I Like You a Latte {Completed}

16 | Catching the Ride

Blowing out an exasperated sigh, Beverly ran her hands through her damp hair, glaring at the wintry mix of snow and sleet slamming against the pavement. She'd been walking through the city to stretch her legs after spending her morning in the library studying for her biology final when it had begun to sleet; desperate to get out of the slushy, freezing mess before her textbooks were damaged, she'd ducked under the nearest awning, which just so happened to belong to Silvertone.

It was just her luck, really.

In addition, her phone was dead, so she couldn't call Griffin to pick her up; she'd been debating on going inside the fancy office for the past ten minutes. On one hand, she would enjoy seeing the inside of the stunning building, and Mr. Knott had seemed kind, regardless of what Griffin had said; on the other hand, Griffin would no doubt be upset if he learned that she'd spent time around the man who'd treated his godmother so poorly.

She waited another five minutes, but the mix only came down heavier; when she lost all feeling in her glove-clad fingers, she gave up and marched through the doors.

On the outside, Silvertone was the tallest building in the city, made of sparkling glass and standing twenty stories tall. The interior was made to match, with sleek, modern décor; a large receptionist's station resided in the center of the main floor, with two large sitting areas nestled by the front door.

Beverly made eye contact with the receptionist blushingly. "I'm so sorry, but it's freezing outside—could I perhaps borrow a phone, then wait in here for my ride to come get me?"

The receptionist, a woman in her early thirties whose name tag read Frieda, scowled. "I'm not falling for this mess again. No photos, no videos, and no sneaking back here to steal information—please leave."

"Oh, no," Beverly protested immediately, "I swear that's not what I'm trying to do. I really do just need to get back to my dorm. If I could just use your cell phone—"

"Look," the receptionist leaned back in her chair, eyeing Beverly as though the younger girl had just crawled out of the sewage. "I'm not in the mood for this, okay? I enjoy my job, and I almost lost it the last time this sort of nonsense came up. If you don't have an appointment, then I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

At the woman's words, an idea popped into Beverly's head. "I have an appointment!" the words were rushed and disjointed, and the woman obviously didn't buy it.

"Really?" Frieda asked skeptically. "And who do you have an appointment with, exactly?"

"Mr. Francis Knott."

Oh, Hell, what am I doing?!

"You have an appointment with our CEO." It was a statement dripping with sarcastic disbelief, and Beverly struggled to keep her head high and not crawl away from the building.

God, but she should've just faced the winter weather and walked back to school, cold fingers be damned.

"Yes."

The woman hummed, keeping her eyes on Beverly as she plucked up the phone next to her computer and pressed several of the buttons.

"Mr. Knott? Hi, yes, I have someone here for you? Oh, you don't have any planned appointments?" Frieda's smile was smug. "How odd. Oh, her name?" she eyed Beverly expectantly and repeated what the younger woman told her. "Beverly 'from the park'." There was a pause, and the receptionist's eyes widened.

"Really?" she asked, eyes darting between Beverly and the phone. "Right. Of course, Mr. Knott." She returned the phone to its dock with a sense of finality, then gazed at Beverly with forced remorse. "I apologize: I take security very seriously, and I've had a couple of bad incidents in the past."