Resigned to having lunch without my bestie, I push my chair away from my desk and make my way down to a sandwich shop I saw on the first floor.
I’m walking to the cashier to place my order when I hear a familiar voice. “Hey, Kat, fancy seeing you here.”
I give him a polite smile. “Hey, Conner. I saw this place as I was coming in this morning. Have any recommendations?”
Conner is tall, a little shorter than Sam, and a little older. He’s handsome with dark brown hair and dark green eyes that seem to sparkle with mischief. I laugh internally that here I am comparing another man to Sam again. I fiddle with the strap of my bag as I wait for his response.
“Yes, I highly recommend the turkey avocado club. I swear it’s the best one in Charleston.” He smiles back at me.
“That sounds great. Thanks!”
“Do you want to sit with me? For lunch?” He looks at my feet briefly and then back up to my face. Not in a raking up my body way, more in a way that suggests he's nervous.
“That would be nice. I hate eating by myself.”
“Me too. I figured you would be having lunch with your dad today. First day at the firm and all.”
“He had to take a client out to lunch.” I shrug.
“Well, lucky me!” Conner smiles at me. His smile is nice. Charming. It does nothing for me.
I order, and once my sandwich is ready, I head to the table Conner chose. I sit down in the seat opposite him, open the paper wrapped around my sandwich, and take my first bite. “Oh my God. This is delicious!”
“Right? Best one in Charleston.” He smiles at me. His smile is disarming and makes me feel instantly comfortable.
“So, how long have you worked at the firm?” I take another bite and hold back a moan; it's so good.
Conner rubs the back of his neck. “I guess about eight years now. I graduated from college and was hired by the firm to set up the network, and they liked me enough that they kept me on part time.” I feel a little awkward knowing he worked with Ethan, too.
I frown into my sandwich at the thought, trying to school my features so he doesn’t notice.
“I’m sorry about Ethan. He was a great guy and even better to work with.” I guess I didn’t school my features soon enough.
“It’s kind of weird for me to work with so many people who knew him and worked with him.” I take another bite to avoid saying more and look out the window. I haven’t asked anyone, but I assume the office I’m in was Ethan’s old office. I want to ask Conner, but it feels weird.
“I can only imagine how hard all of this is for you. You know your dad talks about you all the time. He’s been wanting you to work here since you graduated.” I’m grateful for the change in topic.
“I always got that sense from him, but he never asked me to work for him. I think he knew I wanted to go off on my own.”
“What made you change your mind?” His question sounds genuine and not like the accusation my mind wants to interpret it to be.
“I was homesick,” I sigh. “I haven’t lived in Charleston since I moved away to go to undergrad. I missed it. Then with Ethan… I just didn’t want to miss out on more experiences with my family.” I’m not even sure why I’m telling him all of this. I hardly know him. “I didn’t plan to work here. I was going to move back into my parents’ house while I found a different firm to work for. My dad suggested I work for him, and it just kind of felt right, I guess.”
“Well, I’m glad you did.” I look up at him to see his bright smile.
We finish our food and make our way back upstairs to continue our workday.
When I get back to my office, Pam, my new paralegal, is waiting for me. “Hey, Kat, do you have a few moments? I’d like to chat with you.”
I gesture for her to walk into my office as I say, “Yes, of course!”
Pam looks around briefly and sits down in one of the black leather chairs in front of my desk. I make my way around it and sit in my office chair.
“What’s up?” Pam is about my height, with short brown hair and eyes so dark, they’re almost black. She’s older than me, but no more than five years.
She sits up straight in the chair, and the action makes me wonder if it’s a nervous reaction or if she just has good posture. I fight the desire to correct mine to match hers.
“I wanted to chat with you about how I can best support you. I don’t know if you knew this, but I worked with Ethan a lot. I was his paralegal.” She looks down at her hands, and the action makes me think she’s trying to compose herself.
