Erik

As it turned out, the papers containing May’s so-called game plan were actually far more interesting to read through than Erik had been expecting. In fact, he had finished the whole stack in one night and then spent part of his afternoon the following day re-reading them. Her plan was simple, her calculations efficient, and her suggestions practical. He even found himself leaving a few notes and ideas of his own to be discussed whenever she returned. Perhaps turning this business around wouldn’t be quite as difficult as he once thought…

Part of Erik was still feeling slightly annoyed that his father finally managed to hire someone competent to act as a consultant, yet part of him was feeling uncharacteristically grateful for May’s sudden appearance. Maybe it was because he had been reminded of his grandmother’s failing health just two days ago, or because he had nearly come face-to-face with death at the hands of a reckless driver.

Either way, the truth was that Erik really did want to be someone who did something he could feel proud of at the end of the day. Even if that something wasn’t his father’s company, maybe May was right when she had said it was his job to fix the thing he had broken.

Just then, Erik heard his office phone ringing. He answered it swiftly before taking another sip of coffee.

“Hello?”

“Sir, it’s Brittany. I wanted to let you know that Miss juniper just walked in and is on her way to your office now.”

Erik nearly spit his drink back out. “What?!”

The doctor had said that May would need to stay home for at least three or four days, so why was she back here after just two?

Before Erik could finish his thought, the door to his office swung open. He looked up and saw May walking in to meet him with a small smile on her face.

“Good afternoon, Erik.”

Erik noticed the bandaid on her forehead, which was covering up a large scrape from the accident. He immediately stood up from his chair, ready to send her away for at least one more day of rest, but something gave him pause. His heartbeat had quickened when May walked in, but for the first time since they'd met, it wasn't because he was frustrated to see her. He caught himself noticing how cute she looked in the pink blouse and black pencil skirt she was wearing. Before too much awkward silence filled the room, he quickly sat back down and motioned for her to take the seat across from him.

“Good afternoon, May,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to see you for another day or two.”

“Well, I woke up this morning without a headache, so I figured I could probably manage at least half a day of work.”

Erik had a feeling the doctor at the hospital would disagree, but he also had a feeling that May did not like to be told what she could or could not do.

“As long as you think you can handle it, I won’t give you a hard time. But if your pain returns, I expect you to speak up immediately,” he said in a serious tone. “Head-related injuries, even minor ones, shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

And he would know, being someone who had been in and out of the hospital as a child with a weak constitution.

“Of course, Erik. I wouldn’t do anything that would jeopardize the company’s best interests in the long run.”

Erik let out a long sigh. “May, I’m not worried about my father’s company, and I’m not talking about work right now. Your health is worth more than the survival of some stupid business. My dad is rich, so I think he could survive even if ten of his magazine branches went completely under.”

In an unexpected turn of events, instead of getting defensive or offended, May looked genuinely touched by his words. And Erik didn’t know why, but the way her brown eyes widened with surprise and bashfulness made him want to grin.

“Thank you, Erik. I appreciate it. I only came by so that we could discuss the materials I left with you a few days ago and to answer any questions that you might have,” she replied in a voice that sounded so soft and gentle for a change.

Erik sat up in his chair a little straighter. “Well, for starters, I did indeed read through all your notes, twice.”

May raised one brow. “Twice, eh?”

“Don’t believe me? Ask me anything you wrote down. I guarantee I can quote it.”

“My, you sure are confident for a man who was trying to avoid his homework at any cost!”

He shrugged. “That’s more of an attitude issue, not an intelligence issue. How else do you think I graduated from college with a degree I had absolutely zero interest in?”

“What, are you saying you have a photographic memory or something?” she asked with disbelief.

“No, but when it comes to the written word in particular, I hardly forget a letter.”

“Forgive me, but I’m finding this very hard to believe,” May admitted with a slight chuckle.

Erik felt himself smirk a little. He kind of liked her skeptical nature…

“Then let’s bet on it.”

“Bet on what?”

“Bet on my memory. You’ll ask me about something you wrote down, and if I’m able to recite it, you have to bring me a coffee in the morning. If not, then I owe you a coffee.”

May’s eyes narrowed, but there was a playful twinkle in her gaze that Erik found intriguing. “Make it a coffee and a muffin.”

“Deal.”

An expression of total confidence came over her face, nearly making him laugh. “Okay, Mr. Know-it-all. Tell me, what’s the very first phrase on page 35?”

Erik took a moment to think about it, but as usual, he remembered the entire paragraph perfectly.

“Sales data as of August 15th, 2019. Sales are down 7% from July, the largest drop of the summer season. Unclear as to whether this was a result of the magazine cover, which featured the interior of a New York style apartment, rather than a trendy summer themed cover featuring the ocean or a beach.”

He watched with satisfaction as May’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

“See? I’m a lot smarter than I look,” Erik teased. “And this smarter-than-he-looks guy would like the sassy miss sitting across from him to know that he likes his coffee dark, and he likes it hot.”

“Then this sassy miss would like the guy who never arrives on time for an appointment to know that she will have your coffee ready when she arrives at the office, first thing in the morning.”

“I’ll be here,” he promised.

May rolled her eyes in response. She clearly did not like to lose, even if she was the type to keep her word. Erik found this both amusing, and somewhat impressive.

“Now then, we should probably talk about the rest of your notes,” he said, trying to change the subject back to the one thing she seemed to enjoy: work.

“Did you have any questions before we begin?” she asked.

“Nope. Everything was pretty cut and dry, and surprisingly, very easy to understand.”

May smiled again, her good mood finally returning. “Then does that mean you're finally ready to join my team?”

Normally, Erik would have hesitated, or perhaps engaged in some witty banter first, but for some reason, all he wanted to do was say yes.

“I, Erik Clayton, agree to your terms,” he said, holding one hand out for a shake.

May reached across the desk to shake his hand with her much smaller one. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get started.”