5. Chloe
5
Chloe
“Chloe, Chloe.”
Amber’s voice filters into my dreams, rousing me from sleep. Disoriented, I blink away blurry shapes that form as I try to open my eyes and fumble for my phone. The harsh light of the screen momentarily blinds me further.
“Ugh, it’s not even sunrise yet,” I mumble, eyeing the drawn shutters.
Amber’s rousing comes again, more insistent this time. “Chloe, wake up! You’re gonna be late.”
Everything rushes through my head in a flash. My job, Daniel, the proposal!
I jump out of bed, my eyes darting to the clock on the nightstand. It’s 7:34 AM. My alarm clock is clearly in cahoots with my bed.
My throat feels like sandpaper, my head throbs with a dull ache, and every muscle in my body protests the sudden movement. How can I sleep for so long and still feel so worn out?
“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” I whine.
Amber is already dressed for work and heading out of the room but stops in her tracks at my complaint. Turning back to me, she places her left hand on her hip and taps her right foot on the floor. Her brow narrows tightly, and without glancing twice, it’s clear that I hit a nerve.
“I warned you about staying up late to work on those slides, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“I needed to finish them,” I whine again.
I turn to my laptop in the corner of the room. The keyboard is littered with sheets of paper and a pencil resting on top of the pile.
OMG! Did I forward the proposal to him? I can’t even recall. I rush to the laptop and start clicking.
“Please, please, please, please. Come on, computer, don't fail me now. You're supposed to be my friend, not my frenemy.” I drum my fingers against the desk and wait impatiently for the screen to come on. Finally, it does.
After a few clicks, I’m scrolling through my sent folder. There, late last night, marked with a single check next to it.
Phew!
“Sent. Thank goodness.”
“Thank goodness? Girl, you’re a few minutes from making the worst second impression at work. Get your booty up from that desk and get on the road.”
I see my reflection on the computer screen. My hair looks like a bird’s nest. Dark circles hang beneath my bloodshot eyes.
Great. Just the impression I want to make waltzing into the office late on a Tuesday.
“Well?” Amber says.
“Help me pick something to wear, please!” I shout as I run into the bathroom. “Something black and boring.”
“Seriously, Chloe? Fine,” she grunts as she rummages through the closet.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Have you seen your eyes in the mirror? It’s literally day two on the job and you’re giving ‘Mad Max’ vibes.”
“Whatever,” I say.
“That Daniel. He’s overworking you already. I knew I’d get to tell you I told you so, but not this early. Jeez.”
I turn on the shower, shutting my eyes as the water flows down my body.
This isn’t Daniel’s fault. Sure, he can be overbearing and stern when voicing his opinions, yet there’s an unusual charm about his commanding presence. Plus, I caught a glimpse of a different side of him last night with his daughter—something softer and endearing.
His face, when not contorted in a scowl, is sharp and defined. His strong jawline hints at a stubborn streak and eyes that, when not narrowed in disapproval, have a sharp glint to them.
“You’re not willing to admit it, but deep down, you know it’s true.”
“Isn’t it too early to decide? I didn’t have a good first day. That’s it. That’s allowed.”
“Or, he’s evil and you’re in for it. You should now at least have an idea of why his previous assistants quit.”
“Not again, Amber,” I wince. “ They don’t really matter right now. You’re picking a simple outfit for me, right?”
“Uh-huh.” She scoffs. “Can’t imagine wearing black every day for the rest of my life. What a buzzkill.”
By the time I emerge from the bathroom, dripping wet and only marginally less disheveled, Amber has laid two black dresses on my bed.
“ They do matter, by the way—the other Assistants. You gotta look at it from all angles. You’re barely forty-eight hours into the job, and it’s already a high stress environment…” Amber says, tossing a black blazer my way.
“Will you cut it out already? You’re being ridiculous now. Why does this matter so much to you anyway?”
“Because I don’t want you to end up like the rest of them—scarred from the trauma and hard to move past it in your next role, or life in general. You say you made a mistake and fixed it. You changed your outfit because everyone is a hostage to his fashion. You stayed up late creating an entirely new proposal on such short notice—”
“I told him I could do that.”
Amber scoffs. “More like he intimidated you into doing it.”
“Listen, he wasn’t that uptight when I got to his place last night.”
Amber snorts.
“Uptight? Girl, the man, is rude and threatens your job constantly. Look, I know you need this job, but maybe you should consider your options. You can get a new job, you know. You got what it takes.”
“Maybe he just had a bad day,” I sigh.
Amber throws her hands up in exasperation. “Fine. But if he throws another tantrum at you, you’re calling me, and we’re finding you a new job. Got it?”
“Got it, I promise.”
I stand in front of the mirror. Today, I opt for a long sleeve black dress without a blazer. Amber looks at me funny.
“Too plain?” I ask.
“Not plain, just unlike Chloe.”
“Well, there’s no place for sunshine and rainbows at Andrews Enterprise.”
Amber rolls her eyes. My eyes spot a red scarf on the top shelf of the closet. “How’s this for sunshine?” I ask.
I wrap the scarf around my collar, forming a tie-like knot in front of my chest.
“It’s beautiful,” Amber says. “Hold on. I should take a picture.”
“What for?” She takes a few shots before I can stop her.
“I’m setting up a profile for you on Glimr.”
“The dating app?”
“Yep. You’ve been single for way too long. Time to get you back into the dating pool.”
“Oh, jeez. This was your bright idea yesterday? To help me with my dating life?”
“Sure was! There’s no harm in trying, right?”
“I dunno, Amber. After Greg—”
“Forget about Greg, Chloe. There’s no loser bigger than him in all of San Francisco. Plus, that was over a year ago and you’ve only been on a couple of dates since then.”
“I told you. I was too busy trying to land a better job.”
“Right. Let’s not forget that Greg is the reason you had to find a new job in the first place.”
“All the more reason not to date anyone right now!” I protest.
She chuckles. “Greg was your coworker first . That complicated things. It was obviously gonna get weird if you guys broke up. And you did. It got messy in the worst possible way after you caught him with his trainer. But that’s in the past now. I’m thinking something casual with someone different from your usual type.”
“I guess,” I sigh. “I really can’t afford to switch jobs, again.”
“It’s a good thing you’ve finally found one.” She shrugs. “Even though I’m pretty sure you’ve got the wrong one.”
“Let’s give it time, okay.”
“Fine. One more pose?”
“Ugh.” I drop my shoulders forward and groan. “That’s enough for one day.”
She snaps another shot with a laugh.
“I hope it’s cute,” I laugh, bumping her shoulder.
“Put your game face on today.”
I put my arms on her shoulders and then pull her into a hug. “I know you’re only looking out for me, but I’ll be fine.”
“Great, now I’m late, too.”
We rush outside the apartment building, ready to start our days.
Amber’s words echo in my head. What if I do have the wrong job? Daniel hasn’t been particularly warm.
The image of him at his house lingers in my mind as I book an Uber. I’m almost positive I caught a smile on his face while I spoke with his daughter yesterday. She’s easy and fun to talk to—the opposite of Daniel.
I arrive at the office quickly. As I straighten my dress and adjust the red scarf at the elevator bank inside the building, Daniel catches the corner of my eye. He strides confidently toward me, and I can’t help but notice how his suit hugs his body in all the right places.
He’s deep in conversation with someone on his phone, a frown etched on his face. Shaking my head to clear the unwelcome thoughts, I nod at him as he approaches.
I hope he doesn’t complain about my red scarf in this dreary sea of black, white, and gray. I need this little piece of my personal expression if I’m going to survive today with this dull headache.