, which only serves to highlight my own state of chaos right now.

I push to my feet, hastily trying to gather the Post-Its into a pile. There’s a pink one in the middle of the board with a big question mark on it, indicating exactly where I ran out of steam and dozed off.

“I was working on an idea for next quarter.” I pull the question-mark Post-It from the board, frustrated. “I know we use an Agile approach, but I was thinking—”

“That’s not your job,” Deb says gently. “You’re my assistant, Vi.”

“I know.” And I really do; four years of fetching coffee, booking conference rooms, and taking meeting notes has made that abundantly clear.She’sthe project manager for our team at DigiSwap,I’mthe assistant.

Despite having spent several years at college training in project management.

But I know how this works. I’m paying my dues, working my way up, proving myself and biding my time until it’s my turn. And Deb is an awesome boss—she’s always respectful and kind, never barks orders at me, and yeah, tends to get a little concerned when she finds me asleep on her office floor after pulling an all-nighter.

I give her a sheepish smile as I smooth my hair, my natural blonde waves a little matted on one side. At this point, Deb usually gives me a good-natured lecture about working too much, and I nod along, half listening, half thinking about the project I’d labored over the night before.

But today, she slides into her chair and clasps her hands tightly on her glossy white desk, a line of worry along her forehead as she watches me gather my things from the floor.

“You’re the most dedicated person on our team,” she murmurs. “You work your ass off.”

I can’t help but beam as pride warms me from the inside out. See? This is what it’s all about. Sure, I don’t have much of a social life outside the office, and yeah, I only sleep about five hours a night—but this is what makes it worth it. Getting this recognition. Advancing my career.

I hold my breath, clutching the posterboard and Post-Its to my chest, waiting expectantly. I have a feeling Deb is about to make a big announcement, and I know what it is. It’s something I’ve been waiting to hear for months now, and it’s about time. My stomach swirls with anticipation as Deb opens her mouth to speak.

“Violet, sit down. I need to tell you something.”

Her cautious tone sends a chill across my skin, making my confidence waver. “Just tell me,” I say, tacking on a lighthearted laugh that doesn’t quite ring true.

She gazes at me for a long moment before taking a deep breath. “I don’t know how else to say this, but…” Her breath comes out in a long gust. “I have to let you go.”

The posterboard slips from my hands, hitting the floor with a thud, followed by the Post-Its scattering in a colorful pile at my feet like giant pieces of confetti. I drop into the chair opposite Deb with lead in my stomach.

“What?”

“I’m so sorry. I promise you, this is the last thing I want to do, but it’s out of my hands.”

My jaw sags as I stare at my boss, speechless. I’ve never seen her look so solemn.

“But… why? What have I done wrong?”

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