First day at work
939 Words
My first day at Rhode Enterprises started with me throwing up in my new bathroom.
Nerves, mostly. And the cheap instant coffee I’d tried to choke down for breakfast. I brushed my teeth twice, gargled with mouthwash, and stared at my reflection in the spotty mirror.
“You can do this,” I told myself. “It’s just a job. Just work. You’ve done this before.”
Except I hadn’t. Not really. Working at my father’s company had been safe, comfortable. Everyone had known me. I’d had my little office, my routine, my place in the hierarchy.
This was different. This was starting over from scratch in a building full of strangers who didn’t know about my birthday party or the divorce or any of it.
Fresh start, I reminded myself. That’s what you wanted.
I put on my most professional outfit, a navy dress and blazer that Natalie had helped me pick out over the weekend. Did my makeup carefully. Pulled my hair back in a sleek ponytail. Looked at myself one more time.
Professional. Capable. Definitely not someone who’d slept with the CEO.
The subway ride felt too short. I wasn’t ready. But ready or not, I walked into that glass tower at exactly eight forty-five, fifteen minutes early like a good employee.
Jennifer Wu met me in the lobby with a warm smile and a badge with my name on it.
“Welcome to your first day, Ivy. How are you feeling?”
“Excited,” I lied.
She led me through security and up to the twenty-eighth floor, which housed the marketing department. It was open concept with cubicles and glass-walled offices around the perimeter. Everything was modern and sleek, all whites and grays with pops of the company’s signature blue.
“This is you,” Jennifer stopped at a cubicle near the window. Small but decent, with a new computer, a phone, and a little nameplate that said IVY CARTER, MARKETING COORDINATOR.
Seeing my name there made it real. I had a job. An actual job. I was going to be okay.
“I’ll introduce you to the team,” Jennifer said. “Then Sarah, your manager, will go over your responsibilities.”
The next hour was a blur of names and faces I’d never remember. My team consisted of six other coordinators, two managers, and a director named Robert who seemed perpetually stressed. Everyone was friendly enough, welcoming me with smiles and offers to help if I needed anything.
Sarah, my direct manager, was in her thirties with short red hair and an efficient manner. She walked me through my projects – social media management for three of the company’s subsidiary brands, content creation, analytics reporting.
“It’s a lot at first,” she acknowledged, “but you’ll get the hang of it. And don’t hesitate to ask questions.”
By lunch I was drowning in login credentials, brand guidelines, and content calendars. But it felt good. Productive. Normal.
I was so focused on learning the content management system that I didn’t notice someone approaching my cubicle until they spoke.
“Ivy Carter?”
I looked up and found a woman about my age standing there with two coffees. She was gorgeous, with long dark hair and the kind of effortless style that came from having money.
“That’s me,” I said cautiously.
“I’m Melissa Chen, senior coordinator. Thought you might need this.” She held out one of the coffees. “First days are brutal.”
“Thank you.” I took it gratefully. “That’s really nice of you.”
“We’ve all been there.” She leaned against the cubicle wall. “How’s it going so far? Information overload?”
“Completely.”
“It gets easier. Give it a week and you’ll feel like you’ve been here forever.” She paused. “Some of us are getting lunch in the cafeteria if you want to join? Might be good to take a break from staring at the computer.”
I hesitated. Part of me wanted to say no, to keep my head down and avoid socializing. But I needed to make friends here. Needed to build some kind of support system.
“Sure. That sounds great.”
The cafeteria was on the fifteenth floor, another sleek modern space with floor to ceiling windows and too many healthy food options. I grabbed a salad I didn’t really want and followed Melissa to a table where three other people were already sitting.
“Everyone, this is Ivy. Started today in marketing.” Melissa made introductions. “This is James, Kelly, and David.”
They welcomed me warmly, immediately pulling me into their conversation about some office drama involving someone in accounting and a very inappropriate email sent to the entire company.
I laughed at the right moments, asked questions, tried to seem normal and engaged. But part of my brain was constantly scanning the cafeteria, worried I’d see Adrian.
What would I do if I saw him? Ignore him? Wave awkwardly? Pretend we’d never met?
“You okay?” Melissa asked quietly while the others were debating something.
“Yeah, why?”
“You look nervous. First day jitters?”
“Something like that.”
“Don’t worry. This place seems intimidating but everyone’s actually pretty cool. Even the executives are surprisingly normal.”
I thought about Adrian in his corner office, the way he’d looked at me when he asked me to dinner. “Surprisingly normal” wasn’t how I’d describe him.
“Have you met Mr. Rhode?” The question came out before I could stop it.
- Writer
