Come with Me (Let It Be Me #2)

COME WITH ME

Tiara Bosh 

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Text copyright © 2015. Tiara Bosh

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher and author.

Books by Tiara Bosh

Let It Be Me

Come with Me

Chapter 1

Liz

Liz looked at the message at her phone then looked up at the sign. It looked like she was at the right building along Broadway. 

She made her way into the old, nondescript building and walked to the reception desk. The office building was plain and didn’t even have couches or seats in the lobby.

The guard who was manning the desk seemed like he was still in college. He looked sleepy at ten in the morning. “Who are you seeing?” he asked automatically.

“Henry Chapell at RHS Foundation,” she supplied with a smile.

“Your name?” 

“Elizabeth Hatton.”  

She watched as he checked his logbook. 

Probably seeing her name, he said, “Please log in here. They’re at the fourth floor.”

“Thank you,” she said, signing her name and log-in time.

The guard pointed to where the elevators were, but knowing she was still a few minutes early for her interview, she skipped the elevator lobby and walked to the fire exit staircase. She liked squeezing in some exercise whenever she could. 

Yes, she could be quite a geek.

Four flights up, she exited into the lobby of the fourth floor to see the simple signage of the foundation. She was pretty fit, so the walk up didn’t give her a sweat even in her low heels. She looked down at her simple slacks and the light blazer she wore over a camisole. She raised her hand to check her high ponytail. Okay, seemed she still looked like the way she did when she left her apartment.

There was a moment of nervousness as she stood in front of the signage, but she convinced herself she’s been preparing for this for a while now. 

Taking a deep breath, she opened the glass door and was greeted by a woman she guessed to be in her forties at the reception desk. She had dark red hair, a friendly face, and thick-framed glasses. She looked much more excited than the guard downstairs.

“Elizabeth?” she guessed with a smile, as she stood up.

“Yes, that’s me,” Liz confirmed, smiling back as she walked closer.

“Hi, I’m Miranda,” the lady introduced. “We spoke on the phone. I’m Henry’s secretary and part-time receptionist. We take turns manning this little table.” She laughed. She stood up and said, “I’ll show you the meeting room, then I’ll inform Henry you’re here.”

Miranda led her to a room that had a conference table that could seat ten to twelve people. The room didn’t have the latest technology but it had the essentials: a projector installed in the ceiling and blinds to block off sunlight during presentations.

“Would you want some coffee?” Miranda offered, as Liz sat down at the side of the room against the window.

Liz shook her head. “No, thank you.” Miranda was already doing double duty. She didn’t want to impose.

“Okay, Henry should be with you in a while,” Miranda said, closing the door behind her.

Waiting for her interviewer, Liz stood up and looked around the room. It was sparsely decorated. There were just some photos of the team led by the actor Alexander Stone, along with some photos of their completed and on-going projects. 

There was also a scaled model of Stone Homes at the far corner of the room. She was itching to check it out, but she knew she shouldn’t, in case Henry Chapell came in and considered her nosy.

She walked over to one wall that was cladded with glass, meant to be like a whiteboard. Seeing her reflection, she checked if her hair and her clothes were in place. She had dark brown hair that she usually wore long and wavy, but she had it tied in a ponytail for the interview. She had really fair skin, and large brown eyes. She was lucky to have gotten her mom’s eyes. Her friend Brian said it made her look like a pixie.

She took the seat that had a direct view of the door and waited for her interviewer. A few minutes passed until the door opened and an elderly man walked in. Elizabeth stood up automatically. 

“Miss Hatton, I am Henry Chapell,” he said, walking over to shake her hand. She recognized him from the photos on the walls. He was just average height and looked very distinguished not just because of his more formal suit and tie ensemble, but because of his demeanor.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” she greeted politely.

“Have a seat,” he said, taking the chair opposite hers. 

She sat down.

He opened the folder he had then browsed through it. 

“Why would a journalism graduate with a master’s degree want to work in a non-profit organization?” Henry Chapell asked. 

Liz stilled for a second, only slightly surprised he went direct to the point. Liz was expecting a question like that, and she came prepared.

She cleared her throat and started. “My parents have exposed me to philanthropic efforts since I was little. From my high school to college years, as part of organizations and student councils, I continued with those efforts and found that I enjoyed it and gave me the fulfillment that I crave for. After I got my master’s degree earlier this year, I knew that this was direction I wanted to take.”

“You do realize that the pay isn’t much,” Henry said candidly.

“That isn’t an issue, sir,” she said.

“Miss Hatton, I hope you won’t take this wrongly, but I’ve met your parents. They’ve supported some of our functions. I don’t mean to pry, but do they know you’re applying for a job here?”

Liz stilled. It surprised her, but not quite. Her parents supported several foundations. She never really checked if RHS was one of them. It wasn’t so surprising that Henry Chapell has encountered them. The question could have sounded nosy, but Mr. Chapell asked it matter-of-factly, that she understood where he was coming from. 

“Yes. They respect the decisions I make,” Liz declared. 

Henry nodded, probably pondering on what she said. “You’re applying for the position of assistant managing director. Whoever gets the position will be under me to learn the ropes. You can expect that in organizations like this, people assume several tasks. It could be quite busy especially with the now larger projects, but we take pride that the people who work here are given a comfortable work atmosphere and are given much credit for their work done.”

