Serendipity Next Door (SND Series Book #1)

Chapter 14

The sound of copy machines and printers went around the office. The smell of coffee meets my nose. It's been awhile since I've been in the office.

The editor-in-chief called me early this morning. She ordered me to come to a meeting about the next issue for the magazine. I left my apartment in a rush, giving Charlie a quick goodbye.

I wave at some people that I talk to. Since I don't have to be in the office that much, I don't interact with much of my co-workers.

I knock on the meeting door. As I wait for the door to open, I readjust my purse and my work binder. The door opens and I am greeted by Ruth.

"Great, you made it just in time. Come in and sit in an empty chair." She greets as she ushers me inside.

I sit down in one of the comfortable black desk chairs. I set my binder and coffee down on the the table. I look around the room and see some familiar and unfamiliar faces. I give them all a genuine smile.

Ruth closes the door and heads to the front of the room. Her heels clack on the wooden floor along the way.

"Okay, now as you all know it's September. Which means it's time for our October issue for Cosmopolitan Magazine." Ruth announces. She places both hands on the table.

"Now as you all know that we have a deadline, and that deadline is September 28th." Ruth announces.

I blink at her in disbelief. Why do we have such little time? It's not like we are doing a section of the magazine, no, we're doing the whole thing. This isn't the first time Ruth as done this to us. To be honest it's tiring, but I want to keep my job, so I'm not going to say a word about it.

Ruth assigns us certain jobs and ends the meeting. I am collecting my things when Ruth calls my name.

"Brooke, can I talk to you for a moment?" Ruth asks. I can hear her heels clacking against the floor as she makes her way over.

I look up from what I'm doing, and face Ruth. "Sure. I'm in no rush."

Ruth gives a relieved smile. "Great. I was wondering if you could do a photo shoot with Kevin Anderson. It's not for the magazine, but his manager, who is a good friend of mine, needs a photographer since his is on vacation. So I figured you can do it."

Ruth gives me the puppy dog look. She pouts her lips and widens her eyes. Sometimes Ruth can be strict, but other times she acts like a five year old.

I give her a smile and nod my head. "Sure. I'll do it."

Ruth claps her hands excitedly. "Wonderful! The photo shoot will take place Wednesday at 11 in the morning."

I put that on my calendar on my phone. I give her a thumbs up when I have it saved. Ruth claps her hands and dismisses me. I wish her a good day and walk out of the room.

As I make my way back home, I pull out my phone. I tap on my text messages and press on Kevin's name.

I just came out of a meeting. Guess what I'm doing. -Brooke

I'm about to put my phone back in my purse, until it buzzes.

What? -Kevin

I'm doing your photoshoot. -Brooke

Kevin doesn't reply for awhile so I put my phone back in my purse. I continue my way towards the apartment building.

"Excuse me ma'am!"

I don't turn around. It's normal for New Yorkers to call out to you. Sometimes it's for sales or for money. I ignore both.

I am about to cross the street, but someone grabs my arm. I try to yank it away but the person grips it tighter. I turn around and see a man. Just one look at him tells me that he's a creep. He has a beard that is unkempt and raggedy looking. The odor that's coming off of him is horrific.