3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Amy
This city is going to eat me alive.
The words bounce around my brain, and I don’t even know why. Parker , which is what his name tag said, was just some killjoy trying to ruin my night. Sure, he was handsome and had this mysterious, grumpy vibe that worked.
But clearly , he’s the kind of guy who stomps on people’s dreams and laughs about it later.
I let out a sigh as my heels clack along the pavement. Well, I assume they’re clacking. I can’t really hear anything above the noise of the early morning rush of people. I wrap my arms around myself, weaving through the crowd until I see the office building coming into my view.
My first day .
My stomach flutters with nerves, and I’m seriously hoping that my new coworkers are friendlier than the people I met at the bar this weekend. I mean, some of the men were nice—but not one of them asked for my number.
In fact, no one even talked to me outside of the five-minute conversations we were forced to have. Ugh. I had such high hopes, only to be let down. Which is why I haven’t texted Eliza about it yet. I’ll just wait until she brings it up.
I push through the revolving door and head for the elevator. I hit the up button and wait alongside about ten other people.
And then we all pile on.
Someone in front of me hits the fourteenth floor, relieving me of the duty. I hide in the corner, which isn’t hard, given that I’m only five-foot-three. Well, add a few inches for the heels. But still, these people are towering over me.
I breathe in the mixture of cologne and perfume, trying to pick out any scents I recognize. I can’t.
The effort makes me smile, though, and soon the elevator chimes on my floor.
“Excuse me,” I say politely, squeezing through the eight people still remaining. I recall the route I took for my interview and make my way to the office marked 1404.
“Good morning, Amy,” Louise, the receptionist, says as soon as I walk through the door. “You’re early. How was the morning commute? Ted was planning to give you some leeway since it can be difficult to navigate the streets first thing. ”
“It was great, thanks!” I say, keeping a smile on my face. “He said I’d be shadowing a couple of the other marketing execs today?” I glance around at the sea of cubicles.
“Yes, Nellie Ramirez specifically.” Louise brushes some of her gray hair out of her face. “I’ll send a message to her to come fetch you.”
I nod, clutching my bag to my side. I know what I’m doing, and I’ve climbed the corporate ladder to get this job at one of the most successful marketing firms in the city. However, despite my breadth of qualified experience, I can’t help the nerves in the pit of my stomach.
And I’m blaming my experience at the speed-dating event for it.
Maybe this city really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
“Amy, I’m Nellie,” a tall, slender blonde says, catching my attention. The woman could seriously be a model, standing a solid six inches taller than me. “Welcome to the firm.”
“Thank you.”
“Let me show you your office first, and then we’ll get started.”
I blink. My office? I figured I’d be in a cubicle.
But I don’t argue, and the thought of having a real office puts a little pep in my step. I’m at the top of my game. No random guy at a singles event is going to tell me otherwise.
Nellie leads me to a windowed-in office. “This is your space.” She pushes open the door, revealing a sleek, modern desk with a white leather chair and a Mac computer. It is perfect...
And has an incredible view of the city .
“Will this do for you?”
“Absolutely.” My voice is bright. “I love it.”
She smiles. “Me, too. I remember when I started here a few years ago. It was such a nice change to have my own space. Cubicles are okay, but this is way better.”
“Most definitely,” I agree, setting my bag down on the desk. I remove my coat and hang it on the back of the chair, smoothing out my olive-colored blouse and black slacks. “So, what do we do next?”
Nellie laughs, her green eyes twinkling in the natural light. “Well, I’m going to show you our software, introduce you to the team you’ll oversee, and then hopefully, we can get lunch in a few hours. Zach and I have been waiting for some help for a while, so it’s only right we take you out to lunch.”
I beam. “That would be amazing.”
The morning goes flawlessly—and when I say that, I mean literally everything was perfect. The team I’ll oversee seems to be full of bright creatives, and I’ll never get tired of my office view. I snap a few pictures and send them to Eliza and my mom when I get a few spare moments.
“So, what do you think so far?” Zach looks at me through his dark-rimmed glasses. He’s a solid ten years older than me, but I can already tell he’s young at heart .
“I think this is going to be phenomenal,” I say with a smile, breathing in the city air as we walk along the street. “It’s just what I was needing.”
“ You’re exactly what we needed,” Nellie adds. “Ted did a great job when he hired you.”
I’m beaming ear to ear, and I have no idea what to say other than thanking them profusely. We walk another three blocks making small talk and getting to know each other until we arrive at an Italian café nestled in between a boutique clothing shop and an old candy store. As I step inside, the scent of tomatoey garlic fills my nostrils.
