Page 14 of Making Home with You (The Rockport Beach #3)

Sarah

My alarm sounds, chiming quietly in the black room and I roll over and tap the screen to silence it.

The last thing I want to do is wake anyone else up at this hour.

It’s really early, too early for someone who has spent the last six months working at a bar, but in order to make it into Boston on time, the five a.m. wakeup call is necessary.

That time plays over and over again in my head as I shower; new job nervousness of what if I miss my train, what if I have the time wrong, what if I’m late, what if I just fuck it all up in general…

I’m not normally this person, the one who is filled with anxiety, but spending six months living with your parents as an adult knocks you down a few notches.

I go through the motions of getting ready but remember very little of it. My head is a foggy mess when I step into the kitchen and find Erin and Ryan waiting for me.

Both look sleepy, but with smiles on their faces as Erin hands me a travel mug filled with coffee and Ryan a brown bag with my lunch in it.

“Ham and Swiss on seeded rye with no mayo,” he says, beaming like I should congratulate him on the fact that he remembered my favorite sandwich. Regardless, what they’ve done is beyond sweet, but I’m never not going to give Ryan shit.

“I’m shocked you remembered my favorite sandwich. I figured you’d sleep through this milestone like you’ve done with everything else important in my life.”

“Miss one fucking graduation because of a hangover and you never let me live it down,” Ryan responds, feigning annoyance.

“Thanks for getting up so early to see me off. It really does mean a lot to me,” I say, trying not to be awkward, but I can feel my face grow hot.

“Of course,” Erin adds, “You’re like our trial run before we have our kid. Packing lunches, getting up early.” She laughs and I give her a little smile.

I hug both of them and Ryan stops me before I walk away, handing me a business card, and when I glance down at it I let out an annoyed huff.

“Ryan, seriously?”

“You know, just in case,” he says, shrugging his shoulders casually. “It’s my old partner Joe. It’s a good thing to be in with a cop. You never know when you might need him.”

“I am in good with a cop,” I say, pointedly, “And I’m not going to need it. Not everything is the worst case scenario.”

“Whatever,” Ryan says, basically ignoring my comment about Finn.

They both send me off with a good luck as I grab my bag, slipping my heels into it since the snow is still lingering.

The last thing I need is to be hoofing it from the train on the slushy sidewalk in heels.

I might be new to this whole commuter thing, but I’m certainly not new to the New England winters.

Just as I’m stepping out the door, I see Finn leaning up against my car. The headlights from his SUV brightening the darkness of the early morning.

I feel a lump form in my throat, and I swallow hard. Between Erin and Ryan waking up early, and now Finn waiting for me, I feel like I’m going to start crying like a giant baby right here, right now.

“What are you doing here?” I call to him as I walk down the driveway toward my car.

“Did you really think I’d let you go off to your first day without wishing you good luck?” He’s dressed in his uniform, like he’s already ready for his day to start too. He’s obviously very dedicated to his job, but seeing him standing here shows his dedication in everything he does.

When I reach him, he pulls me into his arms, his lips pressing gently against mine and I feel it everywhere.

Goosebumps rise up on my skin and I press closer to him, feeling the warmth of his body, his heated breath tickling my neck as he murmurs, “Can I drive you to the station? Pick you up and take you to dinner tonight?”

I nod my head, not certain I can speak as I wonder how I found myself here. Just a few short days ago I was single, living with my parents and jobless. It’s like a dream…somehow I went from total chaos to totally perfect in no time flat.

We pull up to the station in just a few minutes and I quickly note the time it took to get here and how much time I have left until the train arrives.

My anxiety seems to be growing by the minute.

I have no idea why I’m so nervous; generally I’m a pretty go-with-the-flow kinda girl.

I guess knowing that if I fuck this up at all I’m back in Eddington and that is not a possibility anymore.

“Why don’t you text me when you’re getting on the train and I’ll meet you here to pick you up,” Finn says, giving me a smile.

I nod my head in response and Finn shakes his head slightly, adding, “Don’t be nervous, Sarah. You’ll be great.”

Finn kisses me goodbye and before I know it, the train is leaving the station; twelve stops, seventy-eight minutes from Rockport to Boston and another fifteen minutes walking distance to the office. This has now become my life.

