Tomorrow she’d double down and work even harder than she typically did, which was saying a lot. She’d likely bring her work home with her. She had to get that promotion. She’d been waiting years for that kind of opportunity and wouldn’t let it pass for anything. Earning it would mark a turning point that would take her career further than she’d expected. All she had to do was prove herself to everyone involved, even this mysterious new supervisor.
Chapter Two
Aubrey
Aubrey opened the window to let in the early summer breeze. Her curtains fluttered around her as the sounds of a lively New York City morning resonated through her quiet apartment. She could hear vehicles honking and boisterous voices echoing around her, sounds that she’d hated when she first moved to the big city. It’d taken time to get used to the restlessness. Now the commotion was like white noise that gave her a sense of comfort, as though she’d been home all along.
She spun away from the window on her heels and grinned at her walking round furball as he casually strolled around the corner. Fitzgerald, her orange tabby cat, was already closing in on the open window, ready to sniff the morning air. She patted him on the head as she passed on her way to the bathroom.
She could still remember grabbing Fitzgerald from the shelter, choosing him because his fur was such a similar color to her hair. The volunteer had raised her eyebrows, but Aubrey had insisted she’d needed the plump tabby in her life. Adopting Fitzgerald was one of the best decisions she’d ever made. He’d become her confidant who had no judgments. His only goal in life was to eat all the wet food she would provide, which he accomplished daily.
Aubrey frowned when she got to the bathroom and saw her disheveled hair and makeup-free face. She wished she could wake up like women did in the movies with a fresh face of makeup and perfectly styled hair. Unfortunately, she couldn’t look past the freckles that spotted her face and the unkempt long red hair she’d inherited from her mother.
Aubrey had the same routine every morning. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, managed to get her hair into a decent, long dutch braid, and applied her face so that she appeared slightly more alive. She’d been doing her routine for so long it’d become a habit.
Aubrey gently tapped her phone screen and let out a sigh of relief when the numbers appeared on the screen. It was only eight o’clock. She’d have enough time to grab a coffee before getting to the advertising agency to meet her new supervisor. She lifted her arms and stretched them above her head, feeling that sense of relief she always had after she got ready for work with time to spare.
Slivers of sunlight peeked through as the dense grey clouds began to part outside, illuminating her apartment in small fragments as she stepped out of the bathroom. She glanced towards the open window and started towards her tote bag. She was reaching out when she stopped, and her jaw clenched.
“Fitz!” she yelled, rushing towards the open window.
The cat turned to look at her and continued up another step along the fire escape, as though he knew that she would grab him and haul him back in once he was close enough.
Aubrey shoved the window open fully and felt the cool air against her face as she peered up towards him. He was just out of reach. “Get back here. Now.”
Fitzgerald blinked lazily at her and turned to continue on his way upward. Aubrey exhaled deeply, trying to ease her nerves. She hated any kind of inconvenience in the morning, and this was a good example of what she tried to avoid. She’d never had to worry about him running up towards the roof before. She’d never even seen him show any interest in the fire escape at all.
Aubrey pulled her skirt up toward the top of her thighs. Lowering her head, she pushed herself through the window and winced as the windowpane dug into her knees. She reached out, swiping at the cat as his tail waved on top of the step, just barely reaching him. She could feel the wind against her knees, and she could see pedestrians off in the distance. She prayed that no one could see up her skirt from way down there.
“Come here, Fitz,” she said, motioning to him with her hand. “Get over here, asshole, or I’ll make you into a goddamn stew.”
The cat met her eyes without any reaction. He seemed pleased with how far he’d gotten and appeared to be enjoying himself. She pushed herself a little further out the window, finally managing to wedge herself out and onto the fire escape stairs on her knees. She could hear the sounds of honking and voices as the city came to life below her.
She rose slowly to her feet so as not to surprise Fitz and waited. It wouldn’t take long for him to get distracted. He always noticed the littlest things, like the birds outside the window, and became entranced. When he got distracted, she could grab him without him sauntering any further away.
Her stomach began to fall as the thought of being late cemented itself in her mind. She loathed being late. In her years working at Glamour Girl, she’d only had one absence, and she’d never been late in the mornings. Aubrey also knew she couldn’t leave Fitz outside. He was way too fat to handle himself outside her apartment. He was likely to get stuck in the middle of a fence or wander into someone else’s home because they fed him. He was sure to be a begging vagabond, with his stomach being the only thing leading him forward.
She held her breath until Fitz turned his orange head to look out into the distance. Aubrey leaped forward and grabbed the cat, feeling his pudgy body hang loose in her arms. He gave a loud meow as she held him close to her chest and lowered herself toward the window. Holding twenty pounds of cat was difficult when trying to push herself back into a window in a skirt that felt like it would tear.
“This is the last time I open the window in the morning, just so you know. No exploring the world for you at eight in the morning,” Aubrey grunted to the cat, trying to ease her growing anxiety. “There you go, buddy.”
She placed the cat down onto the ground and jutted her leg out to avoid the windowpane. She made it through the window and lowered her skirt, which had a few subtle marks of dust on it. She patted at them until they disappeared into the fabric and turned to close the window. Fitz meowed from his place on the ground, as though she’d inconvenienced him.
She met his golden eyes and batted her finger at him. “I’m serious, Fitz. That’s the last time I open that window.”
The cat shifted and turned around without replying. Whatever. She didn’t have time to get mad at him. She had to check the time, which just so happened to be—eight-thirty! Aubrey gasped and grabbed her tote bag off her white couch. The wood floor creaked beneath her as she moved about the room as quickly as she could. She was late for her first meeting.
“Damn it,” she said breathlessly, reaching down for her shoes and shoving her feet into them with a hop. “I hope you’re happy, Fitzy. I’m late because of you.”
The cat didn’t seem to care. In fact, he was already heading towards the couch to lounge for the day. He’d had his excitement and was more than pleased with what he’d accomplished. Now there was nothing for him to do except relax while Aubrey lost her mind trying to get herself together for her first big day.
The tote bag hit against her hip as she pulled the second heel onto her foot and reached for the doorknob. She took one last look at her place and opened the door. It didn’t matter if she left the place a mess. She always preferred that things went smoothly, but there were bigger tasks at hand. Nothing mattered at that moment except making it to the advertising agency on time, which didn’t seem likely.