Page 2 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero
LILA
I had been working at Callahan Engineering for exactly a week today and I felt like I was finally getting into the swing of things.
Although the offices that housed the firm were pretty sterile and gray without much personality, the people themselves were kind and friendly, and Virginia Beach, where it was located, was awesome.
As a recent transplant, I was still getting used to finding my way around, but I loved the warm sunshine on my neck as I pedaled my bike to work along the famous, three-mile boardwalk.
The view I had on my commute wasn’t half bad, with white, sandy beaches and the crystalline waters of the Atlantic stretching out one side and the architecture of Oceanfront to admire on the other.
Bright blue skies dotted with puffy white clouds stretched out seemingly endlessly above and the air here was clear and crisp. It was very different from New York City, which was where I’d lived for the last few years.
All things considered, life could most definitely be worse.
I smiled as I slowed to a stop when I reached our building, a bustling, busy space we shared with at least four other companies.
Employees were racing in and out, lifting key cards on lanyards around their necks to gain access to the elevators once they got inside.
I pushed my bicycle into a slot on the bike rack and fished my own key card out of my purse, quickly slipping it over my head.
When that was done, I put my purse in the basket of my bike to rummage through it for my lock.
My fingers finally grazed cool metal and I pulled out my chain, locking up my only mode of transportation in this city before I hurried to the elevator.
The only person I hadn’t met yet at my new job was my boss, Mr. Callahan, but he was supposedly meant to be coming back to the office today and that meant that this was the one day I absolutely could not be late.
Racing past the restaurant and coffee shop in the lobby, I swiped my key card across the reader, a little too pleased when the green light flashed and the soft beep rang out that indicated I could now proceed into the building.
It’s the little things in life, right? Like that small signal that confirms the new job you love is real.
Another smile crept up on my lips and I was so distracted that I bumped into a man already waiting in the elevator. I cringed and immediately refocused, looking up, up, and up a little more before I finally found myself looking at his eyes.
Correction: his beautiful eyes . They were a gorgeous, deep, stormy blue that seemed to hold the entire universe in them. His gaze was intense, but stony—devoid of any expression other than mild annoyance.
With short, dark brown hair and a frame that seemed really darn muscular under his suit, the guy was exceedingly handsome, but clearly pretty grumpy.
My eyes widened and I immediately started stammering out an apology that had now already taken me several awkward seconds to remember I’d been about to make.
“I’m, uh, I’m so sorry I bumped into you. I didn’t see you there.”
The man grunted and glanced down at me before looking back at his phone, clutching a coffee in his other hand.
Finally realizing he wasn’t going to respond, I turned to face the front of the elevator like a normal person, but my heart was thrumming like a hummingbird about to take flight after staring into those eyes, and it made me feel like I had to keep talking.
“How’s your day going? I hope I didn’t hurt you when I bumped into you. I don’t know where my head was at. I just—” My eyelids slammed shut when I realized I’d forgotten my purse in the basket. “Crap. I need to get back outside. I’m so sorry. Again.”
Surging forward, I hit the “open doors” button just as they started closing and they reopened immediately instead of heading up to his floor. On my way out of the elevator, I glanced back at him, tall, dark, and furious as he glared at me.
My cheeks exploded with heat, but I jumped out and rushed back to my bicycle, cursing myself for being so careless. Mercifully, however, my little brown purse was still sitting exactly where I’d left it and I grinned, grabbing it before heading back inside.
By the time I got back to the elevator, it was long gone. Obviously. I hit the call button and waited, but my nerves were mounting as I glanced at my watch, the seconds racing by much too fast without the doors opening again.
If my boss was already up there, I was about to make a really bad first impression and I could not afford for that to happen.
An agonizingly slow elevator ride later, I made it to the fourth floor, flustered beyond belief as I strode into Callahan Engineering, widely known as CE.
I greeted the receptionist on my way in, but mostly kept my head down as I raced to my snug little office.
Normally, I had this little corner of the place to myself.
I’d spent the last week training on scheduling software and getting a feel for the place, but today, I noticed the door to the corner office, Mr. Callahan’s office, was open.
It was the door directly beside my own, but I was his assistant, so that made sense.
