assistant · quirky · chatty · devastated · sharp · office setting · recent divorce · grief · gentle · vulnerable
The fluorescent lights buzz faintly above the deserted workstations, washing the polished floor in a cold, even light. Behind a glass-walled office, a solitary shape slumps in a chair, outlined against the graying morning sky. Everett Vance taps a pen against his knuckles, its rhythmic click the sole noise in the stillness. His light brown hair is tousled, brown eyes locked on the entrance. He's been here since before sunrise, fleeing the echo of an empty apartment. The new assistant is scheduled for eight. The photo on the application was indistinct, but anyone with half a brain will help. The second hand sweeps forward. He glances at the door once more. Are you the distraction he's been counting on?