Page 26 of Begin Again, Part 1

Aiden waved at her. "Bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye, baby." Eden ruffled his hair and quickly kissed him on the forehead. The front door had barely slammed shut when his pitiful cries drifted through the open windows, breaking her heart in two. She was so tempted to call and cancel the interview. But Sienna was right. Her savings would only last so long. Unless her freelance work picked up again, she'd soon find herself in a pickle, and there was no way she'd crawl back to her parents. So with a heavy heart, she shifted the car into drive and pulled away, reminding herself that he was her only reason for even venturing into his father's world without so much as a plan.

Eden checked the time on her dash when she pulled into the visitors' parking lot at Anderson Logistics, pleased to see it took her less than fifteen minutes to get there with moderate traffic. She might walk to work some days if she got the job. Of course, it would take longer, but the exercise would be good for her.

She locked her car and made her way to the entrance, convinced everyone could tell this was her first interview in two years. The black pencil skirt, white pussy-bow blouse, and kitten heels she wore were a big giveaway.

She stared at the striking curved facade, remembering the last time she was there. She often thought about that day and how things would have turned out if she'd told Liam about Aiden. Would he have accepted—

"Hey, watch it!" A booming, gruff voice pulled her out of her thoughts as a man sped past on a bike. It took her startled heart a few seconds to return to a normal pace again. When she was sure her legs weren't as wobbly as jelly anymore, she approached the entrance.

The two guards stationed just inside the motion sensor doors were nice. They pointed straight ahead when Eden asked for the reception. She stopped a few times to gawk at the place as she walked through the atrium. Swarms of smartly dressed people scurried around her, all going about their day, but she barely noticed them. The decor and artwork held her spellbound as she took tons of photos for inspiration. She was still snapping away when a security guard asked her to move along. She wasn't allowed to take pictures.

"Why not?" she asked. It wasn't like Anderson Logistics kept trade secrets on the ground floor.

"I don't make the rules." He shrugged, carrying on with his rounds.

Eden moved along, only to pause in front of a futuristic interactive map of the building. Since she was early, she lingered there for some time, playing with the touch screen.

"Whoa!" She marvelled at a fun fact on the screen. The atrium was supposedly so humongous, it could hold a Boeing 737. She didn't know how true it was, but she believed it. If she hadn't come across this nifty map, she would have been overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place. She brought up the different floors and viewed them in 3D, the secret foodie in her singing 'Hallelujah' when she saw the staff canteen and restaurants on the first floor. Aiden's new school—if she got the job—was on the second floor. She took a virtual tour, scoping out the place. She instantly fell in love with the creative methods the teachers used to connect with the tots. She was even more impressed with the state-of-the-art computer lab and the napping area with the tiny sleeping pods. If they taught computers to kids as young as three, Aiden would be talking in ten-word sentences in no time. Now more than ever, she was determined to nail the interview.

She tried visiting Liam's office next, but even virtually access to the 36th floor was denied.

"I'll be back, my toy," she promised the touch-screen map, and approached the five receptionists sitting behind a long, glossy black desk.

Sandy—if the name tag on her chest could be trusted—beckoned her closer. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here for an interview with Mrs Yvonne Gibson," Eden said.

Four other pairs of eyes turned to her, sizing her up. They clearly didn't think she was interview material for Anderson Logistics. Not with Mrs Gibson, at least.

Irritated at their rude reception, Eden pulled out her phone and brought up the email. Sandy read it and gave her an apologetic smile. "Please have a seat. I'll let Mrs Gibson know you're here."

Eden sat in one of the woven wing chairs scattered in the waiting area, expecting it to be as hard as it looked. Surprisingly, it was comfy. Maybe modern decor wasn't so bad, she mused. Not that she could afford one of these chairs.

Her gaze flitted back to the receptionists still whispering about her. She ignored their hushed tones and side-eyes, zoning in on the large waterfall cascading behind them. It was pretty. Soothing too. But she couldn't help wondering where all that water went—

"Ms McBride." A low, raspy voice demanded Eden's attention. She turned to see a statuesque woman staring at her with mild curiosity. She looked familiar, and it took Eden a moment or so to figure out where she'd seen her before—two years ago when she came to tell Liam about Aiden. She looked even more striking up close, and despite her greying afro, her face was as smooth as silk, free of wrinkles and crow's feet.

"I'm Yvonne Gibson, but everyone calls me Gibby," she said, holding out her hand.

Eden expected it to be as frail as it looked when she shook it, but it was surprisingly firm and strong. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Please follow me." Gibby nodded and spun on her heel, breaking into a brisk walk. Eden had to practically run to keep up with her and her life story. In the five minutes it took to get to the interview room, she learned Gibby looked after the administration area. All the secretaries, assistants and office support personnel reported to her.

Despite the long glass table in the room, there were only two chairs. They sat across from each other, with the older woman asking, "would you like something to drink, hot or cold? We've got everything."

Of course, they had everything. If they could fit a plane in here, tons of orange juice and gallons of hot chocolate were nothing.

"So?" Gibby asked.

Eden politely declined. She didn't want to inconvenience her. This was an interview, not a social call.

"Very well, then let's begin." The head honcho of all personal assistants opened the personnel file in front of her. "Why do you want to work for Anderson Logistics? You don't have much experience in office support."

Eden was frank with her, admitting she understood why her lack of experience was a concern. But she was a quick learner and would work twice as hard as her peers because this job was her lifeline.

"How so?" Gibby asked, her dark eyes alive with intrigue.

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