Come with Me (Let It Be Me #2) (3 page)

“Hey, you must be the new girl,” a voice said from behind.

Liz looked back in surprise to see a friendly-looking African-American woman who had mad curly hair piled high over her head in a wild ponytail. She had on a floral maxi dress. 

“Yes, I’m Liz,” she said, walking over and extending her hand.

“I’m Dana,” she said, taking her hand. “Miranda told me about you. Great to see a new face here in the office.”

“Well I’m happy to be here,” Liz said. 

“Miranda should be here any minute now,” Dana said. “She’s never late.”

“Great,” Liz said, smiling. 

“You can join me and Sarah for lunch,” Dana offered. “We usually just go somewhere nearby.”

Liz was grateful for the offer. Dana just spared her the awkwardness of finding lunchmates on her first day of work or going out to lunch on her own for that matter. “Yes sure, that would be great. Thank you.”

Miranda walked into the office right then and smiled at both Liz and Dana. “Hi, Elizabeth. So you’ve met Dana.”

“Yes, I had to entertain her since you were late,” Dana said teasingly.

Miranda stopped then looked up at the wall clock. 

“I was just kidding, Miranda,” Dana said, laughing. “I will treat the whole office to coffee if you ever come late for work!”

Both Liz and Miranda laughed. Liz was feeling good about the morning. If this was how work was going to be, she was going to love working here.

“I’ll see you later, Liz,” Dana said walking away. “Welcome to RHS!”

“Thanks, Dana!” she said.

“Come with me, Elizabeth,” Miranda said. “I’ll just leave my purse at my desk then I will give you a short tour.”

“Just call me Liz.”

“Okay,” Miranda said, smiling at her.

Liz followed as Miranda walked down the hallway, passing by the door to the conference room where Henry interviewed her – it was the same hallway where she saw Benjamin Wright. 

Miranda walked to a desk Liz assumed was hers. She placed her purse on the chair then got a couple of folders from her tray.

“We can start here,” Miranda said. “This is obviously my desk. Then that door –“ she pointed to her right, “—is Henry’s office. Next to his are Ben’s then Alex’s offices, but they don’t come in everyday. You’ll probably only see them once or twice a week at most.”

Liz covertly sighed with relief. She wasn’t sure she’d want to see Benjamin Wright very often.

The office interiors were simple as expected. The three directors had their private offices, with their names on the doors. The rest of the office had an open plan though, with cubicles that had low dividers. The walls were painted in light colors so it felt homey inside.

They walked down a bit, and Liz spied Dana’s hair over the low dividers. Liz saw there were only a few desks. 

“This is your desk. You’ll be coordinating mostly with me and Henry. Want to leave your purse here?” Miranda stopped at an empty desk that didn’t have any view, but Liz didn’t mind.

Liz nodded, then placed her bag next to the computer monitor. 

Miranda introduced her to the rest of the staff – there were only eleven of them. She met Sarah – the other girl she was going to have lunch with. Sarah was a bespectacled girl who had auburn wavy hair and was so tiny she probably could pass as a high school girl. 

Everyone seemed quite friendly, and she liked the vibe she got from the place. 

Things were starting pretty well.

* * *

“So Miranda had you sign that non-disclosure agreement?” Dana asked as the three of them sat in a small table at a deli close to the office. 

“Yup,” Liz said, unwrapping the pastrami sandwich she got. “So what’s the story behind the girl who got fired?”

“Poor Samantha,” Dana said. “She was only with the foundation for around four months then. It turned out the guy she was dating was working in some tabloid. She unfortunately told him that Alex was dating an architect. She didn’t reveal much, but confidentiality is very important in this office of ours.”

Liz nodded, feeling bad for the girl, but understanding why she was let go. 

“Anyways hopefully after my six months’ probation, I could prove that they can trust me.” She spent the morning mostly with Miranda, but she also met with Henry so he could further orient her on what was expected of her, and what tasks she had lined up.

“Really?” Sarah asked. Her voice was as tiny as her frame. She was adorable. “I don’t remember having that clause when I joined two years ago.”

Liz shrugged, as she chewed. “Maybe they just added it recently.”

“Your position is also higher than ours,” Dana said, “You’d practically be handling the things Henry couldn’t, so maybe they’re just a bit more cautious about the person who will take the title.”

