Page 55 of Bayside Heat
“Serena?” An energetic blonde hurried across the floor in her sky-high heels as though they were flats, her hand outstretched. “I’m Chiara Twain, your go-to gal for all things human resources related. Everyone mispronounces my name, so just think of a cheering cheetah. Chee-ar-ah. Shall we get started?”
“Yes, thank you.” She wished she could rush through the human resource part of her day and race upstairs to get started, even though she liked Chiara.
As they weaved through the elegant offices, their heels silenced by plush carpeting, the din of busy employees filled the air. Chiara spoke in a hushed tone as phones rang out around them and people hurried past. The thrill of it all eased Serena’s nerves, and she tried to remember every face on the way to Chiara’s office.
“I haven’t been to the Cape, but it’s on my bucket list,” Chiara confided. “I’d imagine, though, that you might experience a little culture shock with the move. I know I did when I moved from Reno last month.”
“It’s definitely different. At the resort we wore whatever was comfortable, and there is no Boston Design Center, that’s for sure.” Boston Design Center was the region’s premier destination for luxury interior furnishings and featured more than three hundred and fifty thousand square feet of showrooms. Serena had been there when she’d interned during college, and she and Justine, the owner of Shift, had also visited on occasion.
“I could get lost in BDC,” Chiara said as they entered her office. “I went there once with Laura, one of the junior interior designers you’ll be supervising, just to check it out. I have no idea how designers can choose from all the selections there.”
Serena was still a little shocked that she was going to be supervising a team of two. She couldn’t imagine not having her hands on every piece of the design process, but Suzanne had reassured her that she’d never feel like she wasn’t in control.
“Let’s get the paperwork out of the way first.” Chiara set her up at a desk with a ton of paperwork, an employee handbook, and a designer’s code of conduct booklet, which seemed to be the ABCs of ethics for designers.
That should come in handy on the nights she couldn’t sleep.
Almost three hours later, after a not-so-brief orientation meeting and a tour of the fifteenth floor, they finally stepped off the elevator on the fourteenth floor. While the thirteenth floor, where clients entered, was decked out in calming and elegant earth tones, and the executive suites were even more luxurious, though a bit too drab for Serena’s taste, the fourteenth floor was alive with color and activity.
“Welcome to your new home,” Chiara said as she led her through the office. She pointed out the coffee room, conference area, and the resource room, which had catalogs, brochures, fabric swatches, and more. Light hardwood floors and glass walls on the exterior offices gave the space an open, airy feel. “As you can see, this floor is set up for collaborating.”
“Yes. The work flow is perfect.” Serena took in the U-shaped workstations, each boasting a splash of color on chest-height privacy screens. Designers were bent over their desks, talking on the phone, working on plans, or leafing through catalogs. Across the room, a woman and a man stood before a whiteboard, hashing out design elements. There was a vibrant hum of activity, just as she’d imagined.
“Your office is the second from the right.” Chiara led her to a group of people gathered around a table discussing design elements. “Hi, guys,” Chiara said. “This is Serena Mallery, our new senior interior designer.”
Serena recognized three of them from the elevator that morning.
“I thought I picked up the scent of newbie in the elevator,” one of the suited guys said. He was tall and handsome, with closely shorn brown hair and wily green eyes she bet probably opened a lot of bedroom doors. His lips quirked up in a coy grin. “Welcome to the mayhem. I’m Gavin.”
“Nice to meet you,” Serena said.
The thin blonde she’d seen earlier said, “And I’m Laura, a junior designer. Spencer and I are on your team.” She motioned toward the bearded guy.
