Page 18 of Twist of Fate
“Here we are.” She smiles at Damien. Again. “Feel free to drop anything off.”
Damien casually puts his hands in his pockets and glances at me.
“Oh!” I exclaim, nearly lunging for the strap of my purse. “I suppose I should probably get rid of this,” I say, quickly stuffing it into a large drawer before turning my attention back to Penny.
Penny gives me a brief nod and blazes onward. I cast a backward glance at my desk, hoping to retain every detail of the space so I can someday return there. Thankfully, the floor isn’t that big, and in just a few short strides, we’re at another group of desks and being introduced to a familiar face.
She’s taller than I expected, but I’ve only ever seen that freckled face on video chat. Her platinum blond hair is stunning, and she has the kind of curves that remind me of a fifties pinup girl.
“Nora, here are your two starters,” Penny says. “This is Damien Kent,” she nearly gushes. “And, um?—”
“Aisling.” Damien raises an eyebrow.
“Right,” she says, her cheeks flushed. “Of course. Aisling Farrell.”
“Thanks, Penny. I’ll take it from here,” she says politely before turning to us. Her face lights up instantly as if she’s greeting old friends. “Hi, guys! Sorry for the odd handoff. I had intended to meet you downstairs, but since the other half of your team started last week, it’s been a bit mental around here. Anyway, how are you?”
“Good,” we say in unison, causing all three of us to laugh.
“Well, I hope you both mean that because what’s the saying? Out of the frying pan and into the fire?” She gives us a sympathetic smile. “We won’t give you much time to get your feet wet.”
“That’s all right,” Damien reassures her. “You were more than patient, and I’m happy that everything is finally sorted. I’m looking forward to getting started.”
When she offered me the position, Nora informed me that four of us would start at different times. I am guessing the other two were able to start earlier because they were domestic hires and didn’t require nearly as much paperwork.
“Um, yes,” I echo. “Very excited.”
“Grand, let’s get you introduced to the rest of the team then.” She stands up, and I take a moment to admire her tailored denim trousers and tweed blazer before she heads toward the back of the building, and we follow her.
“Do you feel like we’re being herded like cattle, or is it just me?” Damien whispers beside me.
I snort quietly. “A bit, yeah.”
We arrive at what I assume is a conference room, and we follow her inside.
“Just as I promised.” She extends her arms wide and gestures toward Damien and me. “The rest of your team has arrived.”
Cheers echo throughout the room, and I can’t help but smile as it creeps across my face.
“Shea, Niall—meet Aisling and Damian.”
Shea and Niall stand and shake our hands, exchanging many hellos and how do you do’s. Shea is petite, with cropped brown hair and hazel eyes. She’s dressed professionally in a black dress and tights, but I can see from the numerous earrings adorning her ears and the black nail polish that she has a cool edge that I could never pull off.
Niall reminds me of my next-door neighbor growing up. Cute and preppy, with golden-brown hair and blue eyes. He’s wearing slacks and a sweater and immediately starts asking Damien what kind of games he’s into. Within minutes, they’ve already made plans to get together so Damien can check out Niall’s collection.
We take a seat at a polished wooden conference table and chat a bit more. If it wasn’t obvious from their accents, Shea and Niall are indeed both Irish. Shea is actually an in-house hire. She joined the call center after university and enjoys traveling all over Ireland with her girlfriend in her spare time, discovering new restaurants and pubs. They maintain a decent social media presence where they share their adventures.
She’s literally perfect for this job.
At first, Niall seems like a bit of an odd hire. He comes from the corporate world, but when he starts talking about his work negotiating with vendors at conventions and trade shows, things begin to fall into place.
He’s our numbers guy.
I try not to feel like an impostor when I introduce myself, knowing I wouldn’t be here if Nora didn’t feel I was qualified when Shea’s eyes light up at the mention of my travel blog.
“Wait—is your YouTube channel named ‘Ash in the Wild’?”
My cheeks burn. “Yep, that’s me.”
