Chapter 4
Ellie
Monday I go to work, excited for my new opportunity.
It is a little hard to wrap my head around how excited I feel today, after so long of not feeling that way.
When I get to the building, I stand outside admiring it for a moment before walking in.
The Chicago offices were nice, but the building was nowhere near the size of this one, which has to be at least fifty stories tall.
I finally walk in, and I see a sign that shows there are multiple businesses in this same building.
It is fifty-five floors tall, and United Bell Bank takes up floors forty through fifty-five.
I take the elevator up to the fortieth floor, then I approach the front desk and introduce myself to the receptionist with short brown hair and friendly green eyes.
She introduces herself as Sarah and says she was expecting me.
She hands me a badge and has a few things for me to sign.
Then she tells me to follow her for a tour.
Sarah seems super friendly and maybe a little shy but is easy to converse with while we walk from area to area.
We walk into a room. “This will be your office,” Sarah says. My eyes go wide with shock. This office is three times the size of my office in Chicago and has the most amazing view of the New York City skyline. My office in Chicago was basically a closet, small and cramped with no windows.
“This is incredible!” I say in awe as I walk in. I am mesmerized by the space.
I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here for when Sarah says, “Whenever you are ready, I can show you around the office more,” with a polite smile. I am sure she has more important things to do than stand here watching me stare out a window.
“I’m sorry, we can go now.” I take one last glance at the windows as we walk out. I don’t know how I’m ever going to get anything done with this view.
She shows me the break room, offices of those I may need to know, and the restrooms. Finally, we stop in front of the door of another office.
“This is the chief financial officer’s office.
Your boss, Mr. Simmons, can be particular, but he is a good boss.
He told me to bring you by once I was through with your tour so he can get you set up. ” She knocks on the door.
“Come in,” he says from the other side. As Sarah and I enter the room talking, I get this weird, tingly feeling. As our conversation ends, we turn toward my new boss. That’s when a gasp leaves my mouth and I freeze. Well fuck, I wasn’t expecting him.
Cole
Monday morning, I am at my desk going through emails and waiting on Sarah to bring our new accounting officer by.
I instructed Sarah to give her a tour and then bring her to me when they are finished.
I hear a knock at the door finally. “Come in,” I say, but I was not prepared for who just came through my door.
Holy shit, it’s her. She walks in talking to Sarah and hasn’t noticed me yet. When she finally looks up, she gasps, staring at me, wide-eyed. Our eye contact has the same intensity it had the other night at the bar.
“Mr. Simmons, this is Ellie Lewis, our new accounting officer,” Sarah says, glancing back and forth, seemingly aware of the tension between us.
“Hello, Ellie,” I say as I walk toward her, happy that I now have a name to put with her face.
“He-Hello, Mr. Simmons,” she says shyly and reaches out to shake my hand.
Her beautiful brown eyes are still as wide as they can be.
I reach out to shake her hand as well, and it feels like electricity coursing through our hands.
We both flinch from the feeling and quickly step away from each other.
“Please, call me Cole,” I say with more emphasis on my name.
“Well, I am going to get back to my desk, let me know if either of you need anything,” Sarah says with an awkward wave and glancing back and forth at us.
She is probably wondering why I’m allowing Ellie to call me Cole, when I don’t have anyone else here call me anything other than Mr. Simmons.
I like to keep it professional around the office, as I don’t feel the need for the employees to know everything in my personal life.
“Thank you for the tour,” Ellie says to Sarah with a smile as she leaves the office.
“Please sit, Ellie,” I say as I go around my desk to sit back down.
I still cannot believe the woman I have thought about nonstop all weekend is right in front of me.
I never thought I would see her again, and now she is one of my employees.
Just when I thought things sucked—it just proves it can always get worse.
How am I going to get past this woman I thought I’d never see again, when she will be right down the hall every day, as an employee? Better yet, why am I so stuck on her?