Let Me In (The Ink Well Chronicles: Book One) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Let Me In

  Jordan Bates

  LET ME IN

  Copyright © 2017 Jordan Bates

  Published by Jordan Bates

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Published: Jordan Bates

  Cover Design: Kristen Hope Mazzola

  Cover Image by Brooke Cagle (link - https://unsplash.com/@brookecagle)

  Formatting by: Kristen Hope Mazzola

  Editing by:

  Aquila Editing (link - http://www.aquilaediting.com/ )

  Created with Vellum

  To my father, the one who always believed in me.

  I love you.

  I miss you.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Prologue

  I stood there on the sidewalk in front of the house, staring. I didn’t know how long I stood there for, but I watched as he pulled her closer…kissed her nose, bopped it, brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, like he actually cared…like he had feelings for her.

  She caught my eye first, a look of horror spreading across her face. His eyes met mine, and he stepped in front of her. He protected her. I stood there in the vast openness of the lawn, unable to do anything but look at them, at where my life had led me. A moving man walked beside me. I stopped him, took the box out of his hands, set it on the ground. I took the keys out of my pocket, sliced the box open, and took out a few items I hadn’t seen before, china patterns I hadn’t picked out. I looked up again. The woman had gone inside. It was just us now.

  It was just us and the infinite possibilities of what had happened, where we were going, and eventually, how this would all end.

  Chapter 1

  One Month Earlier

  I couldn’t help but check my phone for the third time that morning. No texts or phone calls. Nothing. It was my first day working in a new city with a new job, so I shot off a message to my husband before stepping out of the apartment with Lilly.

  “You are seriously going to love it here.” Lilly was gushing once again about the fact that I had landed a job with her at one of Georgia’s smallest but most prestigious publishing companies. “It’s a great company, and Greg is a great boss.”

  “I’m sure he is, Lilly.” I gave her a side glance as I took a sip of the hot tea she’d made me. Lilly had made her admiration for Greg Moran, my new boss, very clear over the last week.

  “Don’t give me that look!” She bounced across the street next to me, and I knew it was the schoolgirl crush she had on Greg that was making her so excited, not the caffeine in her hand. The girl I grew up with never woke up before noon, even with an alarm clock. “Even if Greg wasn’t my boss, I would still only look, not touch.”

  “Don’t lie to me—I see that sparkle in your eye.” She tried to hide behind her light brown curls, but she turned a shade of pink that matched her blouse. “But don’t worry, I’m not here to crush on the boss. I’m here for the job.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it’s not Greg you’ll be crushing on. The one you’ll have to worry about is Max. He is all looks, and even though he’s the owner, he still likes to shop around the office from time to time. He can sniff out new blood like it’s a sport.” The grin on her face made me think I wasn’t the first person she’d had to warn about Max.

  “Lilly, seriously? You’re talking like you stepped straight out of a romance novel. You know I’m married, maid of honor.” Lilly grabbed my left hand as we came up to the sidewalk in front of The Ink Well. We both stared at the sparkling diamond that had been mounted on my finger for the past three years. Adam and I were college sweethearts, six years and still counting. There were just some things that were meant to last forever.

  “Speaking of husbands, when is Adam finally coming down?” I had already been in Georgia—Atlanta, to be exact—for a week.

  “He should be finishing up his job in California in the next month, but he already started looking for a place here. I told him I would love to be where you’re at, but he’s focused on looking at a house outside the city.”

  “The commute is a bitch, you know that, right?” Her tone was clipped, and I knew she didn’t like the thought of me being further away from her. I knew it wasn’t the best option, I just didn’t know how to tell Adam.

  “I know, but to him, nothing can be worse than San Diego traffic.” Oh, how I didn’t miss San Diego traffic. Being in Atlanta was a godsend, and finally getting to work in publishing was a big step up from the previous six years working in retail.

  “I swear. Sometimes your husband can be so stubborn.” Lilly pulled open the office building door for me, and I was immediately engulfed by an array of emotions. This is it. No turning back now.

  “Come on, babe.” Lilly had to grab my hand to maneuver me to the elevator. She handed me a visitor’s badge she had picked up from the front desk and pressed the button for the second floor.

  “I don’t think I’ve said thank you enough for this job. Seriously, Lilly.” We both leaned against the wall, heads butting. It had been years since we had been together this long, and I missed it. We had grown up together, but when Lilly went off to college, a divide set in that we both hated.