She nodded, listening as he gave more detail on what the job entailed. She was initially intimidated when she met Henry Chapell a few minutes ago, but through the course of the interview, she started to admire him, knowing he was a man who made things happen. She could learn a lot from him.

She suddenly got excited. She’s researched about the foundation’s mission and vision, and their projects. She wanted the job so bad. 

“With Alex being a public figure, we ask our employees to be very discreet,” Henry said. “As part of all employees’ contracts, we have everyone sign a non-disclosure agreement when it comes to Alex’s private life. We had to let go of an employee two years ago since she gave some information to a reporter.”

Liz was surprised someone risked their job for that. She nodded. “That’s reasonable.” 

“Very well, I still have a couple other applicants I will be meeting today,” Henry said. “We shall call you soon if we’ve made our decision.”

He stood up, and Liz followed suit. 

“I’ll lead you out,” Henry said.

“Thank you,” she said, following him out the room. 

Just as they stepped out, Liz noticed someone walking down the hallway. She looked to recognize one of the heads of the foundation. She saw him in some of the photos in the meeting room. He was attractive in an approachable kind of way. He had sandy blonde hair, a mildly stubbled jaw, and a body that seemed fit. He was dressed in a slim-fit button-down dress shirt over tailored slacks. With his leather lace-up shoes, his outfit was very well put together. 

“Elizabeth, this is Benjamin Wright,” Henry said, when Benjamin was closer. “Ben, Elizabeth is one of our applicants for the assistant managing director position.”

Ben stopped to join them. Liz was only five-foot-five. And even in her heels, she had to look up at Ben’s towering height that must be close to six feet. But when her eyes met his green ones, she was surprised to see a frown creasing his forehead. 

Despite the frown, he offered his hand. He didn’t say anything. Liz, taught by her mom to remain polite always, took his hand. She looked up at him, wondering why there seemed to be disapproval in his face. 

Releasing her hand, Ben looked at Henry and said. “We have a meeting at four, right?”

“Yes, Bobby’s team will be here.”

Ben nodded. “If you’ll excuse me then.” He walked away, hardly acknowledging Liz.

“Let’s go,” Henry said, oblivious to what happened. He walked with Liz to the reception area. 

“Thanks for your interest in this position, Elizabeth,” Henry said. He still was formal; Liz gathered that much about him. “Send my regards to your parents.”

“I will,” she said. “Thank you, and nice to meet you.”

She shook his hand then walked out. She also saw Miranda waving, and she waved back. She took the stairs down, having mixed feelings about the interview. She wasn’t very confident she would get it. It didn’t help that Henry Chapell recognized her surname and has actually met her parents. But he couldn’t hold that against her, right? 

Then there’s Benjamin Wright. He didn’t seem that welcoming – and to think Henry said they had a comfortable working environment.

But despite all that, she knew she still wanted to get that job. She’s been to couple other interviews in other foundations, but neither appealed to her the way RHS did. Stepping out of the building, she said a quick prayer.

She needed to talk to someone. She took out her phone to dial her boyfriend’s number. He answered on the third ring.

“Hey, babe, just came from the interview,” she said. Jack was a lawyer. They met at one of their common friend’s parties and they hit it off. They’ve been together for almost two years now.

“What interview?” Jack asked. 

“What do you mean what interview?” Liz exclaimed, incredulously. “I’ve been talking about it for a week now.”

“Oh yeah, sorry Liz, you know I could be quite forgetful,” he said after a short pause.

He didn’t sound very apologetic but Liz let it slide. “Wanna have dinner tonight?” she asked.

“Sorry can’t tonight,” he said. “I have to entertain some German clients. Maybe tomorrow?” 

“Okay,” Liz said, disappointed. She didn’t feel like being alone that night or she would just be worrying about the interview she just had.

“Have to go,” Jack said. “I love you.”

“I love –“ she started, but realized that Jack has already ended the conversation.

It was while walking to the train station that she remembered that Jack didn’t even ask her how the interview went.

Chapter 2

Ben

“Miranda has already gotten the requirements from the E.D.,” Henry said in their meeting that afternoon. He was referring to the U.S. Department of Education.

Ben was with Henry and Alex at the conference room for their weekly meeting on the foundation’s projects. The foundation’s latest project was a school for the under-privileged. It was their most ambitious project to date since running a school was more complicated than the past residential projects they’ve done.

“And has Bobby gotten back to you with the design team assigned to the school?” Alex asked. “Kayla’s been busy in the office. She hasn’t asked Bobby about it.”

Alex met his girlfriend Kayla while working together in the foundation’s first huge housing development, Stone Homes, wherein Kayla was the designer-in-charge. They’ve been together for almost two years now. Ben was genuinely happy for Alex -- Kayla was the perfect girl for him. She shared his passions and supported his career. They had a lot in common too, without making the relationship boring. They complemented each other well – Alex could be quite impulsive while Kayla was more reserved. 

“Yes, Bobby called this morning,” Henry said. “He’s assigning a Kevin Whitaker. I already sent him the design brief. He said we can expect the first presentation end of this month.”

“Kayla has mentioned him before,” Alex said, recognizing the name. “She mentioned Kevin since he has designed a couple of schools before.”

“That’s great,” Ben surmised. Even if the architectural firm was going to be paid minimally of course they hoped to get the best.