A Familiar Face

Rune

I was running late Monday morning as I pushed one of the double glass doors to the office open with my body, and I was trying to concurrently juggle my cup of coffee and all my work supplies, failing spectacularly in the process I might add.

Admittedly, I wasn’t the most coordinated at the best of times, so it was a risky move on my part, but I couldn’t sacrifice my morning dose of caffeine, any more of it that hadn’t sloshed out onto the ground at any rate.

Bringing the cup up to my mouth, I took a few large gulps so that the liquid wasn’t in danger of splashing out again, and I shot Sara a grateful smile when she’d offered to wipe up the spill for me.

She was an angel, always cleaning up after me when I was in a rush, which was practically all the time, and I decided it would be fun for the kids and I to bake her some cookies before I came in on Wednesday.

I hurried through the hall as I recounted the events of the morning, well aware there weren’t many days that I wasn’t falling behind schedule.

Isla had spilled milk on her clothes ten minutes before we were supposed to stroll out the door today, and it had caused a waterfall effect, the time slipping by at a breakneck pace as I’d tried to catch up.

Accordingly, I’d had to sift through the mountain of clean clothes piled high atop the dryer in order to find another suitable outfit for pre-K. Still, I didn’t see myself tackling the monotonous chore anytime soon with everything else accumulating on my to do list.

Then, I’d had to turn around for Roman’s forgotten science project that was due first thing this morning.

It wasn’t easy being a single mom with all my other responsibilities, like school and keeping a roof over our heads, but my boss, Samuel, was appreciatively considerate about my need for a flexible schedule.

Sam had kids of his own, though they were long since grown, but his ability to empathize hadn’t disappeared over the years. I loved working for the older male, his kind, chocolate-brown orbs and friendly smile something I looked forward to when I came in throughout the week.

I only worked in the office for half-days on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and the rest of my workload as an editor here at Griffin Fashion was completed in between my other various tasks.

Regrettably, that meant I rarely had a full day off. Come to think of it, I couldn’t remember the last time that’d happened, but I wouldn’t change my life for anything in the world. Sure, it wasn’t a walk in the park, but I saw each trying moment as a stepping-stone for something greater.

My heart had broken the day Belinda died, and another fissure gradually spread out from the center of my vital organ as I’d finally comprehended the future that I’d always envisioned with Damien was tinted through rose-colored glasses.

The only way I’d made it through, that I continued to make it through was by reminding myself that these hurts had to be happening to me for some reason.

It was tough to see in the moment, but I was piecing things together day by day, understanding filtering in as I kept putting one foot in front of the other.

I had two excellent reasons to keep going, and that was why I was here now, busting my ass to bring in a paycheck at a job that I didn’t truly care for.

Moving to the side as Elisabeth strode towards me when I entered my office area, I tried to take up the least amount of space possible, but she still went out of her way to run into me on her way out of the room.

It was nice that I liked my boss, but the willowy-framed woman who’d purposely bumped against me as I entered the room reminded me of why I preferred to work from home.

Elisabeth had gorgeous, scarlet-colored hair that extended down to her waist, and she was beautiful too. However, her snotty attitude and immature tactics made her a nightmare to work with.

To my misfortune, she was one of the three other editors who shared this space with me, each of us having our own desk and corner of the room.

She paused, eying me disdainfully for a long moment before she sneered, “It’s nice of you to finally join us, Rune.”

I ignored her, knowing she had no power over me, and that Samuel didn’t mind my tardiness as long as my work was done on time. I was the best editor this fashion magazine had, notwithstanding Elisabeth’s claims of my ignorance on the subject matter of the tabloid.

She wasn’t wrong. Kiki hadn’t been shy about telling me as much either when I’d told her I’d gotten the job, and my plain Jane top and denim jeans spoke volumes when I glanced at how the other employees dressed here.

Just the same, none of that mattered when my writing was ten times better than hers or anyone else’s on my worst day. I didn’t need to know jack shit about the fashion world so long as I could do research and string together a pretty picture with my words.

It was working out well for me so far, and I was so close to finishing my degree.

My writing ability was one of the reasons why Samuel let me get away with so much, aside from his compassionate nature that was, and he was extremely encouraging of me continuing my education.

He was one of those rare bosses who actually gave a damn about his employees, and I was counting my lucky stars that I’d applied for this job on a whim a few months ago.

