I’ve been so busy, I have barely had time to see, let alone speak to my friends.
That is until now, and seeing Asher’s face across the table makes me realize how much I’ve missed him.
“This is cool, meeting each other for lunch,” Asher says, stuffing a pastrami sandwich into his mouth.
I can’t believe I’m starting my third week of working here and this is the first time I’ve left my desk to eat lunch.
Shelby insisted I take a break after I spent the morning doing research for the Diosa pitch and then leafing through vendors we are using for the cancer fundraiser. There are six months to go until the gala date and a lot of work to do. Once I was done with that, I started looking over résumés and identifying five candidates who could potentially work.
Onlyfiveout of actual hundreds of résumés.
A lot of talent is sitting on my desk, but none will mesh well with Diosa, based on their former jobs.
“I’m so glad we could get together when Shelby told me to go out for a long lunch. Being Mr. Cavendish’s right-hand lady, she leaves little room for argument. I’ve really grown to like her in the short time I’ve been with the company.”
She’s fair and very knowledgeable. She’s helping me navigate things while the search is on for my boss, and I’ve already learned so much more from her than I did with the last part-time marketing job I had during school.
As I eat my lunch, I tell Asher what’s happening at the company. Having a friend to talk to about work stuff makes this journey more exciting.
“Shelby’s spending the day scheduling interviews for later this week. Not that anything can happen. Cavendish is leaving for a business trip today, and nothing can be finalized without him.”
This means I still have time to nail this presentation and potentially get the job myself.
I might be setting my sights a little high, but you’ll always fail if you don’t try.
I grin at Asher and then laugh. “I really should be working and not taking a break. I have so much to do.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”
I snort. “You know damn well I’m a hard worker.”
“You are.” He smiles. “I’m proud of you, Raven.” He takes another bite and continues to speak around a mouthful. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so smart.”
This feels good. Normal. Nothing is weird between us today, and I’m grateful. Asher and I are friends. The best of, and I’m done allowing others to taint that.
“I know, it’s fancy, huh? I mean, I’d love to stay in my pajamas all day, but getting dressed up is a close second.”
“I must say, I’ve never seen you wear so much black. Is that a Cavendish requirement?”
“Ha,” I say, taking a sip of my water. “After I spilled coffee all over my white shirt last week, yeah... black is my go-to choice now. Also, I thought for the first few weeks, I’d tone down my wardrobe. You and I both know that Cavendish isn’t ready for my signature look.”
He laughs, likely thinking through my assortment of colorful dresses and skirts. I’m not a black and gray kind of girl, and that’ll likely help with the Diosa account.
“They’re bold and cutting edge. Hopefully, they’ll appreciate my knack for color later.”
“You really are enjoying it?”
I nod, eyes widening when I realize he isn’t caught up on all the events. “Actually, I have a lot to tell you.”
“Already? But you’ve only been there for a few weeks. What could you have possibly gotten into?”
“I kind of got promoted to work on a new account. I’m now the lead analyst for a large new client. I even got a pay raise to go with the role.”
His eyes widen, and something very close to envy flits across his face before it disappears.
“My first few days were so boring. I remember just pushing paper around my desk to look busy. How the hell did you manage to get a pay increase already?”
I laugh, remembering what my first few hours were like. “Yeah, I did the paper pushing, too, but there’s more.” My voice pitches. “They started talking about Summer Smith representing Diosa, and I about lost it.”