He hadn’t left it wide open, as if to invite people in, but it was ajar and that was more open than I’d seen it until now. Nerves and excitement raced through me. I was finally going to get to meet the man himself—I just had to hope he didn’t mind that I was a couple minutes late.
Shoving aside the nerves about that since there was nothing I could do to change it now, I went to drop my things in my office.
Mr. Callahan was one of the big reasons I’d taken this job.
Back in New York, I’d read about him in an architecture magazine while I’d still been pretending that working at an art gallery was my dream and thinking that I would spending the rest of my life with my ex.
Ford Callahan was a brilliant structural engineer who specialized in old homes of the south. He restored them to their former glory, and since those homes happened to be my style, just being here and getting to be a part of bringing them back to life was a dream come true.
Maybe someday, I’d be able to play a bigger role in the renovations than just assisting the man who engineered them, but for now, I was just so happy to be here that I could barely contain myself.
Ever since I’d first seen my office space, I’d known I had to do something to brighten it up a bit and I’d been adding little pops of color to break the sterile grayness of it all.
As I set my things down, I used the sight of my yellow faux flowers and the bedazzled photo frame on my desk to ground myself in the moment.
Today was the day that my work really began, the day on which I would meet the man I was hoping would eventually help me build my career.
I smoothed out my boldly patterned purple and turquoise maxi-dress and adjusted the beads around my neck.
Then I drew in a deep breath and went to introduce myself.
Deciding that it was probably better to knock even though it was open a crack, I lifted my fist and gently rapped it against the wood. A gruff voice on the other side barked a response immediately. “Yep. Come in.”
“Good morning, Mr. Callahan. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’m Lila Winslow, your new assistant,” I burst into my introductions before realizing that the grumpy hot guy from the elevator was now staring at me from across an extremely neat desk with his dark brows raised in question.
I swallowed hard, but it was too late to start over, so I kept going, hoping to win him over with my cheerful charm. “Again, I apologize for what happened in the elevator. I didn’t know that you were, you know, well, you , and I’m sorry.”
He seemed to be a man of few words, just staring at me as I rambled on. “I’m really looking forward to working with you. You’re a genius and I love your work.”
Finally, he made a sound, but it was a weird one considering the circumstances. A dark, low chuckle rumbled out of him and he murmured, “You don’t know who I am at all. Shut the door on your way out.”
“I, uh, sure? I mean, yes. Sure. Absolutely, sir. Let me know if there’s anything you need. Anything at all. I’m at your service.”
My cheeks burst into flames. For the love of... stop propositioning the man and get out of his office.
I ended my awkward rambling with a swift nod, spinning around and racing out—and forgetting to shut his door behind me. Quickly doubling back, I went and pulled it all the way closed. Then I hurried back to my office and slumped down behind my desk.
My God, what a disaster. Okay, and honestly, what a disappointment too. Why was he so mean? Is it because of the elevator or is he just always such a sourpuss?
Confused and feeling a bit beaten down, I wondered for the first time if it’d been a mistake coming to Virginia Beach. I’d done it on a whim, following my heart and a new dream to the art institute here.
Landing a job as the Ford Callahan’s assistant had seemed like the cherry on top, a sign from above that I was doing the right thing—and a way to earn a living in a line of work adjacent to interior design, which was what I was going to school for.
Now, however, I was wondering if I’d gotten him all wrong.
Maybe he wasn’t some sort of visionary genius who had chosen to apply his skills and talent to the homes of yesteryear because he appreciated what was truly beautiful and important in this world.
Perhaps he was just an asshole stuck in the past.
I switched on my computer, knowing I had to get to work irrespective of whether I’d been wrong.
I opened my calendar and saw it was marked with someone’s birthday today.
Learning this information brought a smile to my lips.
I’m going to get to decorate the break room and get a cake during my lunch hour.
Maybe Ford Callahan was an asshole, but I wasn’t, and getting to make someone’s day special was enough to make me feel better.
I could work for a grump. As long as it meant I still got to meet some of the other people he worked with and get to know them to build my own network.
As an investment in my future, I could even deal with the poor pay.
The benefits were great and at least, as an assistant, I would also hopefully to be able to sprinkle a little happiness and color into things around here. Starting today—with a cheerfully decorated break room and a delicious birthday cake.