Page 34 of If You Stayed

“Hey, Boss Man. More cinnamon muffins?” the front doorman, Eddie, asked as I walked up to the GS Architecture building.

I smirked and handed him the three extra muffins I had, just as I had done the day before. “There’s only three this time. I got greedy and ate some.”

Eddie smiled big and shook his head. “I don’t care. I took these bad boys home to the missus, and I’m pretty sure they have some kind of drugs in them, because she devoured them within five seconds.”

“I’m pretty sure they are drugged,” I agreed. “I haven’t been able to stop eating them since I had my first one.”

“The missus told me if I didn’t bring her more, she’d divorce me. But I know that’s just her hunger hormones acting up with the baby.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Baby?”

Eddie stood tall and nodded with pride. “She gave me the okay to start telling people. We’re three months in. I’m going to finally get my linebacker football son or my ballerina daughter. Or vice versa. The kids can be whatever the hell they want, as long as they’re healthy.”

I patted Eddie’s shoulder, genuinely overjoyed for him. Eddie had been working for me for over three years now, and I knew he and his wife, Sarah, had been trying for years to get pregnant. Even through the ups and downs, Eddie held on to his faith that what’s meant to be would always find its way. Hesaid his and Sarah’s baby was out there in the universe; he or she just had to find their way home.

It felt good to know that some stories received happy endings.

“Congratulations, Eddie. You both will make great parents. That’s a lucky kid.”

“I’m a lucky man,” he countered. “With muffins. What more could a person want? Have a good day, Boss Man.”

“You too, buddy.”

One of the projects I was most proud of working on was the GS Architecture building. The building itself looked like a piece of contemporary art with an oval shape from the outside that had over six floors. The outside was all white, with large windows that were a pain in the ass to have cleaned, but worth every second. We worked with a fantastic crew who handled that task. I knew it wouldn’t look as good if I had to clean them myself.

Inside, the building felt fresh and modern with an avant-garde structure. Each floor held an open-plan interior that was flooded with natural light from all the windows. The use of geometric shapes and innovative materials was one of my favorite elements to explore.

Speaking of elements, each level had a focus on a certain element. The first floor was covered in earth tones. It was designed to make you feel as if you’d walked straight into a Zen garden. The colors were very muted greens and browns. The front desk was made with rustic stone that had a welcoming nature, and the sign resting on the wall behind the entrance desk was made of bamboo and read GS ARCHITECTURE.From there, the floors built up around the other elements.

Though the best floor was the fifth floor—the gaming lunch hall where one could go to decompress. I learned early on that my job could be very stressful. The same was true for my employees, who worked harder than most. I thought it was important to have a place where they could go escape during the workday for a short time to breathe. Whether it be taking advantage of the candy bar, playing video or arcade games, or taking a stroll to the meditation room—also known as the nap room. That was what the fifth floor was for, and it went over amazingly.

After I took the elevator to that floor to get water, I nodded once toward Bobby, who was one of the best architects at the firm. Not only was he a genius at his craft and a million times more talented than I’d ever been, but he was also my best friend, who handled my crazy ideas and spur-of-the-moment actions.

“Morning, dickhead,” Bobby joked as he poured creamer into his coffee.

“Morning, asshole,” I replied as I walked to the fridge and pulled out a water.

“I’ve been a bit out of the loop since I just got back into town last night. How was that party with the Hughes client? Ramona hasn’t stopped going on and on about it since I got in this morning.”

“It was weird but good. Do you know that he has a robot that brings everyone drinks and cleans up messes? It’s very Disney ChannelSmart Housestyle.”

“I just think you showed your age there, old man,” Bobbyjoked. “But to be fair, that’s a fantastic damn movie.”

“The cream of the crop.” I actually rewatched the film a few years back. When I was searching to recall my old memories, I would rewatch the popular ones from when I was a kid. I’d hoped it would jog some memories. It didn’t. “But the party was fine. Ramona loved every second of it.”

“I bet she did. She loves luxury more than anything. And champagne.”

“So much champagne.”

“Rumor has it she talked sex toys with the client.”

My gut tightened up at that reminder. “I’m trying to forget that.”

Bobby smirked and patted me on the back. “I’m sure there’s a lot of things you’re trying to forget when it comes to Ramona.”

I’d never talked to Bobby about what went down between Ramona and me, but he wasn’t an idiot. Plus, I wouldn’t have been shocked if Ramona herself told him every little detail about the night we’d hooked up. If there was one thing about Ramona, it was the fact that she loved to talk about her private life. It was my fault that I’d put myself in that situation.

Not wanting to dive deeper into that topic, I shifted the conversation. “I’m getting ready to launch our internship mentoring program.”

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