Love Left Behind (5 page)

Sean's framed picture
that used to rest on my desk back at my old job in D.C. was no longer
appropriate, but I still had it with me. I brought it from Maryland and buried
it in one of my dresser drawers when I unpacked last night. Even though I was
ready for my new life, I wanted to keep a part of my old life with me. For all
the complaints I had about Sean and his dullness, he was part of my history and
there had been some good times.

Having nothing else to
do, I turned on my computer and watched it boot up.

"Hi," I heard
a voice chirp. I turned around and saw a woman pop her head out from the
cubicle next to me. "I'm Celeste."

Celeste looked like she
was in her late fifties with greying hair, but her brown eyes still looked bright
and youthful.

"Hi,
Celeste," I replied with a smile. "I'm Emma, Janet Lerner's new
assistant. Nice to meet you."

Celeste rolled out of
her cubicle in her chair, scooting closer to mine. "I work for Drew
Stephens, right over there." She indicated the office next to Janet's with
a nod of her head. "Welcome to Mass Comm."

"Thanks." I
appreciated the friendliness, but I wasn't sure I wanted Janet to catch me
already chatting it up with other assistants. I wanted her to think I was
competent and responsible, not an office gossip.

I turned back to my
computer, opening up my email. I saw that Janet had already cc'ed me on several
emails, so I started scrolling through them.

"Sorry," I
said, pausing from reading and looking back at Celeste. "I just want to
read through these emails. But thanks so much for the welcome."

"No problem,"
Celeste said, not seeming to be offended as she slid her chair back into her
cubicle. "We'll have time to chat later."

The emails were pretty
routine, updating the progress of some marketing campaigns for Janet's clients
as well as information from Human Resources.

My phone buzzed and I
looked at it hesitatingly. I assumed it was Janet on the intercom, but I had no
idea which button to push. I tentatively pushed a button next to a blinking
light and I was relieved to hear Janet's voice.

"Emma, why don't
you come into my office so that we can start going over things."

"Sure, I'll be
right there."

I grabbed a pad and pen
I found in the drawer and walked into Janet's office. She was busy typing on
her computer, but she looked up and smiled when she heard me enter. She waved
me into a chair in front of her desk and folded her hands in front of her.

"I know you were
pretty surprised that I hired you sight unseen from our phone call. I go on gut
instinct. That's been a large part of why I've been able to succeed in this
company at a relatively young age. And I had a gut instinct that you're exactly
the right person for this job. You'll be doing a lot of the normal assistant
things, like drafting letters and setting up meetings, but I want to give you
more responsibility than that. I was impressed with your background at your old
agency, and I know that you've been able to handle clients on your own.
Ideally, I would love for you to eventually handle some of my clients
independently. I see this as a stepping stone for you, for bigger things in
this company."

I felt excitement stir
at Janet's words. This was exactly what I had been hoping for. A foot in the
door at a large marketing firm. I couldn't believe how lucky I was that I was
working for someone who was willing to give me a chance.

"I can't tell you
how much I appreciate this opportunity," I said. "I can definitely
handle the extra responsibility and look forward to helping you with your clients."

Janet nodded and
continued. "I'm happy to hear that. I also want to warn you that while I'm
a fair boss, I expect a lot as well. I want you to consider this a career. This
job has to be a priority for you. That's not to say I'm unreasonable. I realize
that real life can intrude on the job and sometimes it's a juggling act. I just
hope you know how to juggle well."

I nodded eagerly.
"I definitely consider this job as the start of my career at Mass
Communications. And I assure you that I have my priorities in order."

Janet seemed satisfied
with my answer and she spent the next hour filling me in on her different
clients and the various marketing strategies she was working on. I scribbled
furiously on my notepad, not wanting to miss a word. While it was stressful to
have Janet expect so much from me, it also felt exhilarating to have my destiny
in my own hands. It was up to me whether or not I was going to succeed, and I
definitely planned on being a success.

