3. Saving The Day

Two weeks later, Lilian was trying to open the door to the building with her arms full. She had two trays of drinks balanced on each other and the last thing she wanted was for them to go crashing to the ground and she'd have to be late to a meeting and submit double receipts while she filled another order.

"I've got it."

She turned and there was Braylon grabbing the door for her. She hadn't seen him for two weeks. It was probably a good thing because then it'd look odd to the regulars in the coffee shop who were staring at her when he'd saved her if they weren't sitting together or talking.

"Thanks," she said. "You're good at saving the day."

"I left my cape in my office," he said, grinning. He hesitated as if he wanted to talk to her, but she didn't have the time. "Let me take one of these for you. You'll never make it up the stairs without some spillage and your shirt is too pretty for that to happen."

She looked down at her light yellow silk top. He was right and she'd be ticked if she had to walk around with a stain on it all day.

"Well, thanks once again," she said.

He lifted the top tray off and then they walked to the stairs together. Once they were on the second floor, he opened the door. "Just lead the way to your office. I'll at least hold this until you get there."

There was no reason to not let him know what office she was in. It wasn't that big of a deal.

"I appreciate what you did a few weeks ago," she said. "I'm in there every Monday. Well, today is Tuesday because we were closed for Labor Day yesterday. But I'm actually left alone now that they saw you talking to me."

He nodded. "I tend to have that impact on people."

She grinned at the wiggle of his eyebrows. If she'd been thinking of him for the past two weeks and almost looking for him at the same time hoping he didn't show up and ruin her ruse, she'd never let anyone know.

His short brown hair and dark eyes flashing in her brain when her eyes shut at night. That had never happened before.

In the few months she'd lived here, Lilian hadn't done much more than work or explore the city alone. She'd met a few women in the laundry room in the basement of her apartment. They'd even gone out for drinks twice, but nothing more.

Men, nada, and she wasn't interested.

She was here to make it on her own. Not that she had all that much to be proud of. Fetching coffee and lunches wasn't what she hoped to accomplish moving to Manhattan. She'd had more responsibilities and actual work when she lived in Lake Placid.

"It worked for me," she said.

They reached the second floor, he opened the door and followed her to her office door. His eyes landed on the insurance company's sign on the wall. "Here you go," he said.

There was part of her that wished he'd help her carry them in and the other part that never needed or wanted help from anyone in the past.

It wouldn't look right either. She'd get asked questions and since he worked in this building, the last thing she needed was someone thinking they were engaged when she didn't even know where he worked other than higher than the second floor.

"Thanks," she said. It felt like that was all she said to him today.

He put the tray on top of the other once nice and steady, his knuckles faintly brushing her silk shirt, but she didn't give any indication that it happened.

"Morning," Caroline said to her when she walked in. Caroline worked the front desk and let people into the office beyond. She knew what that was like as she did some of that at her last job. Working for a small company she did just about everything that was asked of her.

Here, she'd find it boring to sit there all day long, answer the phone, pass calls on and send people up for meetings, sign packages et cetera.

"How was your holiday weekend?"

"Busy," Caroline said. "Labor Day shouldn't be spent working, but all I did was a bunch of fall cleaning."

She knew Caroline lived in a brownstone outside of the city and took the subway in. She wasn't so sure she'd want to do that, but it might be a plan in the future. It'd be cheaper and give her more space.

"One good thing about having a small place," she said. "Easy to maintain."

Caroline buzzed her in since her hands were too full to get her badge and card out. She didn't like it on her neck until she got to her floor. It was better that people didn't know where she worked.

She moved to the conference room first rather than her small cubicle and set the coffee trays down, found hers and then went to put her things away to get ready for her meeting in ten minutes.

"How come you didn't bring me my coffee?" Stella asked her, standing in the opening of her tiny workspace.

Stella was the Communications Manager. She'd thought for sure when she was interviewed it was to assist in more than getting Stella's coffee and running her errands. Stella had been great in the interview. Not so great when she'd been hired.

"Sorry," she said. "I just set everything down to get my stuff and then get ready for the meeting. The food should be there by now and I'll set it all up."

