Office Affairs (+18) | Completed

CHAPTER 1

Jane POV

When my phone rang that afternoon, I knew exactly who it would be. Well, not the particular person, but the company at least. I don't know how I knew, because it had been a long time since my interview and I'd essentially given up on landing the job.

Still—I wasn't wrong.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi, I'm looking for Jane Avon?" the woman on the other end of the line said.

"That's me."

"Hi Jane. I'm Alana Trust from Bricks Industries. I interviewed you a few weeks ago," she said. "I'm calling to see if you're still interested in the Communications Coordinator position at our office in Fairview."

"I am."

"We would like to offer you the position," she replied brightly.

My heart raced in my chest, and I wanted to squeal with joy. This was my dream job—the first one I'd applied to as soon as I graduated. Not only was the position relevant to my degree, but the company itself was second to none in terms of employee satisfaction.

I was suddenly very happy that I'd chosen to continue living on my savings for a few more weeks instead of giving up and getting a job at the grocery store.

"Wow!" I cried. "Thank you! When do I start?"

I heard some tapping in the background, then Alana said, "Can you start tomorrow? We're going to have to throw you in off the deep end, unfortunately."

That didn't bother me at all. I was used to thinking on my feet, and learning on the job was the best way for me to pick it up.

"Absolutely," I replied.

She gave me instructions in regards to what I should expect for the day, then said she'd see me tomorrow. I hung up the phone, feeling a fierce sense of pride.

I had done it. I had landed my dream job right out of collegewell, a few weeks out—and now I was blazing my way to the future.

Things were looking up.

  ***

  I got up in the morning and practically pranced to the shower. Afterward, my usually unmanageable red hair was blowdried and straightened into submission, and I put on a brown smoky eye to accentuate the forest green of my eyes. I had picked out an outfit the night before—a tasteful pencil skirt, blouse, and cardigan—and I put them on with glee.

When I was done, I admired my work in the mirror, slid into a pair of black patent pumps, and high fived my reflection. Then I made sure to check that the blinds on my bedroom window were closed. They were.

After getting ready, I still had lots of time before I had to be at work, so I made myself a healthy breakfast, chugged some coffee, and left a few minutes early.

I arrived at work a few minutes early as a consequence, which was a good thing, I supposed. The building was smaller than I remembered. My interview had been some time ago, so it must have gotten larger in my memory as I dreamed about receiving that call.

From what Alana had told me in my interview, this office was the head office, but only one of several throughout the country. The Bricks family were Fairview locals, and the late founder of the company—the current CEO's father—had wanted to keep their head office local.