ChapterThree
Weston
I hangup with Hoy as Reece meanders into the living room looking like he dragged his sorry ass out of bed. “Dude, who the fuck was chewing you out and why am I up this early?” He huffs, stumbling his way to the kitchen, not fully awake yet.
“Funny story, my boss at The Avant Garde lives in the apartment below us and we’ve flooded out her apartment like the assholes we are… her words, not mine.”
“Well, that wasn’t very nice of us…” He pauses his grab for a coffee cup like he’s repeating everything I said, his brain processing as it slowly wakes up. Spinning around, his eyes widen. “Wait, your boss? As in the Ice Queen?”
I can hardly believe it myself. “The one and only.”
He makes his way to the couch, sitting down, steaming coffee in hand. “Dude…” he says, dragging out theu.
“I know it's fantastic, isn’t it? Now, she won’t be able to get away from me.” I rub my hands together maniacally. Something about Wynter Carlisle calls to me, draws me into her like a beacon in the night. I saw her at a weak moment. A moment without the warpaint and fancy dresses she hides behind, beneath the mask.
Reece shakes his head, eyeing me. “You’re going to get yourself in trouble, man. Sometimes, you need to leave things lie and don’t poke the bear. Or in this case, thaw the Ice Queen.”
“Oh, she likes me. There’s a little girl underneath that cold, ice layer wanting to be saved by the white knight on a dark black steed ready to rage a battle and win the Ice Queen’s heart.” I feel my lip curl in a smirk thinking about all the ways I can get under her skin.
“Well, you get on to work. I’ll wait for Hoy.” He gets up and walks to his room, leaving me standing in the living room wondering what comes next.
The streets arequieter today as the cab drops me off in front of the large steel and glass skyscraper that houses The Avant Garde on the fourth floor. I hear the gentle whoosh of the sliding glass doors opening and closing behind me as I walk across the foyer and jump on the almost empty elevator.
I step off on the fourth floor into the ample open-plan space that makes up the main working area of The Avant Garde. I slide into my comfy office chair preparing for the day. My desk sits in a group of double cubicles. My eyes wander over the fairytale memorabilia littering my cube. I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m a huge Disney fan. Have been ever since I was a kid. It’s why I call Wynter my Ice Queen. She reminds of that little blonde-haired cartoon Ice Princess. Only she’s much more a queen than a princess and her hair is fire engine red, not as sweet and innocent as blonde.
The thought of her brings me back to the decision at hand. We’re supposed to have our weekly pow wow this morning to discuss this month’s story approvals, assignments, and other random things. I doubt that will happen now that our editor isn’t coming into the office.
I send an instant message to the columnists in the office, telling them to meet me in the conference room so we can proceed with our normal routine anyhow.
Walking into the room, I see everyone has taken their seats, awaiting Wynter’s arrival. I don’t sit in her chair, instead, I take my regular seat.
“Morning everyone,” I say looking around. “Wynter will not be in this morning so we won’t be having the usual meeting. She’s taking care of something that came up. So, she’ll be working from home today.”
A few gasps leave the mouths of the people surrounding me and I understand why. Wynter Carlisle has never missed a day of work, not even for sickness. Or at least that’s what we’ve learned the last couple of months, having her as our editor-in-chief.
A short, brunette woman who just got hired pipes up. “What about the next issue, story assignments, story approvals…”
I hold up my hand to stop her from talking further. “She will get back to you. If you have an urgent request, I’m sure you can email her.”
She nods, writing a note down on her notepad, waiting for the next morsel of information. “Oh, ok…”
A hand shoots up in the back of the room. “Is she okay? Does she know when she’ll be back?” I find it interesting that they even ask the question, no one seemed to care about Wynter before today. She hasn’t gotten close to any of us.
“No, she is perfectly healthy, and I’m sure she will be back tomorrow. So… if there are no other work-related questions, have a good day.” I don’t stick around for other questions or to hear the theories about why our fearless leader won’t be into work today, although I’m sure they’re interesting.
I go back to my desk and send off a quick text. My name for her is always so appropriate.
Me: How’s the flooding?
Chief: Hoy came in to check it out. He said he needed to bring some other people in to survey the situation.
Me: They figure out what happened?
Chief: Said it started with the pipe above the kitchen and my closet, then ended up with about three inches of water everywhere.
Me: That doesn't sound good.
Chief: Guess we’ll be staying in a hotel until this gets fixed and the insurance company looks at it.