Cup of Joe | A Joe Jonas Fanfiction

c h a p t e r t w o .

Her mouth hung agape as she fixed her gaze on the phone in her hand. Realizing how dumbfounded (and out of place) she must look in the lobby at the moment, she turned and headed for the bathroom. Winter slipped in unnoticed and quickly closed the door behind her, clicking the lock to ensure her privacy. She looked down again to the phone. Joe's phone.

At least he's an iPhone user. Winter mused. She lifted the phone and it lit up to reveal the lock screen - his dogs. Cute. The phone was locked and used facial recognition, so there was no way she was able to unlock the it. Furrowing her brows, Winter tucked Joe's phone into the pocket of her coat and assessed herself in the bathroom mirror.

There was no suppressing the grimace that formed on her face when she saw her disheveled appearance glaring back at her. Her crisp white suit was splattered with noticeable coffee stains. Her curled hair was twisted and flat in places from the fall. At least her makeup survived the incident. Exasperated, Winter grabbed a few napkins from the dispenser and wet them with soap and water in hopes of cleaning the coffee off of her outfit. But as she expected, it was to no avail. The brown stain didn't budge. Groaning loudly, Winter fluffed her hair and made herself look somewhat presentable before leaving the bathroom (and her better judgment) behind.

Whatever anxiety she felt earlier in the day had been replaced by utter humiliation as she approached the desk in the lobby. The receptionist glanced up, raising one eyebrow as she scanned Winter's outfit in obvious disapproval.

"Can I help you?"

Winter nodded. "Yes, I'm here for an appointment at 11:15 with Erin Aldridge and Markus Kline."

"Name?"

"Oh, Winter Clayton."

The receptionist leaned down and typed in a few things on the computer in front of her. The lobby was completely silent except for the clacking of her freshly manicured nails against the keys. She picked up the phone. "Mr. Kline? Your 11:15 is here - shall I send her up?" There was a pause and the pretty receptionist flashed Winter a cold smile. "Thanks." And then hung up the phone. "They are ready to see you Ms. Clayton. Floor 17, suite 1702. Have a nice day."

"Thanks, you too." Winter exhaled quietly as she turned her back to the desk and headed towards the elevators.

When she stepped out of the elevator onto the 17th floor, her pocket vibrated. Not needing any distractions from the presentation, Winter pulled out Joe's phone and saw an incoming call. Yikes. She declined the call and double checked that the phone was on silent before knocking thrice on the door to suite 1702.

"Come in."

Winter closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before twisting the knob. Positive thoughts only, Winter. You can do this. This is the moment you've been working towards. Show them what you're made of. When she opened her eyes, she placed a friendly and energetic smile on her face and entered the executive conference room.

The room was lined with floor to ceiling windows and full of natural light. A large oval table was in the center of the room with two people seated at the far end. Still smiling brightly, Winter set her folders on the table and addressed the investors.

"Good morning, Miss Aldridge. Mister Kline. My name is Winter Clayton. Shall I get started?"

"Please, proceed. And call us Erin and Markus." Erin Aldridge blinked warmly. "It's much less of a mouthful."

"Thank you, Erin." Winter opened her first folder and grabbed the copies of her resume, her portfolio, and her presentation notes to give to each of the investors.