“This is one of our favorite places to eat lunch,” Nellie comments as a waiter leads us to a back booth. “It’s the best Italian I’ve ever had—and that’s saying something.”
“She goes to Italy twice a year,” Zach clarifies as he slides in across from the two of us. “She actually invited me and my girlfriend to accompany her this year, but we’re saving up to buy a nice place. No vacations for us.”
“Oh wow, that’s exciting,” I say, ignoring that all too familiar pang of jealousy creeping into my chest as I pick up the menu. “Where do you want to live?”
“Upper East Side or maybe Chelsea,” he answers, reaching for the water the waiter just placed in front of him. “I don’t know. I recently got a raise, so I’m hoping that’ll expand our options.”
I nod. “It’s definitely expensive here.”
“Oh yeah,” Nellie mutters, leaning back in the booth. “But it’s worth it to live in a place like this. My fiancé and I are planning to move to the suburbs at some point. It’s just hard with the commute.”
“It’s a dilemma.” Zach chuckles as he picks up a menu. “And what about you, Amy? Do you have a significant other?” He meets my gaze over the top of the menu.
“No, I don’t. I, um, was hoping I’d meet somebody here.”
“Ah. Any luck yet?”
“I actually went to a speed-dating event this weekend.”
“Oh, fun! How was it?” Nellie asks.
“It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great . There were some people there who kinda killed the mood.” My mind flashes back to Parker, and I frown.
“Oh yeah, that’s probably because it was right after Christmas,” Nellie says, pushing some of her blonde hair out of her face. “I think people get a little bitter or angry that they’re alone around the holidays. But if it makes you feel any better, I used to go to those events all the time when I first moved here. I met a lot of really cool people.”
My heart jumps with hope. “You did? Well that’s encouraging. I’m hoping I might make some new friends at least.”
“I actually met my girlfriend at a singles event,” Zach adds, a smile on his face. “We’ve been together for two years now.”
“Are you still planning to propose on New Year’s Eve?” Nellie asks him.
“Yep. That’s the plan. ”
“Oh, my goodness,” I say, setting my menu down. “Congratulations! That’s so exciting.”
“Well, it’s about time, considering I turn forty next year.” He chuckles, and Nellie rolls her eyes. “For the longest time I thought I was going to end up alone. I was so caught up in my career. But before I knew it, everyone around me started having families of their own, so I decided to finally put myself out there. And I’m glad I did.”
“I feel that,” I say, my stomach flipping. “I’ve also been heavily focused on my career and haven’t made much time for dating. And while I don’t regret it, I’m definitely feeling ready to find my person. Especially since my best friend got married earlier this year. She has the sweetest love story. And I can’t help but want to experience that too, you know? I’ve sorta turned into a bit of a hopeless romantic,” I admit with a shrug.
“It’s okay to be a romantic.” Nellie says. “In fact, this city is full of romantics.”
“That’s not what I was told at the speed-dating event.”
“Well, you probably just got stuck with some guy who had a chip on his shoulder. There are a lot of people like that in the city, too, and you can’t let them ruin it for you.” Nellie leans back against the red leather booth and smiles. “I know we just met, but I can already tell you have an infectious personality and you’re very charismatic. Don’t give up.”
“For sure.” Zach nods. “You’ll find someone. I’d suggest a few events, but it’s been so long since I’ve set foot in one that I don’t know which are the most reputable anymore. My recommendation would be to stick to the good areas of the city, and you should be fine.”
I nod, suddenly feeling a whole lot better about the dating scene in New York.
It’s finally time to order our food, so I opt for the lunch portion of fettuccine Alfredo with a Caesar salad ... and devour it. I don’t know if it’s the best Italian food I’ve ever had—my hometown of Chicago is known for its food—but it’s a close second.
“Thanks for getting my lunch,” I say as we step back out into the freezing New York air. “I really appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Zach smiles. “It’s only right we buy you lunch on your first day.”
“So, have we totally scared you off, or are you going to dive back out into the New York City dating scene?” Nellie asks.
I nod without hesitation. “Oh, I most definitely will. I wasn’t sure I was going to after the not-so-great experience at the speed-dating event ... but I’m not ready to give up. I’d really like to have a date by New Year’s Eve.”
“Then you better get busy.” Zach laughs. “You can do it.”
Yes. Yes, I can.
And as soon as I get off work, I’m going to find another singles event to attend.