Sarah nodded.

“Miranda has clued us in on your credentials. I’m sure you’ll do great,” Dana said, encouragingly and sincerely.

“Thanks, I hope so. So how long have you been with RHS, Dana?” Liz asked, before biting into her sandwich.

“Three years,” she said. “I’m one of the pioneers.”

“That’s great,” Liz said. “You guys must be pretty happy working in the foundation.”

They both nodded. “There are only certain people who can really work in non-profit organizations,” Dana said. “I guess it’s the passion for the cause that’s common among everyone in the office.” 

“And it doesn’t hurt that it’s a pretty relaxed environment,” Sarah added. “We never have to work late.”

“It’s a good office,” Dana added. “And the work itself is pretty rewarding.”

“Perfect,” Liz said. Everything sounded the way she hoped they would be.

“We have the Family Day next month!” Sarah said excitedly.

“Family Day?” Liz asked.

“Yeah, that one’s going to be fun!” Dana exclaimed. “Employees and their families come together for some sports and games.”

“Do you already have kids?” Sarah asked Liz.

Liz shook her head. “Not yet married,” she said.

“Boyfriend?” Dana asked.

Liz nodded. 

“Sarah is also not yet married,” Dana said. “Oh! You’ll get to meet my husband and my little boy.” 

“Adam is adorable,” Sarah gushed.

“Adam is six years old,” Dana said. “You’ll meet the other people’s families. It’s one of the foundation’s annual team-bonding activities.”

“It’s going to be at the Irvington school grounds,” Sarah said. “RHS has supported the school for a while now.”

“Sarah is one of the organizers this year,” Dana said. “We all take turns.”

“Sounds exciting,” Liz said, enthused. She liked that the foundation was indeed taking care of the employees. 

They continued eating their sandwiches. Liz loved the deli. They made their own bread, as proven by the smell of freshly-baked bread inside the place, and they had the freshest ingredients. 

“So where did you work before RHS, Liz?” Dana asked.

“I worked mostly in the academe – part-time,” Liz responded. “I just finished my master’s degree last year.”

“Wow, girl, you must be pretty smart,” Dana said. 

Liz shook her head, embarrassed. “I just like learning new things all the time.”

“And humble,” Sarah said, smiling. “You’re perfect for RHS.”

“Hopefully the board will think so,” Liz said.

After their lunch, they walked back to their building. Her phone started ringing as they were walking. She saw that it was Jack calling.

“Excuse me, it’s my boyfriend,” she said, then took a couple steps away from Dana and Sarah. 

“Hi,” she answered. 

“I hope you aren’t mad at me,” he said. 

Kayla was quiet for a few seconds. Although he promised they would celebrate, they weren’t able to see each other over the weekend since he got tied up with a case. Since Brian was on a date, Liz ended up spending Saturday evening at Emily’s apartment to watch Sandra Bullock movies.

“You just have some making up to do,” she said. She didn’t want to fight. 

“I know. I will,” he assured. “I’m sorry.”

She could have said it was all okay, but she couldn’t get herself to say is.

“I’ll talk to you later,” he said. “Tell me how your first day went.”

“Okay, I will,” she said robotically.  

“I love you, Liz,” he said.

“I love you,” she said back, disconnecting the call.

“Tell us about your boyfriend,” Dana said, as Liz joined them again.

“His name is Jack,” Liz said. “He’s a lawyer.”

“He works here in New York?” Sarah asked.

“Yup. His office is at the Chrysler Building,” Liz said.

“Posh,” Dana said.

Walking into the building, they were greeted by Gary. 

“How’s your day so far, Liz?” Gary asked.

“It’s going really great, Gary, thanks!” Liz replied happily.

“Looks like Gary has made a new friend today,” Dana kidded, winking at Gary.

Gary chuckled, as the three girls walked to the elevator lobby. Liz just followed them, thinking she couldn’t ask them to take the stairs with her.

“Gary is an institution in this building,” Dana told her. “He knows everyone who works here. That’s why everyone really noticed when he wasn’t around last week. Turned out his daughter and her family were visiting.”

“That’s sweet,” Liz gushed. 

“Then in RHS, we’re like a huge family,” Sarah said. “It won’t be long till you’ll totally blend in with everyone.”

