6. Daniel
6
Daniel
“Good morning,” Chloe says as we step inside the elevator.
“You’re late,” I say as I scroll through messages on my phone.
“I know today’s a big day. I’m sorry for being late.” Her voice sounds apologetic. “The truth is—”
My head jerks up to meet her gaze. What’s the truth? Traffic? A late Uber? Your dog at the presentation? Which is it?
My eyes catch her outfit. A red scarf, huh? There must be something about her need for colors, and I can’t deny it—it makes her face look absolutely adorable. The anger I harbored from her not showing up on time fizzes away like soda bubbles. I set my jaw, trying to mask my softened expression, and wait to hear her ‘truth.’
“Go on.”
We step out of the elevators and walk toward our offices.
“I was working on the proposal you asked for, which took a lot longer than I thought. I stayed up late and accidentally slept through my alarm.”
I raise a brow. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard that one.”
“Well… it’s…I…,” she stammers, her face flushing with embarrassment.
Laughter ripples in my stomach, but I shut it off with a hard stare. I really shouldn’t take this much pleasure in making others squirm. Only, her eyes are just as wary as Michelle’s when she’s been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing, trying her best to remain composed. The struggle to maintain her dignity is almost endearing. I can see the earnest effort in her face, the flicker of anxiety in her eyes as she waits for my judgment.
“Ms. Summers,” I address through clenched teeth. Her expression falters, then she quickly comes to. “Does this place look like a circus to you?”
Looking confused, she replies, “No.”
“Then why do you take it for a joke?”
Her mouth opens, and she flinches. “I don’t.”
“I expect you to take punctuality seriously.”
Her brows furrow, and the crease on her forehead deepens. I watch her adjust the weight on her legs, and my eyes dart to her outfit again. There has to be more offenses to count. There’s none.
The curve her hips afford the straight dress holds my attention. She’s gorgeously carved in all the right places. How can that be an offense?
How about the red scarf? My eyes are drawn to it. It brings forth the warmth in her green eyes, making it as soothing as the Christmas air. I can’t be mad at that either. I’m stuck with her just being late.
I maintain my stern glare.
“It won’t happen again. It wasn’t intentional.”
I raise my brow. “Just like the coffee spill wasn’t intentional.”
She winces.
“Not to mention the—” I look at the scarf and can’t complete my statement. “—that there are press releases you need to work with the editorial team on.”
She blows air from her mouth. “I see. But should I bring you some coffee first?”
“What are you waiting for?”
Her heel clicks and clacks against the floor as she hurries off. Does she really need to ask? If it’s not on my desk, isn’t it obvious that I want it?
She returns with a cup of coffee and places it on my desk.
“Your coffee.”
I eye her. “Where is the proposal?”
“Here is a printed copy, but I also emailed them to you late last night.”
She taps on her tablet and slides it to me. A smile tugs at the edge of my lips, but I instantly muffle it. It’s surprisingly brilliant.
Beauty and brains.
‘This is amaz—” I suck my breath and pick up my coffee.
A hot, scalding black sip is the right thing to set me back in place.
“Nice job,” I say, putting the cup back down.
She smiles. Smiles have a remarkable way of lighting up one’s face, and it’s literal in this moment. An instant glow spreads across her features, wiping away any concerns she had a few minutes ago for being late, making my heart flutter unexpectedly. I stiffen my jaw, trying to regain control.
What the heck was that, Daniel?
This is not like me at all. Keep it professional.
“It’s good,” I add.
She grabs her tablet and adjusts her weight again. Her shoes must be tight.
“Sit,” I tell her and rise from my seat.
Her eyes squint with doubt. With one hand in my pocket, I step out from behind the desk. “You should sit. Those heels look like they’re killing you.”
With a sigh, she pulls a chair and slides in. Her ankles are pinker than the rest of her skin. An image of Maddie comes to mind. The first thing she did when she got to my office was kick off the heels and have me massage her ankles.
Chloe could probably use a rub. There’s oil somewhere in my office drawer.
Get out of your head, Daniel. This isn’t Maddie.
I walk around the desk to her chair and stop close to her heels.
“I don’t care about the footwear,” I say. “Just wear something comfortable so you can do your job efficiently. You never know what I’m going to ask of you at any given moment. Heels will slow you down.”
She nods. “Thank you. What press releases were you referring to a few minutes ago?”
“Right.” Our eyes meet, and I realize that if I stare at them too long, I might get lost in thought again.
I blink and clear my throat, returning to my seat. There, the distance between us is better.
“We need to make sure the press releases for the event are finalized and scheduled for publication.” I tap my fingers on the desk as she types notes into her tablet. “We’re also introducing a new blog in our magazine, focusing on top female CEOs. It will cover their journey, failures and successes, and also provide a peek into their lifestyle now. The writer in charge of the column isn’t one I trust very much to execute this well, but she has an advantage over the rest with more connections.”
