Older || 18+

39. Emma

It takes my mother a whole two days to notice I've moved my stuff out. I've ignored her calls and texts. It feels liberating. I'll give her a few more days to calm down before I call her back.

As Shane promised, I signed the onboarding paperwork for Clever Corp on Monday morning. I'm officially a paid employee. I plan on celebrating with Alex and Skylar this weekend.

Right now, I'm working on my first project as an employee with Beth. I think she was the most excited to see me get hired. She said she loves seeing more women around the office.

My desk phone rings and it startles me out of my concentration.

"Hello, Emma speaking," I answer.

"Emma, come to my office, please." It's Shane.

"Um, okay," I reply. I've never been called to his office before, so this must be serious. I quickly save my work and head towards his office.

Shane has kept his distance from me. He's professional and polite, but not overly friendly. Which is a relief. After he kissed me, I didn't know how things would play out between us. But thankfully, he seems to respect my decision.

"Hey," I say, knocking on his open door.

"Come on in, have a seat," he says, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

"What's up?"

"Nothing serious," he assures me. "You can relax."

"Oh, good," I sigh, sinking into the chair.

"I just wanted to check in with you. See how you're doing. Are you settling in okay?"

"I'm doing well. Everything is good."

"That's great. How are you liking the job?"

"I'm loving it. Thank you so much for this opportunity. It's honestly the perfect job for me."

"No need to thank me. But I do have something to ask you," he says.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Well, there's a company meeting. I say meeting, but it's a get-together. We have someone important flying in for a couple of days. They're looking into buying a significant share of Clever Corp and expanding it. We are trying to woo them and show off the people behind the scenes, so to speak. And the team wants you to come and be introduced. One of our most promising new employees."

"Oh, wow. Really? I'm not sure..."

"It'll be a great opportunity to meet new people and network. Beth and I'll be there too. It'll be fun."

"Well, okay. When is it?"

"Tomorrow, actually. They're set to arrive around lunchtime, and the party starts at five. It's a fancy dress event. There'll be food and drinks and everything. We're renting out a ballroom in one of the hotels."

"Wait, tomorrow?" I repeat, surprised.

"Yeah, is that a problem? I'm sure Beth would understand if you can't make it."

"No, it's not a problem. Just, give me the details and I'll be there."

I have so much planning to do. At least I don't have class or anything, so I can spend the morning getting ready. What do I even wear?

"Perfect. Thank you, Emma. This is gonna be a great opportunity for you."

"Thanks," I say, still a little shocked by the news. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Good," he smiles. "I'll email you the details."

"Okay, great."

"See you later," he says, waving me out.