Page 27 of Release Me

“Not always,” Regina says, reminding me of the question I asked her before my office decor rendered me speechless. “Sometimes when he gets on my nerves, I call him Sebastian.”

Her response makes me laugh. “Does he get on your nerves a lot?”

“Endlessly.” She tilts her head to the side, assessing me. “But he’s a good boss, if that’s what you’re trying to figure out. He can be demanding and a little curt sometimes, but he’s always respectful. If you decide to stay on past your sixty day trial, I don’t think you’ll regret it.”

Hearing Regina mention the contingencies around my employment adds an unwelcome dash of reality to what has been an otherwise lovely morning. My heart does a free fall into my stomach, landing with a splash that has nothing to do with the time constraint, because I could walk into Sebastian’s office right now and take the sixty day trial off the table, and everything to do with why it’s there in the first place.

Me and my mess of a life.

Me and my self doubt.

Me and my fear of putting down roots just to have Beau appear and force me to yank them back up again.

As I sink into the chair behind my desk, I school my features into an expression I hope hides the fact that I don’t know where I’ll be living, let alone working, in sixty days. “I guess we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Regina looks like she shares my lack of confidence in my ability to make it through this trial period. I don’t know if that makes me feel worse or better.

“Right.” She claps her hands and rounds the desk. “Let me show you how to log in to your computer, so you can get started with your tasks for the day.”

“Oh, okay.” I slide to the right, making room for her to type in what I assume are my credentials to bring the desktop to life. “I thought I would at least get to meet with Sebas—I mean, Mr. Adler, before I got started.”

“He’ll be in meetings most of the day, so you probably won’t see him.”

“Oh.” The disappointment held in the one word is loud, and I cringe as it settles into the space between me and Regina. I don’t know where it came from. The disappointment, that is. It’s not like I spent every minute since our phone call yesterday entertaining the foreign sensation of butterflies in my stomach when I thought about seeing his face again.

“Don’t worry. He’s given me a list of items for you to review that will probably keep you busy for the rest of the day.”

“What kind of things?” I ask, watching her fingers fly over my keyboard as she starts to log me into my work email. “I can do that myself, you know. All you have to do is give me the login information.”

For the first time since we’ve met, Regina looks apologetic. Red tints the top of her cheeks as she straightens and backs away from the computer. “Right, my apologies, Miss. Hendrix.”

“It’s fine.” I give her a smile to let her know I’m not offended or upset. “And please, just call me Nadia.”

My new name used to feel odd on my tongue. Every time I would say it, it would feel like I was testing it out, trying it on for size, but lately, specifically since I’ve heard it on Sebastian’s lips, attached to all his beliefs about who I am and what I can do, it’s started to feel like mine. I don’t even stumble over the syllables when I tell Regina to use it in place of the formal Miss Hendrix.

“Nadia,” she says, sliding the piece of paper she has my username and password written on over to me. “This is your login for every system we use, including email. I would suggest changing it today, so no one has access to your computer and files except for you.”

“Got it. I guess I’ll add that to the list of things Mr. Adler left for me to do.”

“Oh, yes!” She exclaims, pulling an actual to-do list from the clipboard under her arm and handing it to me. “Everything you need to get done is written down here. You’ll find that I’ve already included changing your password right at the top.”

She taps the empty check box with the nail of an index finger, and I almost laugh at the excitement on her face. “Thank you, Regina.”

“You’re welcome, Nadia. Can I get you anything else?”

“No, I think I’m fine. If I need anything, I’ll come find you.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary.” My focus is already on the detailed list of action items Sebastian has left for me, but my eyes fly to her face when I hear the mild flare of panic in her voice. “If you need me, just dial one of your phone and I’ll come to you.”

My brows pull together in confusion. “You’re not my assistant, Regina, I don’t expect you to be at my beck and call.”

“Mr. Adler has left me with strict instructions to see to your every need until you can hire your own assistant.”

On the surface, it seems like a thoughtful gesture, but something about Regina’s expression makes me feel like her hovering is more about oversight than assistance. I press my lips together to stop myself from voicing the assumptions swirling around in my mind.

“That’s sweet, Regina, but absolutely unnecessary.”

Her lips pull into a tight line. “Mr. Adler deems it necessary, therefore it is necessary.”

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