“So how long have you worked here?” I ask, trying to tame the uneasy atmosphere.
“Only four months.”
“Right. Are you liking it?”
“Very much so, it’s a great place to work. So are you working here now?”
“Yes, today is my first day.” I don’t know what to say. I don’t know this guy from a bar of soap, don’t know how much he knows of the situation, and I’m not comfortable with him at all.
“Well, seeing we are both new maybe we can buddy up?”
Is he flirting with me? Holy shit, it has been a long time since someone has flirted with me and even longer since it was creepy flirting.
“Sorry?” I ask innocently.
“Buddy up. We can help each other settle in.”
Paul’s eyes roll over me from head to toe over the top of his coffee cup. His smile as he lowers the cup is appreciative, and I feel like a trapped animal.
I’m too scared to open my mouth to respond in case I can’t control the vomit I feel coming up. Just as I’m trying to swallow it back down, relief overtakes me as a familiar voice rings in my ears.
“Everything okay in here?”
Saxon. My body relaxes as he moves away from the door and around to my side.
“Everything’s great. I’m just introducing myself to Brooke and letting her know I’m here if she needs any help settling into the office,” Paul says, looking Saxon directly in the eyes.
“How’s that report going, Paul? You don’t really have time to be chatting it up in the staff room with a five o’clock deadline.” Saxon is glaring at Paul, and I’m not sure how much of the conversation he heard.
Paul doesn’t even flinch at Saxon’s hard words or cold stare. “It will be on your desk by three. Brooke, it was great to meet you. I look forward to seeing you around the office more.”
Before Paul has even left the staff room Saxon’s eyes are on me. I give Paul an awkward smile, and release the breath I didn’t know I was holding when he turns and leaves.
Looking up to Saxon, his eyes meet mine. He is studying me. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” I shrug. “Just meeting the new staff and saying hello to the others.” I plaster on a smile, trying to cover the lie. He narrows his eyes on me. Yep, he knows I’m lying.
“Did he say something to you?”
“No, just introduced himself and offered help if I needed anything as we are both new.”
He narrows his eyes again and sighs. “I just don’t like the guy.”
I laugh at him in an attempt to break the seriousness. “Then why is he working here?”
“Nate hired him. He had good references, a great portfolio, and he is good at what he does.”
I nod, not sure what else to say.
“What are you doing down here anyway? You know we have coffee upstairs, right? I was worried when I went to your office and you weren’t there. I thought you had changed your mind,” he says in a softer tone.
Again, I laugh at him. “I just wanted to come down and face everybody. Thought I better get it over with, you know, rip the bandage off.”
Saxon takes a deep breath and runs his hand through his thick, dark hair. For the first time I pay attention to how tired he looks. His face is pale, the skin around his eyes puffy and dark.
Placing my hand on his forearm, brings his attention to me. “I’m fine, Saxon. Really. It was great to see Harper and Bill, and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. This is going to be good for me, I just know it.”
“I hope so, Brooke.” He steps away from me, causing my hand to fall from his arm. “So you saw Bill. I bet he was excited to see you.”
I laugh at having Bill say the same thing about Saxon no more than ten minutes ago. “Yeah, he was pretty happy.” I grin. “He’s going to be my first lunch date. He invited me for a cosy sandwich in his office.”
Saxon chuckles. “Good, enjoy it. Come and find me when you’re finished and I can show you around properly.”
“Thanks.”
He leaves the staff room, and I quickly pour Harper’s coffee and make my way to her desk before anyone else can corner me.
“Here babe, sorry, I didn’t forget. I ran into Bill.” I hand Harper her coffee and rest mine on the top bench of the reception desk.
When someone enters the foyer she can barely be seen over the top, but it’s a beautiful piece with all its smooth stainless steel against the dark mahogany wood. It’s a great first impression of Argo.
“Did Saxon find you? He came running down here like a bat out of hell. He was frantic. Is everything all right?”