Chapter 6
six
. . .
Four Years Ago
I was five minutes late for my first day of work. This sucked. I woke up thirty minutes before I needed to, left early, and still ended up five minutes late because someone decided to get into a little fender bender on the highway and cause a massive traffic jam.
I parked as close as I could get to the office building, though that was still three rows back.
I gathered my things in my arms and rushed toward the building, deciding to cut through the grass partition as a shortcut.
However, my sharp high heel pierced the soft ground, making me pitch forward, my things and myself slamming to the grass.
“Ugh!” I yelled, pushing myself to my knees on the wet earth. Thankfully, I’d chosen to wear a black pantsuit, making the grass and dew stains not as evident.
A shadow stepped over me, blocking the bright sunlight. “You all right?” a deep voice asked.
I squinted up to see a tall, dark-haired man. He wore a well-tailored charcoal suit and a concerned expression.
“Oh, fine,” I grumbled, taking his offered hand and stumbling to my feet. I stepped out of the grass, kicking a clump of dirt off the toe of my shoe, and onto solid ground. “I always start my mornings with a nosedive in the grass.” I brushed the remaining green blades from my blazer.
He smiled kindly. He looked to be several years older than me—early thirties would be my guess. “An exciting start to the day, I’m sure.” His head inclined toward the office building. “Heading that way?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Though part of me thinks I should give up while I’m ahead. It’s my first day. I’m already late and very wet.”
He raised an eyebrow, making my cheeks burn.
I clarified, “From the dew. In the grass. My clothes are wet.”
“Ah.” He took a step forward, and I begrudgingly followed him. When we got to the door, the man held it open for me. I went to check in with the person at the front desk, and by the time I had my temporary badge, he was gone.
I strode into the office area, searching for my new boss, Mr. Blanc. I found him in his office with the door closed. From what I could see through the windows of his office, he was not on the phone, so I knocked. He took a long moment before he got up to open the door.
Instead of a greeting, he said, “You’re late.”
“I’m so sorry,” I sputtered. I started to explain the accident and everything else, but someone cut me off before I had a chance.
“My fault,” the man from before said, coming out of nowhere behind me. “I caught her at reception and talked her ear off. She was here early.”
Blanc nodded dismissively. “All right. Since you’re here, could you show our new paralegal to her desk?”
“Sure thing.” The man led me to a flat-topped utility cart. No chair. He grimaced when he gestured at it. “It’s not a real desk. Sorry.”
“It’s something, I guess.” I tried to sound positive. I set my bag down on the cart then stuck out my hand to introduce myself. “Lacy, by the way.”
He took my hand in his, grip solid and palm warm.
“Uh, Hudson. Nice to meet you, Lacy.” He threw a thumb over his shoulder.
“I should get to work. Lots of legal things to take care of.” He turned around before immediately pivoting back.
“Feel free to stop by my desk if you have any office-related questions. Like, how to use the coffee maker, how to refill the paper tray in the printers, how to earn more bathroom allowances.”
My eyes widened at the last one.
“That was a joke.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Right,” I said with a smile. I was still flustered. “Thanks.”
“I’ll, uh, see you later, then.”
I took the opportunity to freshen up in the bathroom and did not cry, even though I wanted to. When I came back to my cart, a hot coffee in a company logo mug rested on it. A warm feeling spread over me at the gesture. On the mug was a sticky note that read:
Welcome to the office. Don’t know how you take your coffee, so I made it my way. Coffee with one cream.