Page 2 of Stuck Together
I hated that I was in this position.
I hated feeling like I was groveling to Althea for help.
I hated that I would be forced to see Logan again if I got this job.
And I hated that I even had to consider taking a position as a copywriter. I should be an advertising executive by now. I’d put in my time and did the work at my last company. If my boss hadn’t been such a pig, I would’ve been promoted instead of fired.
I had too manhatesin my life right now. I could use a little joy.
The elevator dinged when I reached my floor. I took a deep breath and centered my mind.No need to stress. You’ve got this.
The receptionist greeted me with a smile when I stepped off the elevator.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Yes, Madison Hart to see Althea Anderson.”
She nodded and waved toward the waiting area. “Have a seat. I'll let her know you're here.”
“Thank you.” I unwrapped my scarf from around my neck and unbuttoned my coat before I sat down. The office was large with an open airy vibe. The decor was light in color with accents of gold. Elegant was the best way to describe this office environment. The appearance alone spoke volumes to the type of clients they managed.
I had to admit, I’d love to work for an agency capable of landing clients like Althea Group. Maybe starting over wouldn’t be that bad. If I played my cards right, I’d gain even better experience here than I did with my last job.
Yeah, look at the bright side.
“Madison.” Althea’s voice rang through the lobby. “Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe you’re finally here. It's so good to see you, dear. How have you been?”
I stood and gave Althea a warm hug. She embraced me with the same strength and love she did when I was a kid. “I'm good. It's good to see you too. It's been a long time.”
She held me at arm’s length with a huge grin on her face. “Yes, it has. Too long, in fact. How long has it been?”
“Sadly, my senior year of high school.” I wrinkled my nose, a bit embarrassed that I’d stayed away for so long. I’d always loved Althea and it wasn’t her fault Logan broke my heart. Hell, she didn’t even know what happened between us. We’d kept our attraction to each other a secret from our grandmothers. We didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing their matchmaking efforts had worked.
“High School. Wow, that’s so hard to believe.” She pulled me in for another tight hug which only made me feel more guilty for running from her when I ran from Logan. “You're so grown up and even more beautiful than you were as a young girl.”
“Thank you.” I felt my cheeks warm. I never was very good at accepting compliments. They always embarrassed me. “You’re still as sweet as ever.”
“Oh, come now.” She squeezed my shoulders still wearing her huge grin. Then she let me go and waved for me to follow her. “Come on back to my office and let’s talk.”
I followed Althea through a maze of cubicles. She employed a large staff, and almost every desk we passed was occupied. I liked the open concept office space. All the cubicles were half walls and promoted interaction with neighbors. Althea made an effort to say hello to every person we passed. I remembered her as being friendly and open and it was nice to see that part of her personality filtered into how she ran her business. If I got this job, she’d be great to work for.
As we neared the back of the office space, the full length of the back wall was lined with private offices, all with amazing views of Manhattan. The best part was that the walls separating the spaces were made of glass ensuring that every employee on this floor got to enjoy the view. It didn’t add much for privacy other than sound reduction, but it created an open and welcoming atmosphere.
She held her door open for me and pointed toward the seat across her desk, then shut the door behind us. “I have to admit, I was very excited when Judy called me and said you were looking for a job.”
“She’s been trying to get me to contact you for years.” I admitted.
“You should have. Why now?”
“I’m looking for a new start, and a new place to work. I don't know what Grandma told you. But I’ve been looking for a new job for few months now.”
“She may have mentioned that. But you know how Judy is. She’s always bragging about you. You were always more of a daughter to her than a granddaughter.”
“Yes, I was very lucky to have her.” I smiled. I didn’t want to talk about my grandma or how she got me this interview. I wanted to get interviews on my own merit, not because of a lifelong friendship.
“When I heard you were pursuing a degree in marketing and advertising, I’d hoped you’d reach out to when you graduated. You would’ve made an excellent addition to my team.” Her tone turned serious and she was now all business. As stern as she could sometimes sound, I appreciated the transition. If I got this job, I wanted it to be because I earned it.
“I know I should have called. But I wanted to do this on my own. I needed to prove to myself that I had what it took. If I would’ve called you, I would’ve always wondered if I deserved the opportunity. I hope you understand that.” I didn’t want to say anything to offend her and hoped my reasoning made sense to her. It was the truth. That, and there was no way I could’ve handled working with Logan back then. I was still struggling with the idea of seeing him again now.