The rest of the day was
spent catching up on learning about Janet's clients as well as a lot of filing
and copying. I didn't mind any of these tasks because I knew it would lead to
bigger and better things. Lunch was spent in Janet's office where we ate
sandwiches that we had delivered and poured through reports to see how various
marketing campaigns were performing.

By the time Janet told
me she no longer needed me and that I was free to go home, I was exhausted. My
head was filled with so much new information that I felt like facts and figures
were going to start leaking out from my ears.

I stuck my head in
Janet's office before leaving.

"Are you sure
there's nothing else I can help you with?"

Janet smiled and shook
her head. "I'm fine. Take advantage of these days when you don't have to
work late, because there'll be plenty of nights we'll be burning the midnight
oil."

"Okay, have a
great night then."

I gathered my things
and walked down the hallway, nodding at people who were still at their desks.
Janet had introduced me around the office and everyone had been friendly and
helpful. I decided that my first day at work was a resounding success.

By the time I got home
I was hot from the subway and starving. Claire was lounging on the couch
flipping through TV channels.

"How was it?"
she asked.

"Good," I replied,
sitting heavily on one of the breakfast table chairs. "But tiring. I feel
like I've stuffed one week's worth of work into one day. But I really like
everyone at work, especially my boss. How was your day?"

Claire flicked off the
television, shrugging. "Boring. I rarely have rehearsals anymore since the
show's started running, and my agent has no leads on anything."

Claire was fortunate
that she didn't have to work a day job like so many struggling actors in New
York. She came from an affluent family who supported her acting career so she
could dedicate herself to finding acting jobs.

"Well, I'm
starving. Have you eaten?" I hadn't finished my sandwich during lunch
since I had been so preoccupied with taking notes and my stomach was now
grumbling in protest.

Claire's face
brightened. "No, and I'm famished. There's a great Thai place that
delivers."

"Sounds good to
me. Just let me change."

I left Claire rifling
through restaurant menus that she had pulled out from a kitchen drawer and went
to my bedroom, groaning in relief as I took off my high heels. Changing into
shorts and a t-shirt, I grabbed my phone from my purse and sat on the bed. The
day had been such a whirlwind that I hadn't had a chance to check my phone for
messages.

I saw that I had a
voicemail from my mother but that's not what made my heart leap. I saw that I
had a text message from Jackson and I eagerly opened it.

My evening shifts this week are Mon thru Wed 4-9pm. So when are you
coming?

I felt a quiver of
anticipation, but I knew I couldn't commit to anything at this point. With my
new job, I didn't know if I would be working late.

Sorry, not sure if I can make it with my new job. Maybe this weekend if
you're working?

After hitting send, I
listened to my mother's message.

Emma, honey. I was calling to see how your first day was. Was the
subway okay? Did you get lost? Did any strangers try to talk to you? Call me
back as soon as you can!

I groaned after hearing
my mother's voicemail and hit the button to call her back. I had the feeling that
I was going to have to constantly reassure her until she got used to me living
in New York. She couldn't seem to shake the notion that New York was a scary
place where her daughter was in danger of being accosted at every corner.

"Hi, Mom," I
said when my mother answered after the first ring. "Your darling daughter
is still alive."

"Emma! I'm so
happy to hear your voice! I was so worried. I thought you would call earlier. I
left you that voicemail in the afternoon and it's already six o'clock."

"Mom," I said
with exasperation. "It was my first day at work. I couldn't tell my boss
that I had to be excused because I had to go call my mother. It kind of hurts
my credibility as a professional."

"I'm sure she
would have understood. Isn't she a mother?"

I rolled my eyes. My
mother seemed to think that every woman in her thirties should be married with
children. "She doesn't have any children. And before you ask, no, she's
not married."

Janet had alluded to
being married to her job earlier today and I hadn't seen any pictures of
children in her office.

"Oh no!" my
mother said, sounding horrified. "That means she'll work you to death if
she doesn't have anything else in her life except her job. Is she a workaholic?
She must be a workaholic. Emma, don't become a workaholic!"

