Chapter Ten
2010 - First Day
Chase
I paced my office while I waited for Erica to arrive at the office. I just wanted to see her, even though I wasn’t going to be working with her.
It was more than I wanted to see her, though. I wanted her to see me. I needed to know if she remembered. That way I knew what to do.
I had stayed up way too late last night trying to plot out what I could do to get her, but each direction came down to if she even remembered who I was. If she didn’t, who knew how long the process would take, us trying to become friends again. And how the hell was I supposed to pretend tojustbecome friends with her when my soul had known her almost my whole life.
I groaned to myself as I watched the clock on my wall strike eight and the door to the building opened.
She stepped in with her hair pinned back behind her ears, her black-rimmed glasses sliding down her nose, hands full with a bag and two books. I rushed over to her to help her as she almost dropped what was in her hands.
“Let me help.” I stood in front of Erica, with my arms out, waiting to meet her eyes, and when I did, it was like the very first time I met her when I was seven. She took my breath away. I let me gaze linger down her body over the tight black dress and small heels she was wearing. Simple, but still drop dead sexy.
“It’s no problem.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she readjusted the belongings in her hand and sidestepped me. I stood there staring at the front doors with Delilah snickering behind me. I whipped my head around to her, shot her a glare, and then followed behind Erica until she got to my office.
She stopped and turned around, watching me, but I said nothing as I smiled and entered my office. I was trying to play it cool until she was settled in, not wanting to scare her away too quickly, but with her just standing there, it had me wanting to jump at her and stuff her in my office for the keeping. When I sat down at my desk, I looked up and she was still standing there, staring down at her feet. She looked up at me, our eyes catching again, and let out a little squeak that I had never heard before. I didn’t move my gaze from her until she shuffled on her feet and ushered over to Max’s door, finally leaving my line of vision.
I pulled up the current client I was working on and read through the first chapter, smiling down at my computer while chancing glances up from my office each time I watched Max or Greg walk by. Erica hadn’t left Max’s office, but when she did it was lunch time and Max called for everyone from the office to come into the break room. This was typical for us when we had a new colleague start with us, a little get to know you lunch.
I took a seat off to the side and Erica pulled out the chair right next to me.
“Hi,” she whispered to me.
“Hi.” I smiled at her and turned in my chair, away from Max, who was standing at the front of the room. I could feel his stare baring down my back, but I refused to let it affect me. Erica was sitting right in front of me, and she had all my attention. He was talking to an editor who was almost done with a client, but I tuned them out.
“I’m Erica.” She held out her hand to me and I took it in mine, just like I had freshman year of high school.
Those fucking words, though. I tried not to let my emotions get the best of me, but it was hard. I looked into her eyes, trying to get a read if she just wanted to say her name to give me a jump start on the conversation, or if she actually didn’t know me. They gave away nothing. Not even the smile on her face said what I needed to know.
All I wanted to do was shake her and ask her if she remembered me. I wanted to scream at her that I was Chase. Chase from summer camp. Chase from high school. But I had to hold back, especially with a room full of coworkers.
Instead, I introduced myself to her, like it was the first time all over again.
And in that second, I knew what plan I was going to have to implement.
I needed to build her trust. Build a friendship. And then get her to fall in love with me. That way when I told her everything, we would be in too deep for her to leave.
“I’m Chase.” I gave her hand a shake and the smile on her face grew wider.
“And this is Erica, our Financing Lead.” Max’s voice filled the small conference room and I turned my head to see him holding out his arm, pointing to Erica, whose hand was still in mine. I reluctantly let it go, joining in the applause that erupted through the whole room. My hand might not have had hers anymore, but my eyes snapped back, holding her gaze, never letting my eyes leave hers even when Max continued. She let her gaze scan across the room, a small hand lifting for a wave, but then she snapped her focus back to me. The smile she graced me with melted my heart and even in a room full of people, we were the only two in it.
“Chase.” Max took the seat on the other side of me as Delilah had the pizza delivery guys bring in the ten boxes of pizza for the whole office. We were a bunch of guys, of course we would eat every last bite. “Why don’t you leave the poor girl alone?”
“Oh, I don’t mind.” Erica’s voice overpowered Max’s in just a few short words.
I looked over at him with a smirk and then turned back around.
“What brings you to The Ink Well, Erica?” I asked. I was curious as to why someone as smart as her would want a job at a publishing company.
“Truthfully, I needed a job, and this was the first place that didn’t mind I had little to no experience.” She shrugged and reached for a plate and piled on three slices of pizza. I followed suit, grabbing four slices, not letting her out eat me at a company I partially owned.
Max held the most shares to the company, but Greg, Jack, and I all held onto small bits, so that we all had a say in what happened. But The Ink Well was Max’s baby and we supported him in whatever adventure he wanted to take us all on.
“Well, I’m glad you chose us.”
