Network Connection

By Michelle Edwards

Adam isn't the most sociable person. In fact, he goes out of his way to avoid social situations. So, when a new girl starts at the company and begins to shake things up, he can't ignore her presence or his attraction to her. A feeling he's not used to having.

Lacy is ready for the next chapter in her life. She's moved across the country for a job she's dreamed about. Working with the design team for an up and coming live streaming company.

She's determined to prove herself not just to herself, but to the socially awkward, but completely hot CEO, Adam.

When Lacy's past comes knocking down walls, Adam has to find the courage to fight for what he wants.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crazy Ink
• Release date: Nov 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215907146

Michelle Edwards

MICHELLE EDWARDS is the author-illustrator of Chicken Man, winner of the National Jewish Book Award, several other acclaimed picture books, and the Jackson Friends series, which includes Pa Lia's First Day, a Parent's Guide to Children's Media Award winner, Zero Grandparents, and The Talent Show. She lives with her family in Iowa City.

Book preview

A person wearing glasses Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Chapter One

Adam

Istood in the elevator , silently as a few others piled in. I watched some shake their heads and say they will catch the next ones as others just didn’t seem to care.

I knew what they were hiding from. Me. I looked down at my phone and pretended to look busy in the front of the elevator. I hated the elevator part, but I insisted on this building. It was the exact layout already for what I wanted for my company.

The elevator came to an abrupt stop on the third floor which was the last floor of offices for my company.

I walked out of the elevator first and everyone seemed to barely glance up as I walked toward my office at the other end of the building.

Good morning, Mr. Ward, you have a meeting today at nine...

I stopped and turned to the woman who was my ‘assistant.’

I know. Did something change? I questioned, confused.

No. I was just reminding you. Also, the new hire starts today.

What new hire? I asked.

Um... the woman flipped through the binder in her arms until she stopped on a page that resembled a resume.

Lacy, Lacy Sutton. She will be a designer for the apps and website.

I nodded. I never really approved any new hires anymore. That was Jill’s job. She took over that part of the company.

Okay.

Okay. Well, I’ll let you get to your office then. She sighed.

Right, I replied as I walked away without another word.

Her face said it all. I was awkward and it was weird for her. I understood that. I couldn’t help it though.

I walked into my office and shut the door behind me. One thing that I preferred at my company was all glass offices, the doors, the walls on the inside. No one should be hiding anything.

I sat down at my desk that faced the door, so I was never surprised. I hated being surprised.

I clicked through my emails slowly as I waited for the staff meeting to start. It was our normal thing, so it was easy for me to attend and handle. But now there would be a new face there. Someone new who will no doubt see my quirks and think I’m strange. Even though I’ve dealt with being the strange guy my entire life, it always worried me when meeting someone new.

I clicked through endless emails that people CC’d me on, pacing the office in my mind counting down until I would be heading next door to our conference room. I picked it to be closest to my room because it’s only used when I’m in there.

I looked up to see the office filling up with employees. We had an amazing group of people here; I just never expressed it enough to them. It wasn’t easy to do so. Words weren’t my specialty.

I looked back at my email for a moment just as a light knock came on my door.

When I looked up, Jill was standing on the other side of the door.

I waved her in and turned my attention away from my computer.

Good morning. She beamed.

I nodded, Morning.

Did Alice fill you in this morning?

Yes. Is having an assistant necessary? I questioned barely managing to get the words out.

It is. It’s just something that makes our lives a little easier. You know you can ask her to help with almost anything here in the office.

I shook my head. I’m fine doing things on my own.

Her shoulders sank and she nodded.

Ever since she started, she’s been begging me to have an assistant and to give her things to do around here, but I liked doing things here. This company was my life; I didn’t want to let go of most of the things I enjoyed doing here.

Well moving on from that, Lacy Sutton starts today. I’ll get her right over to Angela in design. Do you want to do a quick one-on-one with her?

I shook my head.

Okay. I guess I’ll see you in the staff meeting in an hour.

See you then.

She backed up and walked out of my office leaving me to my own thoughts again.

THE HOUR WENT BY FASTER than I expected, and I dragged myself up and to the meeting next door. I always tried to be first or almost first in the meeting. It just made it less awkward for me if I was already standing at the head of the table when people walked in.

Good morning, employees said to each other as they all entered and took a seat. Hardly anyone ever addressed me.

We didn’t have an overly large employee base as we were still just starting out as a company.

My mind suddenly stopped obsessing over the little things when the door opened, and she walked in. She was obviously new because she looked nervous. She sat at the other end of the table and played with the pen in her hands.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her hazel eyes and the way she bit her lip while twirling her pen in her hand was memorizing and captivating.

Good morning, everyone! Hope your weekend was great, Jill announced.

She shifted between her feet next to me as she spoke.

We have a new employee starting with us today. Lacy Sutton. She pointed to her.

Let’s try to make her feel welcome here.

Before she could get another word out, people started to say welcome, directing their attention to her.

We still have some more design and some more coding issues that need to be resolved before we can send the social app out to the beta team. Please try to get these completed by the end of the week. The app launch needs to be scheduled for a definite date, and we can’t do that until our beta team can approve everything, Jill explained.

Jill went on to talk about the company and what the next few weeks and months will hold for us.