Come with Me (Let It Be Me #2) Read online

  “I forgive you for working in a non-profit organization and making peanuts, since you get to work with The Alexander Stone!” Brian said. “You might get Emily and me to volunteer too!”

  Liz laughed. “You’d be more than welcome, even if your intentions aren’t that pure,” she teased.

  They laughed.

  Emily has been her friend since junior high in a Catholic all-girls school. They were both active in the student council and several clubs. They both went to Columbia for college and met Brian. Brian was their first gay friend. He was fun and smart, and drop-dead gorgeous. He had a toned body, a face that could start on a sitcom, and hair that was always styled perfectly. Emily and Liz had crushes on him until they found out he wasn’t straight.

  For the two, Brian was refreshing to be with after all those years being surrounded by girls in school. They kidded him that he enjoyed being the different one among the three of them.

  “Have you broken the news to your parents?” Emily asked. Brian and Emily have met Liz’s parents in several occasions already.

  Liz nodded. “I called them this afternoon. They seem happy that I got it – or maybe just resigned to it.” She laughed. She kidded about it but she knew her parents supported her. Her dad told her that he never expected her to make a lot of money. He even told her that he was glad Liz took after her mom and her mom’s generous heart.

  “And it turns out they’ve met the managing director before, so that helps. I think my dad’s pretty okay with my career choice since I’m dating a lawyer.” She laughed.

  “And speaking of, where is Jack?” Brian asked.

  “I spoke to him earlier,” Liz said. She checked her watch. “He said he will follow. It’s already eleven. I better call him to ask where he is.”

  She fished for her phone in her bag and dialed Jack’s number. It took him a while to answer.

  “Hey, where are you?” she asked. She was starting to get tired of asking him where he was or if he was busy.

  “Still in the office,” he said. “Still have to go through a lot of documents for a case. Sorry, babe, don’t think I’ll be able to make it.”

  Again.

  “This weekend then?” Liz asked.

  “Of course,” he assured. “I’ll see you then. And I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks,” she said half-heartedly. She didn’t want to be selfish, but she hoped the night would be about her. Was it too much to ask from a boyfriend?

  “I love you, Liz.”

  “I love you,” she said back automatically.

  She put down her phone and pouted at her friends. She also slightly felt embarrassed that her boyfriend was ditching her.

  “Uh-oh, he’s M.I.A. again,” Brian said.

  “That’s what I get for having an ambitious lawyer as a boyfriend,” Liz said, shrugginh.

  “But for how long can you take it?” Emily asked. “He’s hardly around.”

  “I’m not one of those needy women,” Liz reasoned. “I don’t need to see him all the time.” She said the words, but she wasn’t sure if she meant them. Maybe she was just trying to convince herself.

  Her friends looked at her hopelessly.

  “So shall I order another round of vodka tonic?” she asked, in an attempt to raise everyone’s spirits again, mostly her own.

  “Hell yeah!” Brian cheered, and Emily nodded in agreement.

  Liz waved over the waiter and asked for their drinks.

  They chatted about Brian’s day at work. He was a personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman. He loved his job. He got to dress a number of affluent people – some of them were even celebrities.

  “The new Givenchy collection has arrived,” he announced. “It’s divine!”

  “Well I can wait till your clearance sales,” Liz said. “And with your employee discount on top of it, hopefully I can get a piece or two within my budget.”

  “Ah, Liz, I don’t know if I should strangle or applaud you for choosing to live a simple life,” Brian teased. “Your credentials and your parents would have connected you to a higher paying job.”

  “Which isn’t what I want,” Liz said indignantly.

  “That’s why I love you, my dear,” Brian said sincerely. What Emily and Liz loved about Brian was that on the surface he may seem shallow but they could really depend on him to support them with the decisions they make, and would also give sound advice if they weren’t sure.

  The waiter came back then with their drinks.

  Raising her glass, Liz said, “To my awesome friends who would lend me money when I go broke.”

  They laughed as they clinked glasses and took a swig of their drinks.

  “Hold on, I think I see someone I know,” Brian said, standing up, holding on to his drink.

  Emily and Liz watched as Brian sauntered off to the bar to greet an attractive guy they assumed was gay too.

  “Brian gets all the gorgeous men,” Emily said, kiddingly. Brian wasn’t seeing anyone, but he had a lot of good-looking gay friends. Emily has kidded that it broke her heart every time she found out a hot guy wasn’t into women.