“Got it.”
“Judging by your obsession for colorful outfits, I assume you have an eye for topics like this. I need you to pay extra attention to detail here so we have the best blog on the block.”
“Noted.”
“But before you do that, make sure the conference room is ready for the Nexus meeting. They’ll be here any minute.”
“Will do.”
With a wave of the hand, I dismiss her. She might have started impressively, but it’s only a matter of time before she falls off. Right? It’s the trend with them. I give her two weeks at most, and all this enthusiasm will fade.
My desk phone rings. It’s Sarah telling me that the team from Nexus has arrived for the meeting. I grab my things and head into the conference room. I’m feeling confident, thanks to Chloe’s work. She is, by far, the most talented of all the Assistants that have come across my desk since Maddie.
Could this be a sign that she might actually stick it out the longest? Doubtful.
The meeting goes without a hitch, and as I suspected, they choose Chloe’s proposal.
A reminder notification chimes on my phone. It's 2:30 PM, almost time to get Michelle from school. The meeting went well over, and I completely lost track of time.
Grabbing my things, I head out of the office. Chloe’s door is open. I quickly give her some instructions on changes to my schedule for the week, then leave.
Spark Montessori is a fifteen-minute drive from the office.
I really hate the long pick-up lines at school. They take up too much time, and I can't stand wasting time when I have so much to do.
Mrs. Percy’s green vest welcomes me as I pull into the parking lot. She’s the parking attendant, and her dark hair is beginning to show speckles of gray. She pokes her head through the window after I park.
“Good to see you, Mr. Andrews.”
“Good to see you, too.” I glance again at the clock, wanting to move this along.
“Are you here for Michelle?”
No kidding.
“You know it.”
She takes a long look behind me as I open the door to get out.
“There she is,” she announces. Mrs. Percy has been very fond of Michelle, especially after Maddie’s passing. They’ve built an incredibly strong and special connection over the last few years.
Perfect. Michelle is already heading my way, so I don’t have to get out of the car.
“Hey, sweetie,” I call when she’s close enough.
“Hi, Dad! Hi, Mrs. Percy!" Michelle chirps, her eyes bright with excitement. I impatiently tap my foot as she skips over.
“Well, if it isn't my favorite little helper!” Mrs. Percy responds, her warm smile matching Michelle's enthusiasm.
“I made a drawing today in art class!” Michelle says proudly, holding up her colorful picture for Mrs. Percy to see.
Squinting, I look over Mrs. Percy’s shoulder to see that the image is of three stick people. A father, a daughter...and some woman not resembling Maddie in the slightest.
Oh boy. What is that all about?
"Wow, that's impressive!" Mrs. Percy exclaims. She clearly doesn’t read into it. “Did you have a good day? A good lunch?”
“Yep. PB&J sandwich, carrot sticks with ranch, and grapes!” Michelle answers, her voice bubbling with excitement.
“Sounds delicious! Did you remember to share with your friends?”
Michelle nods eagerly. “Yes, ma’am. Sharing is caring!”
Mrs. Percy ruffles Michelle's hair affectionately. “That's right, sweetie. You're such a thoughtful little girl.”
I shake my head in admiration as Michelle and Mrs. Percy chat animatedly. It warms my heart to see Michelle's outgoing personality shining through. I don’t want to cut their conversation short, but it’s time to get going.
“Alright,” I announce. “Let’s go, honey. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Michelle waves goodbye and I breathe a sigh of relief.
I pull out of the parking lot. Through my rearview, I can see Michelle staring at her drawing. She pulls her mom’s handkerchief out of her pocket and holds onto it rightly.
“You okay back there?” I begin thinking of how she must be missing her mom.
“Uh-huh.”
“So, who’s the woman in your picture?”
“Me, you, and my teacher.”
I raise an eyebrow as I pull back onto the main street. “Your teacher? Why is she in the picture with us?”
“Ms. Rose has a crush on you,” she teases, batting her eyes and holding her hand to heart.
My eyes burst open, and a laugh escapes me. I sure needed that. Michelle is the only person who can make me laugh like this. She lets me be myself and loves me for the workaholic that I am. There’s no reason to share my small joys with anyone outside our small, comfortable circle.
“You must be imagining things.” I take a left turn.
“Nope. She kept asking about you and being extra nice to me. She gave me chocolates.”
“No way. Are you playing matchmaker?”
“Not with her,” she giggles under her breath. “I like Chloe. I thought maybe she’d be with you today.”
My jaws drop. “What now?”
“She’s cool, remember? And pretty. How is she?”
I blink at her in the rearview mirror.
She has got to be kidding me.