Dive

Chapter Three

 "Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity." – Seneca

"Carina, it's so good to see you again." Kyle smiles at me across the modern glass desk, pushing his thick-rimmed glasses up his nose. "Please have a seat."

I do and try to push down my nerves. Today is my first day at the new job and Kyle is my new boss. I met him about two months ago via a Zoom call when Amanda convinced me to consider the position. Then I met him in person when I came to the States for the final interview five weeks ago.

"It's good to see you too," I say, folding one leg over the other. I'm wearing pants today, along with a silk blouse.

"How was your first week in New York?"

"Busy," I reply, and I mean it. Amanda has kept me on my toes with shopping and meeting friends and family, and even a little sightseeing.

"This is your first day and I want you to take it easy. I'll show you around and you can meet the team. I thought that you could do some shadowing on your first few days so you get a feel of what everyone is doing and how we operate. What do you think?"

"Sounds great."

The position I've been hired for is Head of Marketing for the company Kyle is running. It's an important position and from what I've heard I also have big shoes to fill. Adam, the now-retired former Head of Marketing, was a legend in his field of work. That knowledge only makes me nervous about my own skills. I am nowhere near that level of experience and it will inevitably show. Kyle assured me I was going to do great, but a small voice at the back of my overactive mind keeps telling me that I might not rise up to his expectations.

We do coffee as he shows me around the office that extends along the entire perimeter of the 11th floor. The people I meet are all warm smiles and good disposition, and it makes me feel more at ease.

I'm sitting in my new office, staring out the window at the city skyline, when my cell phone rings. My lips pull up when I see Amanda's name and I pick up.

"How's your first day going?" she asks over the sound of traffic buzzing in the background.

"It's only noon, but so far so good. Everyone is very nice and welcoming."

"Of course they are. We New Yorkers are not as bad as our reputation would have us be."

I sigh and my smile fades. "Ames?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"What the hell am I doing?"

"Not this again," she reprimands. "You cannot seriously still doubt yourself even at this point."

"I'm too young. I don't have the experience, and I really, really don't want to fail."

"You won't," she says firmly. "Please stop doing this to yourself. Kyle didn't hire you because you are my friend. He is first and foremost a business man. If he didn't think you could handle the position, he would have told me so. But he sees in you what everyone else does. Everyone other than yourself. You are smart and hardworking and ambitious. The fact that you still don't trust your capabilities shows that you are too damn modest for your own good."

Unwillingly, the smile returns to my face. "That was a nice little pep talk."

"I know. Dinner at Cordona tonight. We're celebrating the success of your first day."

After I hang up, I think about Amanda's words and take a deep breath, trying to inject her optimism into my mood.

I've got this.