  “You know I would do anything for you. I need you as much as you need me.” I smiled to myself because it was so true. I didn’t know what I would ever do without her in my life.

  I looked at my phone one more time. Still nothing. I took a deep breath, putting it back into my purse. I knew Adam would
be busy, but I thought he knew how important this was to me.

  “You’ll be fine.” I relaxed next to Lilly. She seriously knew me all too well. The elevator dinged, and Lilly all but pushed me towards the HR desk. “When you’re done, come up to Financing on the fourth floor and I’ll introduce you to Greg.”

  She winked as she headed towards the stairs. Lilly was a workout freak, and clearly even work wasn’t going to stop her. I was given forms to fill out to set up my new position. I kept flattening my black pencil skirt, even though there were no wrinkles, while filling out each new paper.

  I could do this.

  I could start a new job in a new city.

  I tucked my long, curly brown hair behind my ear and readjusted my black and white polka-dot top.

  Once I was done with paperwork, I led myself up to the fourth floor. Rows of cubicles filled the floor. I could see Greg’s office from the elevator and started my way there, until I heard a familiar giggle.

  “Alexa, over here!” Lilly’s desk was right in front of Greg’s office and was decorated like it was her home. All the knick-knacks she could find, and anything zebra related. “I’ll introduce you to Greg. He’s been shoved in his office all morning, so maybe he’ll pay us some attention now.”

  I was more than nervous. What if I wasn’t right for this job? What if I sucked? I may have gone to college to write novels, but I knew that wasn’t what my job was. I was putting those tucked-away math skills to good use. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to write, because I did, but on my downtime. It was more that Adam didn’t see it as a career. If you weren’t physically going in to work, you weren’t actually working.

  “Hey, Greg.” Lilly knocked on the door before opening it. Greg looked over his computer screen, his glasses slipping down his nose. His eyes weren’t on me though, but on Lilly. “This is Alexa.”

  “Alexa!” He jumped at the sound of my name, almost knocking over his coffee cup. He stayed behind his desk, nervously trying to get himself back together. “It’s so good to finally meet you in person.”

  “Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say as the awkwardness set in. Greg still wasn’t looking at me. His hand gripped the cup tightly, and dangled in the air, about to drop one more time.

  “Well, I hope that Lilly showed you to HR already.” It was like I wasn’t even in the room with these two. I looked toward her, but her eyes were everywhere, but on Greg. I tried not to giggle.

  “She did.” I nudged Lilly with my elbow, trying to bring her out of the Greg funk she was in. She didn’t budge, nor did she make any acknowledgement about her behavior.

  “Just let me know if you need anything, Greg.” Lilly exited the room without another word or look in either of our directions. It was like she went from the super social girl I knew, to this robot I had never seen before.

  “Thanks, Lilly.” Greg waved to her back, and I could see the look on his face. It was almost the same one Lilly had on this morning when she was talking about Greg. The tension between the two was unmistakable. I coughed lightly to try to turn his attention back to me, but almost let a laugh slip. These two. They were doomed.

  “All right!” Greg clapped his hands together. He had way more energy than anyone I knew, and that was saying something, since I grew up with Lilly. “I have your welcome packet ready to go at your desk. Just let me grab a few extra things, and I’ll show you around the floor.”

  Our floor wasn’t big. We didn’t need many people for our department, that much I knew about the publishing word. There were only 10 of us, and my desk was right next to Lilly’s. Greg walked me over to where my desk was. “Hopefully being here will let you settle in easily. Lilly has been with the company for years, so any questions you have she can answer. Also, next to you is Erica.” At the sound of her name, Erica bounced up and I could see her pitch-black pixie cut. “She is the only other royalty coordinator we have, so you will both be working hand in hand.”

  Greg motioned for me to sit down. To my left was a basket and a vase. Fruit and white roses.

  “We try to make it feel a little more like home here, so everyone always gets a fruit basket, and then Max decides on his gift. The roses give the office a nice feel,” Greg explained. It made me feel good that everyone had gotten this kind of treatment, even though it wasn’t something I was expecting. “I hope the move out here wasn’t so bad.”

  “Not really. Definitely a lot of adjusting to do, but Lilly has that covered for me.” I hooked my thumb in Lilly’s direction. I didn’t have to look at her to know she was slightly mortified that I was bringing her to Greg’s attention. Lilly was all talk when it came to men, when it came to confronting her feelings, she never did.

