27. Meeting Meghan

Meeting Meghan

The next morning, Hadley was first to arrive. After successfully using her new office key, she turned on the lights and sat at her desk, which was made from a cheap combination of fake brown wood and black metal. She started to organize her new workspace, which was covered in scattered loose papers and a bouquet of mostly dead flowers. She threw away the flowers, which must have been from the previous receptionist, and piled up the papers into a neat stack. I'll figure those out later.

Hadley carefully pulled out a photo from her handbag and placed it next to her computer. It was a sepia toned photograph of her with her mom on her sixth birthday. The edges of the photograph were torn but Hadley loved it with her whole heart. I'm gonna make you proud, mom. She stared and reminisced, wishing she could go back in time and hug her mom one more time.

"You must be the new girl."

Hadley skyrocketed out of her seat, banging her thighs on the bottom of her desk. She spun around in her gray worn-down swivel chair to see a woman with fire engine curls standing in front of her. The woman wore a silky green blouse that perfectly matched the shade of the beautiful round eyes that were staring expectedly at her.

Hadley stood up a little too quickly causing her chair to shoot backwards into her desk. "Oh, um, yes I am. My name is Hadley, I just started yesterday. Sorry for jumping, I must have been lost in my thoughts for a moment." Great start, space cadet. Hadley fought the urge to pressure test her lungs and instead extended her hand to the woman, who looked to be in her early thirties, with a beautiful black textured leather handbag draped over her left forearm. Thankfully she didn't seem to bring a blazer, which hopefully meant Hadley wouldn't need to waste her first paycheck on a shopping spree.

"Well, hey Hadley. I'm Meghan, I sit at that desk over there." Her emerald eyes glistened when she smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here yesterday when you started, I have a little girl at home and only work part time right now." Instead of shaking Hadley's hand, Meghan stepped in for a hug that enveloped Hadley in an unexpected warmth. Meghan was a similar height as Hadley, except instead of Hadley's ballerina limbs, Meghan had a distractedly curvaceous figure. Her embrace rivaled Hadley's favorite weighted blanket. How could a stranger to Hadley make her feel so much comfort?

It was a sucker punch to the gut since Hadley generally avoided physical and emotional contact. She learned to avoid making genuine connections, since they always lead to heartbreak. First when her mom died of cancer when she was thirteen, later when the Pink Ladies stopped showing up, when she had to leave Dorothy, and most recently the divide she created from her father.

Hadley realized she was in her head again. Shoot. Say something. "How old is your daughter?"

"She's three years old," Meghan smiled. She continued their conversation as she walked to her desk to set her handbag down. "Her name is Amelia. She's a feisty little girl but cute as a button."

"I don't think I've met any Amelias before. That's a really pretty name."

"Thanks! It suits her. Hey, you drink coffee?"

"No. Well, honestly I only ever tried a sip once a long time ago. My dad always had coffee in the morning, but he wasn't the sharing type."

"Ah, men. Coffee keeps me going most days. You must still have that natural youthful energy in you. Mine has long since expired," Meghan giggled. Hadley laughed and shrugged.

Meghan took a slow sip from her thermos while her eyes lingered on the girl in front of her. "You have beautiful hair."

Hadley looked behind her, but the room was empty. "Me?"

"Don't look so surprised," Meghan laughed. "Yes, you. I could spend hours straightening my hair and it would never look like that."

"Oh, well, thank you." Hadley smiled uncomfortably.

Meghan chewed at the inside of her cheek before clearing her throat. "Did, uh, did Mary explain the job to you already and our usual clientele?"

Usual clientele? "Only the basics. She seemed pretty busy."

"With her magazines?" Hadley smiled but didn't respond. "Not surprising. She's great with contract procurement but not so great at being engaged in the office." Meghan shook her head. "Anyway, no big deal."

"I'm sorry, again, for not hearing you walk in. I swear I'm better than that."

"No worries, girl." Meghan's words were light, but Hadley saw the judgment on her face. "Mary doesn't hire just anyone, so I trust her choice in you."

"Thanks." I think. "I really will do better."

Meghan waved her off, her expression seeming to soften after she looked at Hadley's big doe eyes. "So, if you don't like coffee, how about lunch? My treat. I can fill you in on some of the goings on around here."

"Wow, that's, well, really generous. I would love that." Hadley smiled and sat back down, ready to go through the pile of miscellaneous paperwork left at her desk. She hated a mess. She made quick work of alphabetizing the stack before she started to file them in the cabinet that stood tall next to her desk.

Meghan also settled in for the day. Hadley couldn't help but watch as she gracefully navigated the office, moving from one task to another without ever breaking her smile. She spoke with an easy confidence that felt a bit overwhelming to Hadley. Meghan was everything she was not. She worked quietly, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention, but still, every so often, Meghan sparked a random conversation.

"I used to beg my parents for a younger sister."

Hadley looked over at Meghan and smiled, waiting to see where the conversation was headed.

"I have two brothers, but they could care less about their annoyingly frilly sister." Meghan chuckled. "I bet if I had a younger sister she'd be close to your age." Meghan squinted her eyes. "Hmm, maybe a little older. All the same, I think this will be fun. Me and you, I mean!"

"I look younger than I am," Hadley blushed. "It's been great so far working with you this morning. You're about the nicest person I've talked to in years."

"Aw, shucks." Meghan feigned modesty before laughing. "How about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"I'm an only child, but I would've loved an older sister growing up." Hadley sighed. "Could've really used one, actually."

Meghan nodded but didn't pry. "Well, you got me now. You should be careful what you wish for." She laughed right as the phone rang. "Looks like you're saved by the bell." Meghan winked before answering the phone.

Hadley suppressed a laugh and returned her focus to the paperwork in front of her. She hoped Meghan was as genuine as she seemed, though a small piece of her wondered if she was only being nice out of necessity. From what Mary told her yesterday, they'd been through several receptionists in the past six months. Surely Meghan was just trying to get Hadley to stick. Still, she smiled.