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Because there was no way Claire Bennett was starting her day without a latte.

That was not happening.

Thirty minutes later, she was waiting in line at the closest coffee shop to her apartment that she could find. She stepped up to the counter to order. “Good morning,” the barista greeted her. “What can I get for you today?”

“Hi! Can I get a large, iced vanilla latte with oat milk?”

“Of course! Name for the order?”

“Claire.”

“Perfect, it’ll just be a few minutes.”

Claire looked around while she was waiting on her coffee. Everybody in New York looked put together. Like they knew where they were going. She could only pretend to have that level of confidence.

One day she would be one of them. The locals. The one who noticed the new girl trying too hard. She hoped she didn’t come across like she was trying too hard.

“Claire,” the barista called.

She shook her head, clearing her mind, and grabbed her coffee.

A few minutes later, Claire was walking down the streets of Manhattan, iced latte in hand.

“What was I thinking?” she muttered to herself, questioning her decision to wear heels instead of flats.

This was not as glamorous as it seemed in the movies.

Not to mention Manhattan in spring was apparently determined to be both sunny and cold at the same time. Claire had already regretted her jacket twice.

She took a deep breath, adjusted her blazer, and stepped through the glass double doors of Manhattan Advertising Agency. Her eye was immediately drawn to the tall walls, covered floor to ceiling in campaigns she knew probably took months to create but yet looked so perfect and effortless.

Soon, campaigns she led would cover those walls too.

She came to a stop, taking everything in. “People made these. I’m going to make these,” she breathed.

She willed herself not to lose her composure. She was entering the world she had dreamed of for years. She couldn’t believe she had been contacted for the job. She was going to prove she belonged.

The next thing she noticed was that although the office looked sleek and modern, it was lively. Writers drinking coffee at their desk, two designers having a passionate discussion about fonts, people running around with laptops, mood boards full of ideas.

She reminisced back to when she was one of them. The one coming up with ideas. Writing or designing. Now, she would be the one executing the ideas. The one making it happen. The one running the campaign.

She was glad to be here. She had worked hard for it.

“Good morning,” she greeted the receptionist. “I’m Claire Bennett. I’m the new Senior Account Executive. It’s my first day. Do you know where I should be going?”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Jenna. I’ll show you to your cubicle.”

As soon as Claire had gotten situated at her desk, she was immediately thrown into chaos. She was ready. She didn’t get this job by being a person who panics under pressure. She spent years working toward this. Long nights. Difficult clients. Countless meetings. Presentations that could cost her career if they didn’t go well. Or cost a company thousands of dollars.

She had earned her place. She deserved to be here. She knew that. She just hoped everyone else would know it too.

She knew how to handle chaos. She just preferred when it waited until she finished her coffee. Not right when she sat down.

She was in her seat at 8:53 a.m. By 9:07, her boss was knocking on her door, anxious to officially meet her in person. Mrs. Victoria Sinclair made sure Claire knew exactly how thrilled she was to have her on board, repeating it at least a dozen times during their meeting. “Claire Bennett,” she gushed, “it is so good to have you on board with us. I trust you’ll do very well. You’re a very talented woman.”

Mrs. Sinclair was only the most well-known, respected, and slightly feared woman in all of the advertising and marketing world. Claire had seen her name on campaigns long before she ever dreamed of working for her. She was the kind of woman who could walk into a room and make people sit up straighter.

Claire had expected her to be intimidating. Cold. She was not expecting to be met with warmth and kindness.