  I picked up the packet that Greg had mentioned and thumbed through the how-tos on getting all of my information set up.

  “Here are the passwords and usernames that you’ll be needing.” Greg set a sticky note in front of me. “Since it’s Monday, you can take your time getting everything set up. I sent you an email for the accounts for the week. Let me know if you have any questions, but Erica will be helping out with your training.”

  As soon as Greg was back in his office, Erica and Lilly both bombarded my desk.

  “It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Erica went in for a hug. She was taller now that she was in front of me, and her tight curves made me envious. My hands went immediately to my hips, covering what I should have been proud of. “Lilly has told me so much about you.”

  Erica’s voice was soft, almost like she was shy but still sincere in her convictions. She seemed almost like a little pixie standing in front of me but who happened to be tall. I already liked her.

  “I hope only good things.” I shot a wink over to Lilly as they both laughed. I could already tell by looking at them, that they were close, so I knew I needed to learn more about Erica. “All right, so what do I need to know before I start this crazy adventure?”

  “You already met Greg, and I’m sure Lilly warned you about Max, but the only other executives we have are Chase Ruthen, who is in charge of the editing department, and Jack Moran, Greg’s half-brother, the head of publishing.” Erica moved her chair around the corner to join me. My brain was spinning with all the information. Corporate environment was new to me, so I wasn’t sure how often employees saw the executives, except through a glass window into their office. I snapped out of my head as Erica clapped next to me.

  “Let’s start off strong today, ok? That way, if you have any questions, we can go over them.” I loved her demeanor, and that she could tell that I was trying to process everything. Erica handed me some paper and a pen. Notes, I should take notes.

  “I’ll leave you two to it, but we are breaking for lunch at one, come hell or high water. I’m already starving.” I had almost forgotten Lilly was still standing beside me. She squeezed my shoulder before heading back to her chair.

  I scoffed, moving the fruit basket onto Lilly’s desk. She giggled, and happily accepted the gift. I offered the flowers to Erica because they just weren’t me. Not that I had anything against flowers, but my mother instilled in me that they were only given for apologies rather than actual gifts.

  “Go ahead and pull up your email. Your client list for the week should be in there. Greg sends it every Monday morning, and if you finish it during the week, just ask him for a new list.” I maneuvered through the settings, getting my computer adjusted just how I wanted, setting up a spreadsheet and making file folders on my desktop. Ok, so maybe I was a perfectionist.

  “When you start with a client, you’ll go over all of the notes from the editing department about the book and their estimations. From there, you will negotiate the pay with the client.” I took a deep breath. My brain started thinking up new questions.

  How would I know what was the right amount for the client?

  Could I convince someone their book wasn’t worth a certain amount without reading the book?

  “I can see you thinking. Don’t
worry. The estimations that come in will give a range, based on what the editing department reads. It should state the first starting price, and then from there the negotiation can work within the confines of the range. If the client starts to go out of the range, we transfer them to Greg.”

  Erica’s words sank in, and relief filled me.

  “Pull open the first client and we can walk through it together.” We eased into a rhythm that worked for both of us, and before lunch Erica had left me on my own after I snagged a client that they had previously have a problem with. Not even Max could get through to this woman, but it seemed that I had the magic touch.

  “You’re a machine!” I jumped as Lilly plopped onto my desk at exactly one. I didn’t even know where the time had gone. Erica joined us immediately afterwards. I looked up at the two of them, trying to regain my thought process. I had been so involved in my work, I almost forgot I was even here. “Let’s do lunch across the street at Baker’s. Their sandwiches are to die for, and it’s the only place I haven’t taken you yet that’s nearby.”

  Lilly dragged Erica behind her towards the elevator. I grabbed my purse, intending to follow them, but instead collided with Lilly’s back. I grabbed onto her to keep myself from falling over. I couldn’t see over the girls but noticed that the whole room seemed to stop what they were doing. I peeked around and only saw one thing, or rather, one someone. What stood before me seemed like every aspect of the perfect man I could think of, put together. Tall with a broad figure and gorgeous porcelain skin, with shaggy, dark brown hair and dark gray eyes. There seemed to be a pepper of hair along his jawline, just enough to give you a tease of what he would look like with a full beard. By the way the girls were staring at him, I could only guess as to who this man was. Max Wellington.