Lilian grabbed her laptop so she could take minutes in the meeting. She'd been told to keep her questions and opinions to herself. To bring them to Stella personally.

Guess her first meeting she shouldn't have spoken up when she made a suggestion that many loved and Stella later told her never to do it again. She suspected Stella felt it made her look bad. Since then, Stella was taking credit for all of Lilian's suggestions.

She rushed back to the conference room and started to take the drinks out of the trays and placed them in front of the nameplates after checking her phone for everyone's order. When she got to Stella's she rushed back to give it to her boss, then hurriedly returned to the conference room and finished setting up.

The food was wheeled in and she arranged that just right and tried not to roll her eyes over the pastries being presented. Her sister made pastries that were so much better and she was spoiled.

She missed Quinn's food and didn't think that would happen.

She missed her sister and her sister's family too but tried not to let it be heard in her voice when she had her weekly call with Quinn.

If it weren't a five-hour drive, she might have gone to see her sister for the long weekend. But since she had no car, that was out of the question, and she didn't want to take a rental car.

Quinn had even offered to fly her home, but she'd said no. Though the flight was two hours, between driving to the airports and waiting around for flights, it was more than the five hours to drive. Too much travel in three short days.

Had she been here longer she would have had the ability to use a vacation day on Friday and then might have considered it.

She was going home for Thanksgiving though. She'd planned it out and bought her ticket this weekend. She'd let Quinn know the next time they talked over the weekend.

One by one, everyone filed in for the meeting and Lilian took her place at the back corner of the table out of the way to start her notes.

Stella sat at the head of the table and started and talked most of the meeting as she normally did.

Two hours later, everyone was exiting and leaving a big old mess like always.

"Hey, Lilian."

She looked up to see Evan standing there while she gathered the empty cups and paper plates to throw them out. She wanted to sigh but wouldn't.

"Hello," she said and went back to what she was doing, hoping Evan went on his way to some meeting. He was the Compliance Manager or something. Nothing she had to deal with other than some policies that came across her desk, though Stella and Evan met a lot.

Evan was probably late thirties she was guessing. Single because he'd asked her out a few times and then finally stopped when he saw the ring on her finger.

He'd even gotten all indignant that she'd never said she was seeing someone.

It was her big old oops forgetting to take the ring off and him noticing it that day. She supposed that was her penance for lying to everyone and now she had to continue with it.

"I heard Stella was on a rampage," Evan said.

"I didn't notice anything different," she said. Then realized that didn't come out right. "I didn't mean?—"

"Don't worry," Evan said, walking in. He picked up two cups on the other side for her and threw them out. "I know you didn't. She's just jealous of all women that are younger and prettier than her."

Stella was in her late thirties, she was guessing. Very fashionable and never a hair out of place. She supposed her boss might be attractive if she didn't always have a sour puss on her face.

"Some people are like that," she said without making eye contact. She felt Evan's eyes on her and hated it. It's not like he was hitting on her now, but she just always got that uncomfortable feeling that he was looking at her more than he should be.

It was her problem that she had to get over.

"They are," Evan said. "Don't let her get to you. Just keep doing your job. I've heard she is stealing your ideas. Maybe you should speak up more in the meetings."

And get in trouble or risk her job? No, thank you.

"It's fine," she said. "I believe in karma. Or I hope so."

Evan laughed. "Don't be naive. Things like that don't happen around here."

She wanted to grind her teeth over that statement. The way she grew up, she'd be the last to say she was naive. But no one here knew her background. They only knew she moved from Lake Placid and maybe that was her mistake.

They saw some young girl from a small town rather than someone who grew up on the streets of Chicago.

She'd shed that girl and wanted to keep her hidden, but it seemed as if it was working against her too.

The only person who had been nice to her in the months she'd been here was Braylon. A guy who just helped her out when she never wanted anyone to do that before.

If she thought she could figure out what company he worked for, she'd see if she could buy him lunch.

No, it would be impossible to find him.

And probably silly and...naive on her part to think he'd be interested.

More so since he thought she was taken.

What a mess.