Page 8 of With a Broken Wing
Without another word, she stood up and took off towards an elevator, expecting I’d follow behind her.Sweets.What a strange name to call someone in an office. I hurried behind her, nervous I’d fall and wishing I’d worn a different pair of shoes. The elevator door closed behind us, and she hit a button for the executive suites. Floor ten.
When the doors opened, the ding of the bell echoed in the quiet hall. There was a door on the left that opened to an all-window conference room, and on the right was a hallway that turned to the left at the end. It was lined with closed doors on both sides.
Was there anybody else there? Then the first door on the right clicked and swung open. A tall woman with rich, dark-auburn hair and stunning green eyes stepped out. The navy-blue suit she wore looked like it was made to fit her body.Was every woman who worked here gorgeous?I self-consciously ran my hands down my outfit.
“Hi, Erin!” Hannah’s greeting was bubbly. “This is the new girl—”
“Andrea, right?” The woman was intimidating. Was she the same Erin that Jules had told me about? She’d said she was really nice, and I think they were starting to become friends. Could this be the same woman she described?
“Uh, no. Yes. No, uh… Andy,” I stumbled.Get it together, Andy!“Sorry. Let me try that again. I go by Andy. I’m Andy Johannson.” I reached out my hand in a feeble attempt to erase my embarrassment.
She raised an eyebrow but gave me a small smile before taking my hand and squeezing it. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Erin. I’m Demetri’s personal assistant. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other very well over the next couple of months, but in the meantime, let me introduce you to the rest of the team.” She turned to Hannah. “I’ll take it from here. Thank you.”
Just like that, Hannah danced her way back onto the elevator and back to her desk. My stomach clenched with nerves, but I took a deep, steadying breath and followed after Erin. She came to the first door, and without knocking, she pushed it open. “Shelby, meet the new member of our team. This is Andy Johannson.”
I stepped into the room, stunned by the unwelcoming look on her face. Her brown hair was carefully curled and sprayed into place, and she wore a tight-fitting dress.Yes, all the women here are gorgeous.She narrowed her hazel eyes and nodded at me.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, stepping forward with an outstretched hand. When Shelby didn’t make any move to take it, I awkwardly let it fall back to my side.
“You’re the new travel girl, right? Just don’t mess it up.”
My mouth opened and shut, but I couldn’t come up with anything to say. I nodded and stepped backwards. Maybe Auston was right about this job being a mistake.
Erin rolled her eyes and gestured towards the door. “Don’t worry, she’s like that towards everyone. You’ll get used to her.”
Shelby scoffed as we stepped out of the office. I tried to swallow the rush of anxiety, hoping to make my heartbeat slow back to a normal rate. Could Erin see the pounding of my heart against my chest?
Erin knocked at the next door and waited, opening it when a muffledcome incame from the other side. She ushered me in behind her. Seated in the center of the office was a man unworried about wrinkling his suit judging by the way he propped his feet on his desk. His legs were crossed, and the top button of his shirt was undone.
“Well, well, well. Who’s this?” He cocked his head when he spoke, a lopsided smile pulling at his cheeks.
“Don’t get started. This is Andy Johannson, our new travel liaison. Be nice to her.” Erin crossed her arms and glared at the man. “Andy, this is Scott McKenzie. He helped develop the app. You’ll learn more about everything later.”
I steeled my spine and stepped forward. “It’s nice to meet you.” When I reached out my hand, he took it and squeezed. He held my gaze, and I took a deep, measured breath.
“Oh, believe me, the pleasure is all mine. At least for now.”
When he winked, Erin scoffed from behind me. “Pull yourself together, Scott. I saidbe nice. That means don’t screw this one or scare her away, mmkay?”
I gasped, and Scott sat back in his seat, kicking his feet back up on his desk. When he shrugged, Erin shot him another glare. “I’ll be nice, but when she comes on to me, I’m not going to turn her down.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“Good lord.” Erin groaned, turning and walking out the door. I took the cue and rushed after her. There were still three doors on the opposite wall, and one more in the corner. Please don’t let them all be like the first two.
We crossed to the other side, and Erin opened the furthest door, revealing an empty office inside. Across from the open door was a large window, and a wooden desk sat in the middle of the room. “This will be your office,” Erin said. “At least when you’re not traveling.”
My own office. I’d never had one before, and it was strange to have this much space to myself. I stepped in and set my purse down on the desk, running my fingertips along the smooth wood.
“Demetri is across the hall. He’s been expecting you.”
I nodded, running my hands down my skirt again to smooth the wrinkles that weren’t there. We walked into the hall and up to the door directly across from mine. Erin knocked, and the sound of her fist against the wood was almost as loud as my heartbeat in my ears, but his voice was clear.
“Come in.”
Erin pushed the door open,revealing the nervous redhead next to her. Despite the nerves painted across her face, Andy held her head high and her shoulders back in false confidence. When the door was fully open, Erin stepped in, but Andy stood in the doorway and waited. She picked at her nails at her sides and chewed on the inside corner of her lip.
“Come in, Andy.”
She jumped, like she didn’t realize I was in the room or didn’t expect me to address her. When she gathered herself and gracefully stepped into the room, she was practically gliding. The gentle click of her heels on the floor was the only accompanying sound, but as confident as she walked, she wouldn’t hold my gaze.
