Remember Me? (Book 1) COMPLETED

Reflections

NICK

It had been five years since I'd seen Erland. He was now older, nearing his fourteenth of fifteenth birthday. I gazed over top of the crowd to catch a glimpse at the arriving passengers.

Flight 1027 from Philadelphia to Madison landed at 8p.m. It was 7:56pm last I checked. But after a tense moment of wondering if I had lost Katherine's only brother, I glimpsed a red baseball cap in the crowd.

"Erland," I called, walking through the crowd to reach him.

The teen's anxiety melted. "Hey, Nick," he said, with such relief I nearly hesitated in my step. He tried to look around me, brow furrowing. "Where's Katherine?"

"Katherine's on the way to the hospital in Philadelphia." I checked my watch. "She should be calling soon to check up on you. I'm supposed to get you settled in before you catch a flight back tomorrow morning."

Erland raised his empty hands in a gesture of wry amusement. "It looks like I'm settled in, Nick."

I chuckled. "We'll get you some things for the night, then."

The teen stretched, spine cracking as he twisted around. "Maybe a bottle of painkillers for the road," he yawned, rubbing the small of his back. "I got a bit of a beating today."

"Maybe later, Erland." I started walking back through the arrival gate, making sure he was behind me. I paused before the bathrooms. "You should go before I order the car."

Erland gave me a confused look.

"It's a longer drive tonight." I gestured towards the rain that pelted the windows. "There's heavy traffic, so you won't get a chance to go before 8."

With that, he seemed to understand, and he walked off towards the bathrooms. I waited until he was out of sight before I made the call. It was 6:10. Maybe Stephanie hadn't packed up yet.

I dialed the secretary. After four tense rings, someone picked up.

"Hello, Stephanie Debora speaking," she spoke, her voice monotone, "this is Wayward Press."

"Hey, Steph," I chuckled nervously, "I'm glad you're still inside the office. I need your help with something."

Her voice brightened almost immediately. "Mr. Masiello! How are you today, sir? Were you supposed to arrive this late?"

"No, Stephanie, but there's been a change of plans." I looked over my shoulder to see if Erland had come back from the bathroom. I lowered my voice. "I need you to look into our employees—a Katherine Malloy begins work tomorrow morning."

"Oh."

I could heard the rustling of papers in the background. She never failed to keep her desk disorganized, regardless of how important things were. I frowned. I didn't want to fire her, but Victoria would ask me to. You are only as good as your worst employee, she would say. That's how I'd fired Melanie.

"It says, sir, that she's going to work under Mrs. Yang as an editorial assistant." Stephanie paused. "Are you going to fire her, sir?"

"No, it's okay. I need you to make sure she keeps her job. Tell Leya to keep Ms. Malloy on her staff."

The shuffling of papers ceased. "Do you know this girl, sir? Mrs. Yang won't take lightly to being told what to do."

Anger reared its head. "Leya listens to me. I own the company. I can get her fired anytime I wish. There are thousands of commissioning editors to spare." I took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Now, Steph, please make sure to tell Leya that Katherine is going to start work later in the month."

"Ms. Malloy, sir." Stephanie corrected, sounding slightly nervous. "If you're going to break a dozen laws, might as well not get caught the moment she walks into the office."

I had had enough already. "Thanks, Stephanie. Text me if you have any issues with Leya."

My eyes focused on the reflection in the darkened windows. My hand slowly lowered to my side as I made eye contact with Erland in the glass. He was standing right behind me. And he had heard everything.