Page 72 of Must Be Love - Irresistible Bachelors

I tell my friends as much, and they nod their heads in understanding. We reach my subway stop; the girls have to keep going to catch different trains. I hug them both at the top of the steps.

“Tell him, Amber,” Daisy says when she pulls away. “You’ll feel better when you do.”

“I know; I will. I see him for an appointment on Monday. If I can find the courage, I’ll bring it up then.”

Daisy nods her approval, then she and Nicole head for their trains. As I descend into the subway tunnel, I try to rehearse the conversation.

In my head, it goes well.

Hopefully, the one in real life is the same.

22

Amber

I check the time in the bottom right-hand corner of my computer. Still over an hour before my appointment with AJ.

I sigh. This morning is dragging on. I can’t wait to see my boyfriend again! Sure, he’s my doctor, but we’ve done some fantastic things in his office the last few times I’ve been there. I’m hoping for a repeat performance.

After we have our important conversation, of course.

My focus should be on my job. I’m taking a half-day so that I can go to my appointment. I’ll work from home when I get out, but I need to get as much done here as I can.

Currently, I’m working on ad copy for a lipstick we’ve had out for many years. We rebranded it this month with a whole new campaign to try and drive sales. We do this for old products regularly. If the revival doesn’t increase the sales numbers, then the product is usually discontinued.

I feel responsible when something is cut from our line. If my marketing campaign was better, then maybe more people would have bought it.

I’ve been stuck on this lipstick all morning. My head just isn’t here. I can usually come up with copy in less than an hour for a full campaign. It’s been three hours, and I only have two ads done.

My coffee is cold, but I need the caffeine. Part of my distraction is coming from lack of sleep. I was so focused on my upcoming conversation with AJ that I was awake until three in the morning. Six hours of sleep isn’t enough for me.

The phone on my desk rings. Only one person calls me at this number.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Amber, I need you in my office.”

Without another word, my boss, Havana, hangs up. She isn’t much for conversation. Our phone calls are always this stilted.

I push away from my desk and walk to the other side of the marketing office, where Havana’s office sits. Next to her office is where Nicole’s boss, Miranda, spends her time. For the millionth time since I started at Merhalle, I wish I worked under Miranda instead of Havana. My boss isn’t bad, but Miranda is a million times better.

“Hi, Havana,” I greet, stepping into the small room.

I take the seat across from her desk. She stares at me with her dark eyes. Havana’s face is filled with wrinkles, and I’ve never seen the woman smile. She’s probably a few years older than my mother.

“What can I do for you?” I ask.

“Are you happy where you are, Amber?”

The question surprises me. “What?”

“Are you happy?”

“Um, yeah. I like my job.”

“What if I told you I had an opportunity for you?”

“What do you mean?”

Havana leans forward, folding her hands on her desk.

“We’re doing some restructuring in the departments. It’s too much for one manager to take care of four teams without some kind of middleman. We’ve decided to assign supervisors to each team to help ease the load on Miranda and me.”

I nod. “That sounds like a great idea. I think it’ll help us be more efficient and make our teams stronger.”

“I’m glad you agree because I want you to be the supervisor of your team.”

My jaw drops. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re good at your job, Amber. I’ve seen you help your colleagues. You have managing abilities. You’ll continue to have campaigns of your own, but you’ll work on fewer of them to give you time to handle the four other people on your team.”

“I’m honored, Havana…”

She waves her hand through the air. “You don’t need to give me an answer now, but think on it. The job is yours if you want it. Let me know by Friday what you want to do.”

I nod and leave the office. The walk to my desk is a blur.

I could be a supervisor. The point of most jobs is to move up through the ranks, right? I should be happy about this opportunity.

Yet the idea of taking the promotion fills me with anxiety. I don’t want to move up in my job. I’m happy where I am because this job is only temporary until I’m married and ready to have kids.

Accepting the promotion would be irresponsible. How long will I stay here? The truth is, I don’t know.

---