Ford: Meeting tomorrow about the new marketing hire. Be ready at 10 am.
Got it,I reply, then slide the phone aside and stare out at the yard through the glass doors. The moonlight glints off the gleaming cedar boards I’ve spent weeks perfecting.
And just like that, she’s there again — the girl from the brewery. Her voice, her laugh, the way she’d looked at me like I was exactly the kind of man she tries to avoid.
I don’t even know her name.
And for some reason, that bothers me more than it should.
SIX
Madeline
I’ve been sitting in the Cove lobby for exactly nine minutes and forty-two seconds. Long enough to memorize the pattern of the tiles beneath my heels, long enough for my palms to start sticking to the leather bag in my lap, and definitely long enough for my body to start begging me for another cup of coffee.
It’s my first day at my new job. It’ll be the first time officially meeting my new boss—unless you count the time I shot him down when he tried to flirt with me at the brewery last weekend. Oh, and the morning after that, when I spied on him looking like the most devoted dad on the planet.
I take a deep breath and will myself to loosen the death grip I have on my purse. I need to focus on today.
Normally, this kind of thing wouldn’t shake me. I’m confident in my work, good at what I do, and perfectly capable of keeping my head on straight no matter who’s sitting across from me. But the fact that I called my new boss out for being a womanizer and then walked out on him has my nerves doing somersaults.
But it’s fine. It has to be. I can handle him, charm and all. I can be professional.
“Hi, Madeline, you can come with me.” I stand, to find a woman waiting in front of me with a tablet clutched to her chest. “I’m Alyssa, I’m part of the HR team,” she says as I nod and smile. “You’ll start your day in my office for a Cove orientation, then I’ll take you on a tour of the office before a brief meeting with our directors. Sound good?”
“Sounds wonderful,” I say, slinging my purse over my shoulder and following her through the entrance.
As we walk, I take everything in. There’s something effortless about it all. Everyone moves with a kind of calm focus, the hum of conversation a backdrop to the bustle of the office.
The main floor of Cove is bright and airy, sunlight spilling through wide windows that overlook the city center. A massive worktable sits off reception, cluttered with design sketches, fabric swatches, and half-empty mugs of coffee.
I notice that the employees gathered around the table are all wearing something from Cove’s line—performance joggers, soft crewnecks, zip-ups in muted neutrals. I glance beside me and realize that Alyssa is also in Cove gear, a black fleece turtleneck tucked into a pair of forest green straight leg pants, both subtly bearing the company logo. I self-consciously smooth a hand down my cream blazer, hearing the click of my high heels against the polished concrete floors.
I follow Alyssa up the stairs and down a hallway that overlooks the main floor. We pass a sleek glass door marked “Ford Winters, CEO,” then another a few steps away marked “Jesse Winters, VP of Marketing.” The sight of his name in clean, silver lettering makes my stomach twist, but I don’t have time to dwell on that as we keep going. When we get to the end of the hallway, Alyssa stops at her office and waves me inside.
“Have a seat.” She motions to the chair across from her desk. “So, you’ll be working under Jesse Winters who leads themarketing division. He’s brilliant and very driven,” she continues. “He moves fast and expects a lot from his team, but he’s fair. He’s built some of our biggest campaigns from the ground up. Cove pretty much runs on his creativity.”
I nod again, keeping my expression polite even as the twist in my stomach tightens.
“You have a great team,” Alyssa smiles. “They are collaborative and close-knit. They’re gearing up for a spring campaign, so you’re coming in at an exciting time.”
“Sounds perfect,” I say. “I like being thrown right in.”
“Good,” she says, clearly pleased. “They work closely together—lots of long days when a launch is coming, but it’s a team that thrives under pressure. Jesse sets a fast pace, but he’s hands-on. You’ll see what I mean soon enough.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I reply. And I mean it. Marketing campaigns are where I come alive. The challenge, the ideas, the energy.
Still, the thought of “long days working closely together” sticks in the back of my mind, sparking a flicker of something I don’t care to name. I push it down before it can take shape.
I spend the next hour completing onboarding tasks before Alyssa provides an introduction to Cove’s culture and key company policies. After I’ve signed off on the paperwork, she hands me my ID badge. “Welcome to Cove, Madeline,” she says with a grin. “Let’s do a quick tour of the office and then I’ll introduce you to Ford, Jesse, and Noah.”
“Great,” I say, rising to stand. I square my shoulders, the familiar flicker of adrenaline sparking to life in my belly. It’s game time.
Alyssa leads me around the office, taking occasional quick breaks to respond to a text or email. She points out the lunchroom, where I’m happy to spot an espresso machine on the counter, and the space where the creative team does their brainstorming sessions. Every room seems to be alive with energy and ideas and the kind of confidence that makes you want to prove yourself. It excites me, but I also can’t help but notice the way I’m scanning the faces of Cove’s employees as we pass. Every time a tall, broad-shouldered man turns a corner, my pulse kicks a little harder. It’s ridiculous, I know.
“Ready to meet the boss?” Alyssa asks as we reach Ford Winters’ office.
She knocks once before pushing open the door. Ford looks up from behind his desk, his expression welcoming but exuding a quiet authority. He stands and rounds the desk, extending his hand.
