Page 54 of Bayside Heat
He leaned in and kissed her. “This is for you, Supergirl.”
He played the tune for “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, modifying the lyrics just for her. He was vaguely aware of the guy who had lent him the guitar videoing him singing.
I’ll do it all
Just for you
Every day
I don’t need
Anyone
Or anything else
Emotions brimmed in her eyes. He continued playing the guitar as he kissed her cheek and then fell back into the song.
When I’m with you
Just by your side
Everything feels right
It’s become clear
What to do
How to feel
How can we have just begun
When it feels like you’ve been here all along?
He sang a few more verses, and as the last words left his lips, tears streamed down Serena’s cheeks and trembling hands covered her mouth and nose. He lowered the guitar in one hand, and she threw her arms around his neck.
Cheers and applause rang from a crowd that had formed out around them.
“I have been here all along,” she said through kisses. “Just like you have.”
“And I always will be.”
Chapter Eleven
I BET PICKING out an outfit to wear the first day of work is ten times harder than choosing a wedding dress! I have to run. Tell everyone I say hi, and when Drake gets back from his run, give him a big sloppy kiss on the cheek for me! Serena sent the text to Desiree, shoved her phone in the messenger bag Mira insisted she buy at The Now, and headed into the elevator of her office building. She was still on an adrenaline high from her time with Drake. Starting her new job added a dose of nervous energy to the adrenaline.
She was buzzing!
Two sharply dressed men in suits entered the elevator, flashing friendly enough glances before returning to their conversation. The taller of the two glanced over again. His bright green eyes held a silent greeting. She imagined Drake standing next to her, growling at the guy, and suppressed a giggle. A pretty, painfully skinny blond woman and a lanky, bearded guy wearing thick, black-framed glasses and skinny dress slacks stepped in, standing against the side wall. Serena smiled, feeling confident in her red pencil skirt and white blouse. They smiled, then tipped their heads, whispering to each other. She felt like the new girl at school.
KHB inhabited the top three floors of the fifteen-story building. Reception and administrative support was on the thirteenth floor, the designers inhabited the fourteenth, and the executives were on the fifteenth. One of the suited men stepped off the elevator with her and headed through the glass doors like he was on a mission. Too busy talking into his phone, the man didn’t say hello to the receptionist, Carolyn, whom Serena had met during her interview.
Carolyn sat pin straight, a black headset at the ready as she efficiently and professionally answered several calls. She held up one finger with a practiced smile, but her eyes gave away her happiness to see Serena. Her professionalism coupled with the severe cut and the model-perfect shine of her black hair, expertly applied makeup, and French manicure gave off a slightly hoity-toity vibe. But Serena knew better. Carolyn had been leaving work when Serena had left after her interview, and they’d had coffee together downstairs. She was easy to talk to, and it had become clear that her prim persona was merely a front she put on as a representative of the company.
Carolyn ended her call and stood up quickly, leaning across the desk and waving her hands. “Get in here and hug me!” she said quietly. “I was so happy when they said they hired you. You look amazing.”
“Thank you! I’m so nervous. I have no idea where to go.”
The phone rang, and Carolyn held up her finger again as she answered it and settled back into her seat. After sending the call to its recipient, she said, “Don’t be nervous. You’ll do great. You’re starting with Chiara Twain, our human resources coordinator.” She pronounced the woman’s name Chee-ar-ah. “She’s relatively new, too. You’ll love her. After you fill out a mountain of paperwork, she’ll show you around the offices, and then she’ll bring you down to meet with Suzanne. I’ll let Chiara know you’re here.”
Carolyn answered another call, and Serena stepped back from the desk to wait, feeling a little more at ease. Several people came through the reception area. Some flashed tight smiles, but others were too busy on their phones to notice anything as they crossed the hardwood floors to the white marble reception desk.
