Unforgettable Mistakes - Now Published

Chapter 3

Amy

I walk through the glass doors into Kirst Marketing with a smile on my face. My eyes narrow briefly as I step into the extremely bright entrance area. It takes a second for my eyes to adjust as I stare at the large white divider wall leading towards the back, where I assume all the offices and conference rooms are located. Four framed posters are mounted vertically on the wall and spaced evenly. The first one is blue and white as if your head is up in the clouds, with the word, "Dream," written on it. The second is all in black and white and just states, "Write," in a typewriter font. The third one is a scramble of colorful jigsaw puzzle pieces and states, "Create." With the last one looking like a rainbow of colorful sticklike figures, stating, "Explode." There's a tall black desk centered directly in front of me, shaped in a half moon. Then behind me four black leather armchairs sit up against the wall, two on each side of the glass doors, with a small black table in between.

Suddenly, a man behind the desk looks up at me and sits a little taller as he quickly assesses me. He appears to be a few years older than me with neatly trimmed dark brown hair, coffee brown eyes behind wire rimmed glasses and flawless chocolate brown skin. I can only see his upper half, but he appears to be wearing a cobalt blue suit that he fills out nicely, with a white button down shirt, but no tie. He offers me a bright smile as he greets me. "Good morning! May I help you?" he politely inquires.

I push my shoulders back and return his smile as I approach the desk. "Hi, I'm Amy Stone. I have an interview with Mr. Kirst at 11am," I announce.

He arches his eyebrows in challenge, but doesn't comment. Instead he grins a little wider and offers encouragement. "Well, Amy Stone, it looks like your right on time and you look fabulous. You'll do great. I'll let Mr. Kirst know you're here," he states.

"Thank you," I reply, gratefully.

He picks up the black office phone on his desk and broadcasts, "Your 11am appointment is here." He pauses, listening, before he comments on something else, "Of course, thank you." He hangs up the phone and immediately directs his attention to me. "Mr. Kirst will be right out," he apprises me.

"Thank you," I reply, as I smile and nod in response.

A good-looking guy pretty close to me in age steps out from behind the wall and lets his eyes fall on me. He's about 5'10" with dark brown hair styled perfectly and swept up to his right. He has soft brown eyes and a square jaw. He straightens his broad shoulders underneath his black suit, white shirt and a dark gray patterned tie. I watch as his eyes quickly scan down and then back up my body. I tilt my head to the side and arch my eyebrow in challenge as I wait for him to acknowledge me. His eyes finally meet my gaze and the corners of his mouth twitch up in amusement at the look on my face. "Miss Stone," he states, with a nod of his head. He steps towards me, holding his hand out for me. He waits until I reach forward, before he grasps my small hand in his strong one. "I'm Mr. Kirst," he informs me.

My eyes widen in surprise and a gasp slips out before I can stop it, making him chuckle. I take a deep breath and push my shoulders back, before I smile and finally respond to his introduction. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Kirst. I apologize for my reaction. I was led to believe you were," I hesitate momentarily before I reveal, honestly, "older."

He chuckles softly, his smile softening his features. "I get that a lot," he claims. He stares at me, still holding my hand, before he finally releases it and nods towards the back. "Why don't you come with me," he suggests. He turns around and saunters around the wall, not once looking back to see if I'm trailing behind him.

I follow as he ushers me past a maze of cubicles, a wall of doors and windows leading to several conference and meeting rooms, as well as what appears to be bigger offices all along the back wall. We stop at an office in the back left corner, with huge picture windows overlooking the outskirts of Boston. "Wow," I murmur, "You have an incredible view."