When Harry Met Hannah

Chapter One: Hannah

On most days Hannah enjoyed her walk to work. She was currently employed at Clark and Walker Publishing where she acted as both a publishing assistant to Clark Harris, the CEO of Clark and Walker, and an assistant to key authors and even at times their clients. Hannah loved her job, too. It catered to both her organizational and people skills; two things of which she greatly excelled at. On most days, the sky was bright and the air crisp as she stepped out of her apartment building and began her thirty minute commute to the Clark and Walker building downtown. Today, however, was a different story. As soon as Hannah's foot hit the sidewalk the heel on her new high heels broke and she didn't have time to run back upstairs to grab a second pair since she was also already running late. Not to mention that on this day it just so happened to be a frigid thirty-five degrees outside and raining. Puddles of icy water formed shallow pools that's littered the sidewalk and splashed into the instep of her defective shoe. Already, all Hannah wanted to do was turn right around, march herself upstairs back to the scantily of her cozy apartment to enjoy a hot cup of coffee and maybe even read a book or watch a movie. Buy, as much as she may want to lounge around her house in sweat pants today, Clark had a new big author he was trying to sign to the publishing company and had personally asked Hannah to handle all of the finishing details for their pitch meeting this morning, and if all goes well, the celebratory lunch this afternoon. 

"Of all days to be late." Hannah grumbled to herself as yet another arctic wave of water sloshed into her shoe soaking her stockings and biting the flesh of her toes. Despite the weather, the sidewalks on both side of the road were packed with pedestrians making their way into the various glass and steel buildings that lined the streets of downtown. Hannah usually enjoyed the everyday hustle and bustle that occurs while she pushes herself further into the city's heart to Clark and Walker But today she was miserable. She could feel the cold air bite at her cheeks and the spray from the rain, which clung tot he strands of her usually straight blonde hair causing it to stick to her scalp and frizz at the ends. Irritated at the mayhem caused by the unexpected rain shower in January, Hannah continued to push her way down the sidewalk. Passing donut shops, bakeries, coffee cafes, and all-night restaurants, Hannah's nose was assaulted with divine foodsmells, which caused her mouth to water and her stomach to rumble reminding her that she also forgot to grab breakfast before she left. 

Maybe my bagel and spare set of  heels can watch a movie together,  Hannah thought as she approached the publishing building. Clark and Walker had been established fifteen years ago by two brothers who wanted to bring good books into the homes of families and individuals nationwide and maybe even globally eventually. Right now they focused on primarily up and coming authors who had fresh concepts to write about rather than the ordinary paranormal romance that seemed to be so popular in the market currently. While the company operated as a well oiled machine (with a few minor glitches here or there) the building itself was in complete disarray.  The company was a small family operation at its beginning which translated into a small family budget when it came time to move their work from their shed to the building they currently occupied. The Clark and Walker building wasn't your ordinary building in that it wasn't one of the large, imposing glass or steel buildings that seemed to populate most of the downtown area. Rather, it had been a large, abandon, rundown warehouse. Made entirely of brick, the warehouse stands squattishly against the polished cityscape, but has character, something the Harris brothers loved when the stumbled upon the gem. Outside they had pulled the overgrown plants and vines away from the brick and washed it down revealing the brilliant read color beneath. Inside, the completely revamped the entire space. Upon entering the double doors out front, clients were greeted with warm, exposed brick walls, dark hardwood floors, and an open concept office. A receptionist desk sat in front and off to the right were two conference rooms enclosed in frosted glass windows to allow for privacy during meetings. Cubicles filled the spacious interior of the building and tot he left were the numerous offices of the Harris brothers, their assistants, interns, editors, and publishers. All in all the office, though full of business, offered a cozy atmosphere to work in. It was one of her favorite places to be. Plus, how many other offices smelled of ink and paper? Hannah caught a glimpse of her appearance in the reflective glass at the entrance and cringed at the beastly reflection. Just as she had predicted her hair had frizzed to full capacity, her stockings were soaked and he broken shoe only added to the disheveled state she was in.