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I rinse the rest of the cookie down with the last of my coffee, eager to try to head off any further conflict between my teammates. The last thing I want to do on my very first day is to be the cause of a nasty fight in the department.
“So how long have you worked at Dynasty?” I ask, my tongue still chasing down sweet crumbs in my mouth.
Andrea gives Mark a little nudge with her elbow. “Mark and I have been here for about eight months now.”
“Wow. Then you all must’ve had a lot to do with the success of the brand since the company went public. Congratulations.”
Mark’s face, naturally pink, reddens a little more. “Well, I don’t know if we’d go that far about it.”
Andrea leans forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Oh, yes we would! How about you repeat that when Carol comes back out here and get us a raise?”
We all laugh, and I realize that I really like Andrea. She’s a firecracker, and I can see her being a real friend here. Of course, I didn’t exactly come here to make friends, but I’m not going to throw away the opportunity either.
Hannah has draped herself partly over my cubicle wall, her body arched in a pose that wouldn’t look out of place in a fashion magazine. She’s strikingly beautiful, and she knows it.
“I’ve been here a month next week,” she says, apparently unfazed by the little spat over the snickerdoodles. I wonder if that’s how the dynamic between her and Andrea always is. “I think it’s strange that our department is hiring again already. They knew what they got when they hired me. I hope this area isn’t going to get crowded with dead weight just because the powers that be want to grow the company and think throwing more bodies at it is the only way to do it.”
I blink. Really? In the span of five minutes, Hannah has insulted both my eating habits and my purpose—and usefulness—at Dynasty.
A younger version of myself might not have been able to resist the call to arms. I want nothing more than to snap at Hannah and tell her exactly what I think about her opinion—and where she can put it.
But I want this job much more than that. I’ll swallow my pride and be the bigger person.
“You know, this is my dream job,” I say. “I’ve always wanted to work at a company like Dynasty—and to grow with it. I was really thrilled when Gigi told me that I was exactly what the company needs right now. I’m looking to live up to that.”
“Hell, yes!” Andrea pumps her fists in the air and Mark applauds softly, beaming.
“You are exactly what we need,” he agrees. “And did we mention that we’re so excited that you’re here? Because we are.”
“You’ve mentioned it,” I say with a laugh. “Thanks for letting me be part of it.”
That last part I say looking at Hannah. I want her as an ally. Maybe I can be part of smoothing the team dynamics out too.
She gives me a half-smile. “I look forward to seeing what you can do,” she says. “Gigi told me the same thing when she hired me.”
I don’t have time to parse the meaning of that. Carol has returned bearing a dossier, and everyone else kind of scatters away from me.
“Sophie, have you met Declan Wright, our CEO?” Carol asks, holding the dossier out. I take it even though I have no idea what it contains—or where this conversation is headed. Just hearing someone else say his name is enough to throw me into a funk. I hope I’m not blushing noticeably.
“I did meet him, in passing, during my interview,” I say, barely able to keep from stumbling over my words. I crack open the dossier. “What’s this?”
Carol snaps it shut immediately with a flick of her wrist. “His eyes only. Something I told him we would get to him. I’m about to head into another meeting. Will you run it up to his office?”
I’m seriously blushing now. Carol can’t know. She can’t. I’m just reading way too much into her request. And I’m incredibly uncomfortable about seeing Declan, especially on my first day.
And especially after confronting him in the men’s room at the coffee shop to get this job in the first place.
“I’d be happy to,” I say, standing before I can second guess myself. “Where’s his office?”
I can be an adult about this. This is my place of work too. As much as I hoped that I would never have to cross paths with Declan again, I’m going to have to suck it up and do it. And hope for the best—even if I’m not really sure what I consider my best possible outcome to be.
“I can show you,” Andrea pipes up from her desk area.
Carol’s shoulders slump a little in relief. “Thank you, Andrea.”
“Right this way,” Andrea says to me, sweeping her arm out like she’s an usher at a theater.
As soon as we’re out of earshot of Carol—and the rest of the team—Andrea leans in a little. “So, what exactly do you know about Declan Wright?”
