Chapter 5

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Rose

AS EXPECTED, I WASN’T exactly welcomed with open arms by my new coworkers. They viewed me as the enemy—the new girl coming in from nowhere and filling a position that was meant for one of them. Their feelings were more than likely fueled by the younger Mr. Andrews, no doubt. I saw the way all the women would check me out from head to toe each morning and then turn to each other and whisper once I passed by. They were obviously jealous of my keen fashion sense and my extensive wardrobe. I, in turn, took my aunt’s advice of killing them with kindness by returning their sneers with a smile. I was clueless when it came to things that came second nature to the rest of the staff, like the copier, the fax machine, and even the high-tech coffee maker. Of course, no one was willing to help me out. Instead, they seemed to relish in my daily struggles with these god-awful machines.

“Guess that expensive college education didn’t include how to use a copier either.”

I looked up at the loathsome nephew as I sat on the floor with the copier open, trying to clear the jam I’d created. Instead of answering him back, I ignored him and continued with my mission.

“Move out of the way. I’ll fix it,” he barked.

“No, it’s fine. I got it!” I began to question if I’d performed my daily ritual of putting on deodorant when my armpits dampened with sweat, knowing he was standing over me, willing me to relent to his offer. I pulled the lever and turned the roller, hoping the paper would expel itself, to no avail. “Damn it,” I whispered.

He bent down next to me and I tried not to notice just how good he smelled. He may not have had expensive taste in his choice of clothes, but he certainly did in his choice of cologne. I sucked in the woodsy fragrance emitting from him, hoping he didn’t notice. “Can you give me some room?” He looked my way, catching me mid-sniff.

“Oh yeah, sure.” I wasted no time, standing up and smoothing out my skirt. “I could’ve done—” I stopped myself when he pulled out the jammed piece of paper with ease.

“Umm…just for future reference…not a good idea to put card stock paper in here.” His green eyes glared up at me and then down my body, stopping at my bare legs for a moment before he stood up and handed me the crumpled-up paper. “But you’re so smart…I’m sure you knew that already.” He scoffed and walked away. Just when I thought he was getting a little nicer, he had used his sarcasm to prove otherwise.

“Don’t worry, I jam it all the time,” Kent, one of the guys from the IT department and one of the few people in this place who was actually nice to me, remarked as he snuck up behind me.

“Yeah, these machines are totally foreign to me.” I feigned laughter, still trying to figure out what the deal was with Mr. Obnoxious. Why did he go out of his way to help me clear that jam when he obviously hated my guts?

“Don’t sweat it. People will eventually start warming up to you.”

“Huh?” I finally snapped out of my daydreaming.

“I see how all the girls look at you and how Alex treats you. Give it time, once you prove to them that you’re worthy of the job, they’ll start respecting you a little more. It was just a blow to a lot of people’s egos.”

“Well, I don’t see how.” I knew what the deal was with the ladies. Clearly, they were all jealous of me. I was young, pretty, and one pair of my shoes probably costs more than their entire paycheck. I could handle that. I was used to being envied by other females. It was the younger Mr. Andrews who had me so perplexed. Never had I gotten such a chilly reception from a male before. Okay, maybe after I broke their heart, but never just right off the bat.

“We’ll have to go to lunch sometime.”

“Okay, that sounds good.” I smiled.

His smile back told me his invitation was meant to be more than just a friendly gesture. The last thing I wanted to do was lead him on. He was so not my type. He was cute, but in an average sort of way. He was only a few inches taller than my five-foot-three height, which automatically disqualified him—even if he was a contender…which he was not. I liked my men tall and with a lot more money than a computer guy made, that was for sure. But right now, he was my only ally, so I had to be nice in return, even if he did think it was more than just friendly.

Marisa, one of the secretaries, who definitely wasn’t a fan of mine, pushed between us. “Oh, Kent, there you are! My computer keeps freezing up. Can you come and take a look?”

“Sure, no problem.”

She turned her head in my direction and eyed me up without a word.

“Morning, Marisa! Your hair looks really nice. Did you just get it done?” I smiled, forcing her to speak to me.

“Oh, umm, yeah, I did. Thanks,” she replied, her tone a little softer than it normally was with me. “I’m going on my break, so if I’m not there when you come over you can just hop on and take a look,” she said to Kent, flashing me a small trace of a smile before heading back to her desk.

“Wow! Did she just actually try and smile at me?”

“I believe she did. See that…baby steps.” Kent grinned and was on his way.

Baby steps? It was more like I was walking in place. I sighed heavily, wanting to get back to the confines of my office and out of the fishbowl of piranhas surrounding me.

“Oh, Rose, can you come here for a second?” Mr. Andrews called when I walked past his door.

I turned back around and stepped into his office, my face dropping when I saw his nephew seated on the other side of his desk.

“Have a seat.” Mr. Andrews pointed to the empty chair next to his nephew.

“I was just telling Alex we’re going to be doing some reorganizing internally and moving some people around…maybe even hiring a few more people. But until then, the two of you will be sharing Lucy as an assistant.”

“Oh, okay.” I glanced at Alex, who didn’t appear pleased over the news. “You know, it’s fine. I really don’t need an assistant. I can do it on my own until you get all the restructuring figured out.”

“Don’t be silly, you’ll need the extra help, trust me. Things can get really crazy in here,” Mr. Andrews warned.

“Well, I don’t want to take Lucy away from anyone—”

“It’s fine and considering how you don’t even know how to use a copier, I think you need an assistant more than anyone,” Alex interrupted.

My jaw dropped. “Why do you always have to hurl insults at me?”

He narrowed his eyes at me as his mouth started to move then stopped before the words came out. “Can I go now? I’ve got work to do.” He redirected his focus to his uncle.

Mr. Andrews nodded, waiting until he was out of the office before he spoke again. “Rose, I’m really sorry.”

“Please, it’s not your fault. You’ve been nothing but kind to me, and I plan on paying back your kindness by proving to you I’m a good worker and not just some stupid girl you got stuck hiring because you know her dad.”

“And I have all the faith in the world that you’ll succeed.”

Thankfully he didn’t share the same low opinion of me as his nephew, and in return I was determined to keep that promise to him.