  “You’ll find your own gorgeous man soon enough,” Liz said encouragingly.

  Liz has wondered about Emily. Emily was gorgeous. She was tall, had good curves, fabulous blonde hair and great skin. She was also smart and funny. She was in human resources for a multi-national company so she met a lot of people. But she hasn’t dated anyone for months now.

  She’s witnessed guys asking her friend out, but Emily would immediately turn them down. She and Emily have discussed it before. Emily had certain standards – which Liz totally supported – since Emily deserved the best. And she and Emily were only twenty-seven years old. There was no need to be in a hurry anyway.

  “So you start next week right?” Emily asked, taking a sip of her drink.

  “Yup my training starts Monday,” Liz confirmed. “I’m kinda nervous.”

  “No reason to be,” Emily said.

  “One of the bosses seemed pretty unwelcoming,” Liz said, then recounted what happened when she met Benjamin Wright.

  “Maybe it was just a bad day for him,” Emily said consolingly.

  “Maybe,” Liz echoed, though unsure. “I hope.”

  “But the awesome thing is, you wanted this opportunity,” Emily said, “and you have this chance to prove yourself to them.”

  “Yeah,” Liz said, smiling. She had some ideas for fund-raising and projects that she hoped she can pitch to the board later on. “And it will be my first full-time job. No more juggling studies and work.” She has worked part time as a teacher’s assistant, a tutor, and even worked in a senator’s campaign while going to graduate school.

  “I’m excited for you, Liz,” Emily said.

  “Thanks!” Liz exclaimed, sipping from her glass. She truly was thrilled for the opportunity that was just offered to her.

  Brian came back then with a wide grin. He sat on his chair and said, “I have a date this weekend!”

  “Ooh,” Liz and Emily sounded simultaneously. Brian never ran out of dates. Among the three of them, he had the wildest love life. Emily and Liz lived vicariously through him.

  “Is it with the hottie by the bar?” Liz asked.

  He nodded, bouncing his eyebrows. “His name is Dave. We went to dance lessons together before after college. Haven’t seen him in years! He looks still as sexy as he was then.”

  “Will wait for the deets!” Emily said, then realizing what she said, made a face. “Okay maybe not all of them.”

  They laughed as they finished their round.

  Chapter 4

  Liz

  By the time Monday morning came, Liz has mentally prepared herself. She was really excited, but she wanted to manage her expectations. Her objective was to prove that she deserved the job and she would do well in it.

  She left her apartment early to make sure she would get to work on time. She was still gauging how long the travel time was at that hour, taking the tr
ain and walking to and from the station.

  She ended up being thirty minutes early. There were only a few people entering the building, since it was only a six-story building and probably housed only a few offices.

  She was greeted by a different security guard at the building lobby. The guard this time looked more awake than the previous one, probably still energized from his morning cup of coffee. He was an elderly guy who had a jolly face. He reminded her of Mickey Rooney.

  “You must be Elizabeth Hatton,” he called as she made her way to the desk. “I missed you last week when I took my leave. Miranda told me to expect you this morning and have you go straight up.”

  “Thanks!” she exclaimed, pleased with the welcome. “And since you already know my name, may I know yours? Since I would be seeing you every morning.”

  “It’s Gary, ma’am. Gary Holbrook,” he said proudly. “Been working here for thirty-three years.”

  “That’s amazing,” Liz said. “Nice to meet you, Gary. I should head up.”

  “Congratulations on the new job, ma’am,” he said.

  “You can call me Liz!” she said, as she headed to the stairs.

  Since she knew she was going to take the stairs, she only wore her low heels. Then she wore one of the good steals she got through Brian – a Helmut Lang pair of cropped pants that she happily got for $50 – paired with a chiffon button-down shirt she got at Urban Outfitters. Brian has definitely influenced her fashion sense.

  As she entered the RHS office, it seemed like Miranda wasn’t in yet. When she spoke to Miranda on the phone last week, she was told to wait at the reception area. She walked around to see more photos. She recognized Henry, Benjamin and of course Alexander Stone. They all seemed happy and friendly – sides she hasn’t seen from both Benjamin and Henry. Liz hoped Emily was right and that Benjamin was only having a bad day last week. And as for Henry, he just seemed so formal.

  “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 t
ogether 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.