Page 8 of (Un)Planned

My smile wavered under the weight of his stare, and I waited for him to say anything else—to ask me a question, something other than stare at me as if I had three heads—but it only got worse when he sighed, tossing me the piece of paper in his lap. “You should know that I only took this meeting as a favor to Adam. Normally, I wouldn’t have given you a second thought.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve been out of school for almost four years and have barely any work experience.”

“I was helping my mother?—”

“Yeah, I know all about the hotel,” Theo cut me off. “That was more of a hobby, right? It sounds like you assisted with organizing events, and that’s it?”

Despite my best intentions, my mouth started to wobble, hating that he pointed out my insecurities so easily. When did everyone else get the memo that you had to knowpreciselywhat career you wanted the moment you finished school? So maybe I’d been coasting longer than most, but I refused to believe I was the only person who felt lost, whodidn’t want to pick a career just because it was easy or convenient. I wanted that drive, that passion, for what I did for the rest of my life. Apparently, I was the only one who thought that way.

My hands shook from sheer embarrassment. For the first time, I started to think that maybe my mother was right. Her words played out in my head again, reminding me that I was throwing my life away.

“It was more than that.” I tried to force out the words, but they came out weak. “I helped plan and run many large events, sometimes simultaneous ones…” At the sound of my voice cracking, Theo looked up, his eyes widening. I brushed my hands on my skirt, trying to leave my nerves in the fabric. “I organized a lot of weddings and other milestones, moments people dream about. Making them happen…” I cleared my throat, offering him a half-hearted smile. “Maybe it doesn’t seem like much to you, however it means something to me.”

Theo leaned forward, propping his elbows on his muscular thighs. He exhaled slowly as his hand slid down his face, stopping to rub his jaw. “Do you have any administrative experience?”

“Excuse me?”

“Clerical work,” Theo repeated. “Filing, setting up meetings, note-taking. Do you have experience in any of those skills?”

“Yes,” I answered honestly. “I spent most of my summer and school breaks at the Isadora. I’ve been helping with the books and all the behind the scenes work for years. I might need some time to catch up on any newer systems. Otherwise, I can handle it.”

“Good,” Theo answered, talking more to himself than to me. “Look, you’ve caught me in a rough moment.” Hemotioned at the empty office. “As you can probably tell, there’s a lot to be done around here. I’m being pulled in a thousand different directions, and my head is spinning.” He laughed, the sound dark and rich. “Which is why I’m unloading on you instead of being more professional. Please forgive me.”

When my eyes met his, I suddenly noticed the dark circles that lined them. The man looked exhausted, as if he’d been killing himself to get everything set up. Maybe I should have done the smart thing and found a job where the boss wasn’t giving me emotional whiplash, but I’d never been able to walk away from someone in need.

“Let me help.”

“Excuse me?”

I steeled my nerves, trying to emulate my older sister’s confidence. “You’re right; on paper, maybe I’m not the right fit for your company, but my resume, as bare as it might be,” Theo chuckled a little, “isn't the whole picture. Let me help, and then you can evaluate how I’ll fit in here.” I shrugged, trying to make my suggestion seem casual while my anxiety wreaked havoc in my chest. “Like an audition.”

Theo stared at me for a long moment then leaned back into his chair and laughed. “You’re serious?”

“What do you have to lose?”

He leaned back in his chair, weighing each of my words. I was used to being the one on the other side, the one trying to read people and their intentions. Theo watching me made me feel vulnerable.Raw.

He shook his head like he wanted desperately to say no. I closed my eyes, dragging in deep breaths to prepare myself for the inevitable rejection, but instead, he held out his hand. “Alright, Ms. Winters. You can start tomorrow.”

“Are you serious?” I squealed, tempted to clap myhands, but I tucked them in my lap instead. “Thank you, Mr. Ayad.”

“Thirty days,” he said quickly. “You have thirty days to prove yourself, or I will fire you and find someone more capable for the job.”

“I won’t let you down.”

FOUR

The following day, I still couldn’t figure out why I had decided to hire Calla Winters. Maybe it was sleep deprivation; maybe it was stress-induced psychosis. Or perhaps I had just lost my mind. There was no logical explanation as to why I decided to hire a woman completely unqualified for working in my office. I ran my hand through my hair, trying to get the image of her out of my mind. I mean, she almost burst into tears in the interview. What were the odds that she’d last more than a day working with me?

Maybe it was the guilt that led to me hiring her. I was used to speaking to my grunts in a certain way, not caring what impression I left behind. My previous assistant was good about bringing me back down, calling me out when I got too stressed and short with others. She would have killed me if she saw how I acted with Calla.

My bad mood didn’t even have anything to do with Calla’s interview. That was courtesy of the back-to-back lousy news I’d received that morning. First, my ex-wife was contesting her alimony payments, claiming they weren’t enough to support her in her lifestyle.What fuckingbullshit.The excessive amount I already paid her was enough to take her latest boy-toy on a month-long tour of India, but what would I know?

But that call was expected. Anytime something positive came up in my life, Natalie decided to destroy it. The word vindictive wasn’t enough to describe that woman.

No, that phone call wasn’t the one to devastate me. That one was courtesy of my now-former assistant, who decided she wasn’t able to make the move to New York after all. Now, I was stuck here, completely alone and hating every minute of it.

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