What I estimated as a fifteen-minute walk was more like twenty with the wet and sometimes slick sidewalks and the hordes of people, but I still make it just before a half past seven.

I pull open the lobby door and find it far emptier than I expected, although I was told the office doesn’t open until eight, but the man I am working for generally arrives earlier. I figured if he arrives early then I should too.

As I step in, stomping some of the water and snow from my boots, I step onto the marble tile and feel myself slip. But before my ass hits the floor, someone standing behind me steadies me.

“You okay?” the male voice asks, and when I look up, his arm still wrapped around my waist, I see my new boss looking back at me.

Nothing in my life has ever been this mortifying.

I can feel the heat creep from my cheeks and down my neck, and I know my entire face is bright red.

“I’m okay, thank you,” I say, slipping out of his arms and adjusting my jacket that had shifted in the ruckus.

Glad to hear that, Sarah,” he says, and any hope of him not remembering me has gone out the window.

“I haven’t had an assistant for months now.

The last thing I need is my new one out with an injury.

” He winks at me and while I think it’s supposed to come across as casual, it just feels awkward to me.

“This floor was a bad investment,” he adds, his tone joking as he smiles a little.

“You’re not the first to slip on it. Gets slick as hell when it’s wet. ”

I nod my head a little in agreement but I look away slightly as I pick up my bag and follow my new boss to the elevators.

I watch him scan his badge on a keypad beside the elevator and the door opens, and he steps aside letting me enter first.

“I’m glad you’re here early today. It’ll give me a chance to go over some things with you before it gets busy in here.”

I’m far more inarticulate than I usually am, but I quietly agree with him, again nodding my head.

“I’ll also have you meet up with my old assistant for a bit. She moved into a different role several years ago, but she’ll be able to fill you in.”

We exit the elevator and make our way to his office, which has a small adjoining office that will be mine. He leaves me alone while I put my things down and get settled.

I open the blinds to reveal two massive windows that overlook the Boston skyline, a view that people would kill for.

I’m standing there taking in the view when a knock comes on the connecting door and my new boss enters, standing in the doorway.

“You ready, Sarah?” he asks, his voice smooth, almost seductive.

“Yes, Mr. McGuire.”

“Please, call me Andrew, and you’ll have to forgive me if I leave anything out. I haven’t had an assistant for some time now, but the company is insisting on it.”

He takes me around the office introducing me to people and showing me where I can find the things I might need. Then he gets down to the logistics of the job, which basically is that I will be doing everything he does, but I won’t be the person who gives the okay in the end.

I’ll be responding to emails, taking phone calls, sitting in on meetings, reviewing sales contracts and pricing, forwarding sales orders to purchasing, and at some point, I’m sure I’ll be fetching coffee and ordering lunches.

“You are the first point of contact,” Andrew states, when we return to his office. “You work on the clients with your charming personality I saw during your interview, you make the sale, you get them to sign the contract. It’s all you until I need to sign off on it.”

“I guess I didn’t realize I would be so involved in the sales aspect of everything,” I say and suddenly feel like I shouldn’t have said it. It makes me sound lazy or ill-equipped to do the job. “I mean, I…”

“Don’t worry about it, Sarah. I’m training you to take over a sales role that will eventually come available. You’re far more qualified for the job, but I’m happy to take you on.”

He steps out from around his desk, standing in front of me, he runs a hand down my arm and I swallow hard. Without being obvious, I take a small step back and cross my arms over my chest.

I’ve never been a big fan of people I don’t know well touching me, and personal space is a huge thing.

Right now, I want to walk out of the room, I want to give this guy my what-the-fuck face, but since he’s my new boss I’m going to stand here and tolerate this like he isn’t encroaching on my space, like he isn’t bordering on inappropriate.

“Oh, one more thing,” he says, and again he’s too close for my liking. “If my wife calls, always put her through to me.” He winks at me, and it’s getting creepier by the second.

“Got it,” I respond, moving toward my office door and away from this awkward feeling that has taken over.

