Page 7 of The Valentine's Bet

I take a deep breath, a mixture of past feelings welling up in my chest. I push them away. “Yeah, I guess I am a cynic.”

Chapter Three

Amy

This city is going to eat me alive.

The words bounce around my brain, and I don’t even know why.Parker,which is what his name tag said, was just some killjoy trying to ruin my night. Sure, he was handsome and had this mysterious, grumpy vibe that worked.

Butclearly,he’s the kind of guy who stomps on people’s dreams and laughs about it later.

I let out a sigh as my heels clack along the pavement. Well, I assume they’re clacking. I can’t really hear anything above the noise of the early morning rush of people. I wrap my arms around myself, weaving through the crowd until I see the office building coming into my view.

My first day.

My stomach flutters with nerves, and I’m seriously hoping that my new coworkers are friendlier than the people I met at the bar this weekend. I mean, some of the men were nice—but not one of them asked for my number.

In fact, no one even talked to me outside of the five-minute conversations we were forced to have.Ugh.I had such high hopes, only to be let down. Which is why I haven’t texted Eliza about it yet. I’ll just wait until she brings it up.

I push through the revolving door and head for the elevator. I hit the up button and wait alongside about ten other people.

And then we all pile on.

Someone in front of me hits the fourteenth floor, relieving me of the duty. I hide in the corner, which isn’t hard, given that I’m only five-foot-three. Well, add a few inches for the heels. But still, these people aretoweringover me.

I breathe in the mixture of cologne and perfume, trying to pick out any scents I recognize. I can’t.

The effort makes me smile, though, and soon the elevator chimes on my floor.

“Excuse me,” I say politely, squeezing through the eight people still remaining. I recall the route I took for my interview and make my way to the office marked 1404.

“Good morning, Amy,” Louise, the receptionist, says as soon as I walk through the door. “You’re early. How was the morning commute? Ted was planning to give you some leeway since it can be difficult to navigate the streets first thing.”

“It was great, thanks!” I say, keeping a smile on my face. “He said I’d be shadowing a couple of the other marketing execs today?” I glance around at the sea of cubicles.

“Yes, Nellie Ramirez specifically.” Louise brushes some of her gray hair out of her face. “I’ll send a message to her to come fetch you.”

I nod, clutching my bag to my side. I know what I’m doing, and I’ve climbed the corporate ladder to get this job at one of the most successful marketing firms in the city. However, despite my breadth of qualified experience, I can’t help the nerves in the pit of my stomach.

And I’m blaming my experience at the speed-dating event for it.

Maybe this city really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

“Amy, I’m Nellie,” a tall, slender blonde says, catching my attention. The woman could seriously be a model, standing a solid six inches taller than me. “Welcome to the firm.”

“Thank you.”

“Let me show you your office first, and then we’ll get started.”

I blink.My office?I figured I’d be in a cubicle.

But I don’t argue, and the thought of having a real office puts a little pep in my step. I’m at the top of my game. No random guy at a singles event is going to tell me otherwise.

Nellie leads me to a windowed-in office. “This is your space.” She pushes open the door, revealing a sleek, modern desk with a white leather chair and a Mac computer. It isperfect...

And has an incredible view of the city.

“Will this do for you?”

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