I tried turning the key again, and when the car still wouldn’t start, I rested my head on the steering wheel and let out a whine. Why me, Lord?
That was a stupid question. Things like this happened to everyone so there was no point in complaining. I just wished my car had found a different day to inconvenience me. Saturday would have been better. Today…not so much.
And there went the extra hour I thought I would have to finish my paperwork. I’d gotten up early for nothing, and that in itself irritated me more than anything else. After calling the Automobile Club for a jumpstart, a guy arrived an hour later. He got my vehicle started and told me I’d probably be fine since the battery would most likely recharge during the thirty-minute commute to work. Probably was good enough for me as I didn’t want to waste another minute.
When I was a couple of minutes away from the office, I stopped at my favorite coffee house and got a salted caramel latte with extra whipped cream. It was loaded with sugar but so worth it, especially on a day like this.
When I finally arrived at my office, it was eight o’clock. That gave me two hours before my first client would arrive as I always had my administrative assistant schedule appointments after ten a.m., allowing two hours to work on paperwork before the day got busy. Two hours seemed like a long time, but with all I had to do, it wasn’t enough. I’d been counting on three today, but if I worked hard, I might get through a good chunk of it.
I parked, grabbed my coffee, and headed towards the entrance of the building. I opened the door just as a man burst out, not even looking where he was going. He knocked the coffee out of my hand and it spilled all over my St. John cream satin blouse. My jaw dropped open as the warm liquid seeped through the fabric, and the cup fell to the ground. Thankfully it had cooled enough that it didn’t burn my skin, but it would take great effort to get that stain out.
“Watch where you’re going!” I yelled, furious he’d been so reckless. I wasn’t normally so sharp with people, but he’d caught me off guard and didn’t seem to care.
He smiled sheepishly and kept going. “Sorry!” He didn’t even stop to make sure I was okay.
I picked up the coffee cup and headed to the bathroom on the ground floor. This was turning out to be a horrible day. I just hoped it didn’t continue this way.
Once inside the restroom, the evidence of that little calamity was quite disconcerting. I studied the huge coffee stain covering my chest in an uncomplimentary fashion. I’d heard of some people keeping an extra shirt in their car for situations like these, but I hadn’t had the foresight to do that. If I turned around and went home to change, I would lose another hour.
It would be fine. I would just tell my clients what happened, and it would be a humorous story that would set them at ease, making it easier for them to open up about their own troubles.
I used several paper hand-towels to soak up as much liquid as I could and then rode the elevator to the third floor. Minutes later, I walked past Betsy, my administrative assistant, and laughed as she took in my appearance.
“Don’t ask,” I said, chuckling. “I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those days.”
“I’ll bet,” she said, her lips pressed together as if trying not to snicker.
I walked into my office and closed the door, breathing a sigh of relief that I’d finally made it. Taking a seat, I thought through what I needed to work on first. I was just turning my computer on and getting situated when a call from the reception desk came through. It was Betsy.
“Jazmin, your new client arrived. Should I let him in?”
My brows lowered, and I tilted my head to the side in confusion. “New client? You didn’t inform me I would have a new client, plus I’m not supposed to have appointments until ten.”
“I know, but this guy wouldn’t take no for an answer. Said it was imperative that he meet with you, and that the two of you are already acquainted with each other. He said you would be fine with it.” She paused. “I’m sorry, did I do the wrong thing by scheduling him?”
Ugh. I wanted to say yes, but Betsy was one of those really sweet people who would probably burst into tears if she thought she’d disappointed me. “No, it’s okay. Let him in.”
New clients required a full intake process, and I often scheduled two hours for that. My paperwork wouldn’t get done this morning which meant I’d have to stay late this evening or do this all over again tomorrow morning. I let out a breath and leaned back in my chair as the door opened.
“Hello,” I said, glancing at my watch. “Please come in and take a seat.”
A man cleared his throat and something about the way he did that sounded familiar. I looked up and my jaw dropped open. For once in my life, I was completely speechless. It was Clay Drover, the man I’d met in Alaska when my cousin, Sabrina, and I vacationed there over the summer visiting her best friend, Hunter. Clay was the last person in the world I counted on seeing today.
When we were in Alaska, Hunter arranged for Clay to be my date for his friend’s wedding. At first, Clay and I didn’t exactly hit
