Her eyes lit up. “Can you really do that?”
I smiled. “I have her mom’s number, so, yes, I can ask. Now, come on. I’m excited for you to meet your new teachers,” I said, holding on to her hand and leading her along.
Half an hour later, I dropped Evie off at the preschool on the ground floor, and blowing kisses at her, I left her with the smiling teacher before I hurried to the elevators. I had ten minutes to get to my orientation, and if I did everything right, I’d be a sought-after software engineer soon.
I’d have a reliable paycheck, and Evie wouldn’t have to deal with any more instability in her life. She could go to the schools she wanted and the after-school classes her friends went to, and I’d make sure she was happy if it was the only thing I could achieve in my lifetime.
5
LEXI
The orientation room was all glass and steel, with sunlight pouring in and reflecting off the marble floor. The air smelled like espresso, and I decided I liked this place already.
My day began with a warm welcome from the HR team, who briefly talked to me and five other new hires about the company’s mission, values, and culture. I filled out paperwork, covering everything from benefits enrollment to IT security agreements.
At the end of the orientation, we were shown to our individual cubicles. None of the other new hires were on my team, so I said my goodbyes and followed my manager, Rafael Suarez, as he led me to my floor.
“I wasn’t actually supposed to show you around,” he said with a cough. “That was Ned’s job. Your assigned mentor, you know. But, uh, given the circumstances … well, he was transferred to another department this morning. And Gary too.”
“Gary’s the senior engineer who’s supposed to train me?” I asked, glancing at the team structure printout in my hand.
Rafael nodded. “Yeah. They’ve been moved to the website team,” he said, sounding a little dejected. “Sudden reassignment. Happens a lot around here lately.”
Before I could ask more questions, he shifted topics, explaining the app’s live-chat feature I’d be assigned to. As we walked, he pointed out cozy, colorful collaboration nooks and introduced me to a few friendly faces.
He pointed out Brian Li and Stacey Andrews, two people on my team, as they walked past with cups of coffee. Brian was tall, with black hair and an easygoing smile, his jeans and T-shirt giving him a laid-back vibe. Stacey was petite, with piercing blue eyes and angular features.
Stacey’s sharp eyes flicked to me, and I saw her do a quick, assessing sweep of my outfit. I felt very conscious of the state of my clothes; even though I’d ironed them and made sure I looked presentable, they were not exactly fashionable.
“You’re on our team?” she asked, her tone perfectly neutral, but something in the way she said it made my stomach dip.
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Looks like it.”
Stacey took a slow sip of her coffee, her expression unreadable.
Rafael ignored her and turned to me. “Brian’s the senior-most person on the team. He’s been here for seven years now, but with how much he jokes, no one would guess it,” Rafael said. “And Stacey has been with us for less than a year?—”
“But she’s already contributed more than I have,” Brian said with a grin, and Rafael laughed.
“True. And see what I mean about this guy and his jokes?” Rafael asked, shaking his head at Brian.
Stacey kept a serious expression. Even though she had seemingly contributed more, Brian was the favorite, it seemed.
I found my cubicle next to Stacey’s.
“Welcome,” Stacey said, turning to me. “I hope you’ll enjoy it here more than the last intern.”
“What happened to the last one?”
With the way she looked askance at my skirt, I could tell she was judging whether I’d fit in. Shit. I was starting to feel intimidated already.
“She transferred to the backend team after two weeks,” Stacey said wryly. “Said app coding wasn’t for her.”
I was surprised. “Two weeks before she switched?” My internship was supposed to last four months, and I couldn’t imagine giving up that quickly.
“We’re quite an intimidating team,” Brian added, placing his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest in an exaggerated attempt to look imposing.
I let out a small laugh, grateful for the break in tension.