“I would love that,” Liz agreed. 

As the other passengers of the elevator were from the higher floors, the three of them got out first. They turned to the RHS office entrance and through the glass doors, Liz noticed someone standing by the reception desk. 

As Dana opened the door, Liz recognized Benjamin Wright. He was going through some mail.

“Hey Ben!” Dana greeted, and Liz was quite surprised by how cordial Dana was with him. She actually expected people to be walking on needles around him.

Ben looked up, looking at each one of them. Liz felt his gaze at her last a bit longer that she slightly felt uncomfortable. “Hi Dana. Sarah, Ms. Hatton.”

“It’s Liz,” Sarah volunteered.

Ben looked at Liz, and Liz nodded to confirm.

“Welcome to RHS,” he said formally.

“Thank you,” she said.

The three of them walked away, and Liz was thinking that went better than she expected. Maybe she just caught him at a bad time last week.

“Hmm, Ben seems a bit off today,” Dana said, when they were out of earshot. “He must be pretty stressed right now.”

Liz’s heart dropped. Okay, maybe not.

Chapter 5

Ben

Ben was at Alex’s place with Alex and Kayla one evening the following week. The dinner meeting was mostly for Alex’s benefit since he was away for the past few days since he had to fly to Los Angeles to read for a director. Ben would usually go with him, but he wasn’t able to go this time since he had his own meetings scheduled in New York. It was Alex’s agent Louis who went with him to the reading.

Alex flew back the previous night, and he wanted an update on things. Ben, as his manager and friend, had to relent to Alex’s requests once in a while.

And it helped that Alex’s cook, Mrs. Goldstein, prepared really good meals. 

Tonight they had lamb chops and an Asian salad. Mrs. Goldstein usually only came in twice a week to clean and cook for the days she was away, but she came in that day particularly to prepare a special meal for the evening since she knew Alex was having people over.

 “We had the site meeting at Stone Homes the other day,” Kayla said. “Looks like everything is on schedule. The structures of the three buildings are at seventy-five percent. We should be able to meet the completion summer next year.”

Stone Homes was composed of four buildings to house one hundred underprivileged families. They already launched the first building last year. They will be completing the other three buildings by next year.

“Great,” Alex said, then to Ben he asked, “Then what’s the latest on the school project?”

“The architects are still working on their design proposal,” Ben reported. “The consultant from E.D. already verified the requirements. So we just wait and see.”

“I actually peeked at some drawings Kevin and his team are working on,” Kayla admitted sheepishly. “Everything looks great. As much as I wanted to butt in, I saw they were already doing a good job. And I’m not just saying that because they’re my colleagues.”

Alex and Ben laughed. Ben was amazed by how great it was that Alex found someone who was equally as supportive to the causes of the foundation. 

Alex nodded and said, “Once we have the initial drawings and cost estimates, we can start reaching out to our benefactors.” 

Ben turned to Alex. “I actually have some good news. I met with Mackenzie Gordon yesterday, and he said he had a lot in New Jersey he would want to donate to us. He said it’s less than an acre but he said we should be able to make good use of it.”

Mackenzie Gordon was an oil tycoon who has generously been supporting the foundation.

“That’s amazing!” Alex exclaimed in excitement. “We can start having some feasibility studies done. Hope it’s in an accessible location.”

“Once you have the lot plan and address I can take a look at it,” Kayla offered.

“Ah the perks of having an architect as my girlfriend,” Alex joked, leaning towards Kayla to kiss her on her cheek. He then turned to Ben. “Maybe you can get the new girl to work on it.”

Ben stilled, then looked at Alex.

“Elizabeth Hatton?” he asked, of course already knowing Alex was referring to her. He should have known Alex would want to prove that Ben wrong about her.

“Who’s Elizabeth?” Kayla asked, peering at Alex. 

“She’s the new girl Henry hired to take over some of his tasks since the projects are simultaneously moving,” Alex told her. “Henry said she’s doing great work, and getting along with everyone. Miranda has been training her since last week. Henry said she should be joining the meetings starting next week. So looks like you’re wrong about her, Benjo.” Benjo was Ben’s nickname back in high school.

“What’s Ben wrong about?” Kayla asked.