I couldn't help
laughing at my mother's frantic tone. I knew she meant well. My mother just
wanted me to be happy and she was worried that I was running away from my
problems by moving to New York. She didn't seem to understand that I wasn't running
from
something, I was running
to
something.

"Mom, I promise I
won't become a workaholic. My first day was actually really great. I really
like my boss and she seems to be willing to give me a chance to prove
myself."

"I guess that's
good," she replied, not sounding convinced. Her voice brightened as she
changed the subject. "How's Claire? She sounds like a sweet girl from what
her mother's told me. Do you like the apartment?"

"Claire's really
nice. I think she's kind of taken me under her wing, even though she's younger
than me. Since she's already lived in New York for a while, she's showing me
the ropes. And I love the apartment. It's exactly what I imagined it would
be." I glanced at the alarm clock on my bedside table. "Mom, I should
go now. Claire's waiting for me because we're going to order some food for
dinner. I promise to call you later this week with an update."

"Okay," my
mother said, sounding reluctant to let me go. "But call me earlier if
anything happens."

"I promise I
will."

After hanging up with
my mother, I got up to join Claire in the living room when I heard my phone
beep, signaling that I had a text message. I excitedly opened Jackson's text
message.

Come to the gym Wed after work. I'll wait for you. Don't think you can
weasel your way out of this! My reputation as a trainer is at stake.

I grinned as I quickly
texted back.

Okay, Wed but I can't guarantee what time I'll be there. Are you always
this pushy with your prospective clients?

Jackson immediately
texted back.

Only when I see potential. And I see vast potential in you.

I giggled to myself
like a buffoon, feeling giddy by Jackson's text.

My vast potential and I will see you Wednesday.

I threw my phone on my
bed after the sending the last text. It would be too tempting to take my phone
with me and obsess about whether Jackson was going to text back.

Claire jumped up from
the couch when I entered the living room, shoving a paper menu at me.

"I'm getting the
Pad Thai. What do you want?"

I looked over the menu,
my stomach grumbling in anticipation. "I definitely want the Pad Khee Mao
with beef. I'll call."

I picked up the
apartment phone and called the restaurant, placing the order. Claire stretched
back onto the couch.

"They said it
would take thirty minutes," I said as I hung up the phone. "I need to
stop thinking about food for thirty minutes or I'm going to keel over in
hunger."

Claire laughed.
"Why don't you distract yourself by telling me about work today?"

I joined her on the
couch. "My boss seems to have a lot of confidence in me. She said that
she's going to give me additional responsibilities besides just being an
assistant. More like the work I used to do back in D.C. but on a much larger
scale since Mass Communications is such a bigger company. I'm excited but
nervous at the same time. I just hope I do well and don't mess anything
up."

"I'm sure you'll
be awesome," Claire replied "Before you know it, you'll be running
the company."

I smiled wryly.
"Sure. And then I'll change the name of the company to Mills
Communications. We'll air tons of commercials and you'll be our
spokesmodel."

"Hey, I like that
idea," Claire replied, waggling her eyebrows. "And then maybe you can
bankroll a movie for me so I can be the star."

"We can
dream," I said ruefully. I paused before continuing. "I'm stopping by
Peak Fitness on Wednesday after work. Jackson seems gung-ho about taking me on
as a new client."

Claire smirked.
"Trust me, Jackson doesn't have any shortage of clients to train. I can
tell that he's interested in you."

I couldn't hide my excitement
at Claire's words. "Really? I mean, I can't lie. It's hard to look at
Jackson and not have only one thing on my mind. And that one thing involves
getting naked and sweaty."

Claire burst out
laughing. "I'm beyond that point with him since I just see him as a
friend, but I know what you mean." She then sobered, looking serious.
"I meant it yesterday when I said Jackson was a great catch. Just...be
careful. I love Jackson, but he can be a bit of a player. He doesn't mean to
be, but it's hard when you have so many women chasing after you. Have fun but
don't read too much into what he does. Women have a tendency to be swept off
their feet by him, but then end up disappointed when he doesn't want anything
more than a good time. I just don't want you to get hurt."