“Melanie, Melanie Larson,” she gushed, holding her hand out to shake. Sebastian frowned at her hand, and her cheeks turned pink. “Oh, right. Sorry. May I shake your hand?” she asked, and he nodded, sliding his hand into hers.
“I’m such a huge fan of your work. The‘Redesign your Mind’campaign was pure genius!”
I forced myself not to roll my eyes.
The campaignwasgenius. Just the way she said it came off so disingenuous. Sebastian clearly didn’t feel the same way, though. He preened under Melanie’s praise.
“Well, it’s nice to meet an MTR that has such a deep appreciation for communications.”
“Oh yes. I think every arm of Neurovance is integral to the overall success of the brand.”
Ugh.
That was almost a direct quote from the employee manual. She was really laying it on thick.
Sebastian’s blue eyes sparkled, and he took a sip of his wine as he considered Melanie with interest.
“Well, if you would ever like a tour of NeuroComms, let me know. I would be happy to give you one.”
“I wouldlovethat!” she squealed, shooting me a triumphant look like she’d just beaten me out for something I hadn’t even been interested in.
“You two should go after lunch,” Jay drawled, giving me a conspiratorial wink. “I’ll let the floor manager know that I approved your absence, Ms. Larson.”
She hesitated, clearly feeling torn between being dismissed from the rest of her workday at NeuroWell, but also wanting to suck up to Sebastian.
“Only if you think the team won’t need me,” she said, and Jay’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
“I’m sure we’ll manage just fine,” Jay replied coolly, and she frowned.
Sebastian chuckled. “Sounds good. Let me just finish my wine, and I’ll show you around.”
Melanie brightened. “Great! I’ll just get my things.”
She hurried away, and Sebastian raised an eyebrow at Jay.
“It’s not like you to encourage poaching,” Sebastian teased, amusement lacing his tone.
“You can have that one if you want her. She’s trouble.”
“Good thing I like trouble,” Seb said smoothly, and Jay huffed a laugh.
“Ain’t that the truth…”
NOVA play: TV Dream by Larkins
I’d been hoping we would get back to work on the prototype after lunch, but Jay took me to Pathways and Growth to sign a bunch of NDAs instead.
Because of how classified the NeuroManipulation project was, there was quite a bit of paperwork that needed to be done before I could be cleared to continue with the work.
The day was over by the time we finished, and it was getting late when Jay and I started our walk back to NLQ.
“So, how was your first day, Milo?” he asked me amicably as we ambled onto Amygdala Ave.
A warm evening breeze rustled through the trees, and the sky was turning a light lilac as the sun began to make its descent.
I smiled at him, feeling excited and happy about how everything had gone. I hadn’t made a fool of myself once, and I’d gotten to work on the coolest project imaginable.
“Pretty freaking awesome,” I replied honestly, and Jaychuckled softly.