I flop down at my desk, exhaling hard and a shudder runs through me. I can’t help but wonder if maybe I’m just being weird about the whole thing. Some people are overly friendly. I’ve dealt with them at the bar on a regular basis; I guess I just assumed the business world would be different.

I shake it off as much as I can and log in to my computer, signing in to my email and getting things arranged on my calendar.

The day is a little slower than I expected.. I’ve taken a few phone calls and answered some emails, but Andrew did explain to me that some of his larger clients are still contacting him directly. He’s hoping to have all of that moved over to me in the next week or so.

I’m eating my lunch at my desk when someone knocks on my door.

“Come in,” I call out, standing up from my desk and walking toward the door to open it, but the person on the other side enters before I can get there.

It’s a woman a few years older than me; she’s blonde and thin and impeccably dressed in a pair of wide leg black pants and a crisp white button down. She looks flawless.

“Sarah?” she asks, “I’m Lauren Atkins. I was Andrew’s assistant a while back.” She extends a hand to me and we shake, smiling back at each other.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I reply, excited by the prospect of meeting someone closer to my age and someone who has done this job before.

“How’s it going so far?” she asks, taking a seat at one the chairs positioned in front of my desk.

“The view from the office is just amazing. I forgot what it was like.” She pushes up a little from the chair and takes in the view.

“I’m one floor below you now, but my view is of the side of a building.

” She rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders.

“It’s going okay,” I answer, not sure what more I can say. I haven’t really encountered anything within the job that would warrant asking her any questions. “What is your role at the company now?” I ask her.

“I spent about a year as Andrew’s assistant before I was moved to a sales role and then from there I moved to a sales director role. That’s my current title.”

“That’s awesome.”

Looking at this put together woman sitting across from me, I can’t help but hope that I end up like her. Taking this job is just my starting point.

“I owe a lot of it to Andrew,” she says, flicking her thumb in the direction of our adjoining doors. “He helped me move up quickly.”

I nod my head, but make a note to myself not to mention his overly friendly personality or how uncomfortable he made me. They are clearly close if she owes most her success to him.

“Has he hit on you yet?” she asks abruptly, seemingly out of nowhere. I’m taken aback and I’m not sure how to respond. I wouldn’t say he’s hit on me, but I can sense it will lead there.

When I don’t answer immediately she adds, “If he hasn’t yet he will. Just giving you fair warning. He can be a bit handsy too,” she says, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers, her nose crinkling up in response to her own words.

I take a deep breath. It’s my first day and the last thing I want is people to think I’m a gossip, let alone my boss getting wind that I was taking about him.

I stay silent for a second longer and then say, “He’s friendly, but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Good response,” Lauren says, smirking at me. “Just hold out. I promise you it will be worth it.”

Handsy I can handle; I’ve been there. You don’t work at a bar for six months without being touched by some drunken guy. I just hope it doesn’t extend beyond that.

We chat for a bit with Lauren leaving her extension number for me and telling me to call if I need help with anything.

The next time I check the clock, it’s well after six and I realize I’ve missed my regularly scheduled train back to Rockport.

I poke my head into Andrew’s office to let him know I’m leaving for the day and to check if he needs me to do anything before I go.

“All good, Sarah,” he says, standing up and walking into my office. “Great first day, don’t you think?”

“Yes, thank you.”

I return to my desk and begin packing up my things and switching back into my snow boots as Andrew stays awkwardly in my office.

“We need to get the office decorated,” he states as he glances around this room.

“Why don’t you add that to your list of things to do tomorrow.

I want to make sure you like it here. Maybe bring in some pictures of your own.

You and your boyfriend?” he adds, and I want to laugh at his completely unsubtle attempt to ask if I have a boyfriend.

“Will do,” I tell him, as I grab my bag and walk to the door.

“So you have a boyfriend then, I take it?”

“Yes, I do.” I say nothing more, but as I step through the doorway Andrew places his hand on my back guiding me through the door. He slides his hand down and for a split second I think he’s going to grab my ass. I shuffle away from him quickly, and call out, “Have a nice night.”

“You too, Sarah. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he replies, and my whole body stiffens in response.

Lauren’s words replay in my head: Just hold out. I promise you it will be worth it.

She better be right because this is only day one.