I acted as if Elisabeth hadn’t said a word to me as I went about my business, pointedly looking around at the Valentine’s Day decorations someone had put up, even if they didn’t really strike my fancy.

When she realized that I wasn’t going to engage, she stomped off in a bad mood, her sky-high heels clacking against the tiled floor as she went. I put my stuff on my desk in the meantime, Amy greeting me as I did so.

“Morning Rune. Samuel called a staff meeting for during lunch today. He had some big announcement he wanted to share, and he said he was going to splurge on the good Italian place that everyone loves.” She enthused excitedly.

“I’ve got to leave early today, but I might try to swing by and pick up some food before I head out. That sounds delicious, and I didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast this morning.”

“Yeah, he mentioned he wanted you to stop by his office when you got here actually. I know you guys have some sort of deal worked out with your schedule, but why is that? You’re the only editor that can come and go as they want.”

I could see how there was some resentment in her eyes as I met them halfway through her speech. I was almost certain Elisabeth had already left, but I still looked around again before I returned my attention to Amy.

She was more of an acquaintance to me than anything, but she’d never been unkind to me throughout my time working here.

I didn’t like the idea of her disliking me because of some skewed perceptions Elisabeth was spouting off to anyone who would listen, but I didn’t want my personal business aired throughout the office either.

Samuel was the only one who was privy to the detail that I have two children, and I didn’t want anyone else to know, at least not right now. Isla and Roman were my whole world, but the adoption process wasn’t complete yet.

I wasn’t taking a chance that something would prevent me from becoming their mom in every sense of the word, and no one would ever be able to say otherwise. I would never replace Belinda, but I’d been present in their lives for years, so I felt confident neither child would ever think as much.

I’d sworn that I would protect them as much as I could, and that started with adopting them.

My goal was to make sure they always knew they were loved, to teach them to be kind-hearted individuals, and I felt like I was succeeding in that at the very least, making all my hard work worth every late night and early morning I’d put in so far.

I spit out a shoddy explanation about my school schedule to appease Amy as I went to find Samuel, hastening out of the room before she could pry any further, but it seemed to do the trick.

Samuel hadn’t hinted at any major changes within the company over the last few weeks, and he usually wasn’t shy about sharing information with me, so my curiosity was getting the better of me.

Knocking on his office door a couple of minutes later, he called out for me to come in before I’d finished with the third tap, and I let myself into his personal space without preamble, his relaxed manner making me feel comfortable enough to do so.

Only, the room looked nothing like what I’d become accustomed to, and my eyes darted everywhere of their own accord as I took in the bare shelves. There were boxes spread out around the room, and dread filled me as I took everything in.

“Good morning, Rune.” He said in a confident voice, going on in an optimistic tone as I took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, “As you can see, I have some big news to share with the company, but I know you won’t be here later, so I wanted to give you a heads up first. I’m retiring, and my son will be taking over my position, effective immediately.”

It was a good thing I was sitting down because my knees would have given out if I’d been standing. Sam was up there in years, but I hadn’t considered him retiring while I was still working here.

He was basically the father I’d never had, and I hated the idea of not seeing him on a regular basis.

My mind flew to what would happen with the new CEO, whether he would work with my schedule as openly as the older male had or not. It was a lot to process, and I felt my shoulders ticking up as my breathing sped.

Samuel only demonstrated how amazing he was as he helped me deescalate, reassuring me that nothing would change, and I was grateful for him all over again.

Be that as it may, I was left with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as the rest of the morning progressed, and it all came to a head as I was on my way out the door.

I’d stopped by the conference room to get some lunch to go as I’d planned earlier today, but I’d had to wait a few minutes while the people ahead of me got their food first.

I was on the verge of just leaving, needing to go pick Isla up from pre-K, but there was only one more person in front of me now.

At last, I reached the savory pasta, the garlic and tomato aroma having been teasing me for the last ten minutes, and I quickly scooped some out into my Tupperware that I’d found stashed in my car earlier in preparation.

Samuel’s familiar head of gray hair caught my notice on the way out, and I waved with my free hand as I weaved my way through the other people trying to get their food.

Nonetheless, my gaze skewed sideways as I kept moving, and it landed on a familiar pair of chocolate-brown eyes, ones I was just now realizing were identical to Sam’s.

“Micah!” My brain screamed as recognition soared to the forefront, but I didn’t stop to figure out what was happening; rather, I hightailed it the fuck out of there.