Whitney POV
Madison warned me about Wainwright.
His exact words were, "That guy is a shark and will eat anyone alive that tries to get close."
I knew what to do. Keep to myself, anticipate the needs of clients, and triple check everything.
The morning was quieter than I expected and Mandy seemed like a nice coworker. It was a surprise when Mr. Wainwright returned with a young girl but she had his hazel eyes and dark hair so I inferred they were related. She had the tell tale look of someone struggling with cramps. Poor girl was bracing her stomach and almost doubled over, so it's a good thing I'm always prepared.
There was a decent amount of onboarding paperwork to complete as well as policies to review so I took my time going over everything until pizza arrived. I knew the system since it was just like what I used with Madison so after a some time to adjust I was easily able to slip into my new role.
This was just like my old job, but with new people.
Dave got everything set in the conference room with the help of his wife, Meg. She was a sweet gal that I clicked with immediately. I grabbed a pitcher of water with some cups from the kitchen and Bree joined me, snagging a stack of paper plates and roll of paper towels to use as napkins.
"Thanks for the pain meds, Whitney," she said quietly.
I smiled, "Did your Dad rat me out?"
"No, he just never has stuff on hand." Bree seemed to pause and looked over my shoulder at the door. "He's a really good Dad, especially compared to my Mom, but the judge won't let me decide who I get to live with permanently until I turn 13 in a few months."
"I'm sorry, Bree... that's a tough situation but I'm glad you know at least one of your parents can be there to support you." I tried to reassure her but was almost at a loss.
My parents just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. I have a brother and sister, both of whom are married with kids of their own. While I had friends that dealt with divorce, the loving and supportive family was all I knew personally.
Bree sighed, fiddling with the paper cups in front of her. "Yeah, he tries hard to be understanding but sometimes... it's just sometimes it would be nice to talk to a woman ya know?"
I nodded, "Completely. My mom has never been a communicator so I had to figure a lot out on my own but that's just life. Now I have it down to a science so let me know if I can help."
We headed back to the conference room and had a relaxing lunch with Meg excitedly asking questions while Bree seemed to relax.
"So, Whitney, do you have a nickname?" Meg asked after tying her blonde curls back in a scrunchie.
I shook my head after sipping my water. "I mean, not really? Whit, I guess? My family has pet names they call me but you get how that goes..."
"Makes sense. Logical nickname for a logical woman," she grinned, grabbing another piece of pizza.
Wainwright barely stayed at the table long enough to scarf down 3 slices of pizza before he returned to his office. He did not say much except a "Thank you" for the water I passed him and when Mandy slid the pepperoni pizza box his direction.
He was interesting to watch. Mr. Wainwright clearly loved his daughter and had a soft spot for anything related to her but otherwise was exactly what Madison warned me to expect.
Bree just shrugged and refilled her water glass. She seemed comfortable around the office and ended up sitting at my desk after we ate. I offered my iPad so she could watch "Inside Out" on Disney + which made her happy.
