A Painted Summer

*I would like this story submitted for the SUMMER LOVIN 2019 contest. Thanks for reading!

**This entire story is a work of fiction.

"You can do this." Sara said softly to herself as she smoothed her skirt, then looked at the large glass building that loomed in front of her.

Today was Sara's first day on the job working for her new team. She had been with the same company for nearly 20 years, working as an underwriter's assistant back East. She was 44 now. In the spring she found out that her daughter got accepted to a university that was clear across the country. With a heavy heart, Sara sold her home and most of her possessions so that she could continue living with and supporting her daughter. They were very close. Unfortunately it also meant that she would need a new job.

Luckily, she worked for one of the biggest life insurance brokers in the US, who had an office near where her and her daughter would be settling down, and they were delighted to have her transfer.

Well, almost everybody. Sara was fairly nervous about one person in particular. His name was Michael, and to put it nicely, he was kind of a jerk. She had never really worked with him before, but from office gossip, knew he could be a really ass to people. And she was going to be his new assistant.

She sighed, then got out of the car and walked towards the building. She went up to reception and gave them her name and told them she was Michael's new assistant.

She had a seat and looked around. The suite appeared spacious, with a beautiful tile floor that shone in the morning sun, and nearby she could see glass windows to what appeared to be a huge conference room.

A minute later, a young, smiling guy in glasses greeted her.

"Michael it's so nice to meet you!" She was surprised at how warm his greeting was.

"Oh, no." The guy chuckled. "I'm not Michael. I work with him though. I'm Eric. I'm going to be training you this morning."

Her face fell slightly. The young gentleman took her down a hallway and past a maze of cubicles. He led her towards the offices in the back. A tall, dark, well dressed man walked past them. Sara guessed he was probably around her age. As he walked by, he gave Sara a once-over with a cool expression on his face, and kept walking.

She knew it even before Eric said it, but as they go to her new cubicle, Eric whispered, "That was Michael."

She gave a short smile. Lovely. Her new manager hadn't even spoken to her yet and she already got the feeling that he didn't like her. She put her stuff down and got settled in as Eric gathered some training guides for her. They spent the morning reviewing procedures and what was expected of her.

After they got done, Eric showed her to security so they could give her a security badge to access the office. As they walked back, she stopped him.

"Hey listen, Michael seems......" She couldn't offhand think of a word to describe his personality without being offensive.

"Difficult? Moody? Insane?" Eric offered.

She laughed. "Well..."

He adjusted his glasses. "Look, you can't take what he says personally. Just do exactly what he says, and do it well, and quickly, and you'll be fine."

They went to Michael's office, which was situated next to her cube. Eric and Sara stood in the doorway and as Eric started to speak, Michael held up a finger.

"No that's not what my company is offering." He was saying. He had an earbud in his ear. "You can take this offer or leave it but we can't offer buyback coverage. Your insured has way too many claims. This would open the door for an E&O disaster which obviously we are going to avoid......okay you talk to them and get back to me." He pressed a button on the piece and looked over at Sara expectantly.

"Michael, this is Sara. I showed her the ropes so she should be ready to start helping you now."

"Yes of course." He turned to his computer and started typing.

She looked at Eric quickly, then back at Michael who was paying her no attention at all. "Hello Sir."

He finished typing then looked at her with dark eyes and the same cool expression as before. "I am going to start sending you my new accounts. I want you to set them up in the system, send them to market and give me the best three options for each insured. Is that going to be a problem for you?"

"No Sir, that is fine." She wondered if he expected her to curtsy to him, too.

"Okay then." He went back to typing.

Eric led her back to her desk. "Good luck - and let me know if you have any questions." He said quietly.

"Okay, thank you." She said.

She logged on, and found she already had five, now six, emails from Michael. She momentarily felt overwhelmed, then shook her head. The job was nothing that she couldn't handle. She got to work and soon fell into a rhythm that helped her get through the day.

Michael rarely left his office. Throughout the day she could hear him on the phone, speaking with agents. Sara knew he was one of their top producers and it was obviously because he got right down to business. This man didn't waste any time. He kept her busy with a flood of emails. By the end of the day Sara couldn't help wondering if it would be beneficial to have two assistants.

It was a little after 5:15 when she heard him pack up. He started to stride out of his office and paused when he saw Sara look over at him. He seemed surprised that she was still there.

"Have a good night." He said after a moment, then started walking.

"Thank you, Sir." She called out to him as he disappeared from view.

Sara had just finished setting up one of the last accounts for the day. She packed up her laptop and purse, and went to her car.

Sara lived with her daughter a few towns east of where her work was located. She jumped into her SUV and quickly got onto the highway. Soon she was traveling fast, with the window down, letting the wind pull at her hair in all directions and looking at the desert and mountains in the distance. She had never been this far West before and found the scenery to be breathtaking. Saguaro cacti dotted the scenery, and in the setting sun, the rock faces in the sunset were saturated with earthen reds and browns. Even the colors of the sky seemed richer. In the distance she could see the clouds turn orange in the fading sun, almost looking like fire across the dusty landscape. Sara thought about getting an expensive camera. She wanted to capture the natural raw beauty Arizona had to offer.

She got home and plugged her laptop in at the counter while her daughter cooked dinner. Sara had purchased a nice condo for them. She was lucky enough to get one of the end units that offered a little more privacy. Sara noticed that Michael had sent her another two emails for account setup requests by the time she got home. Did the man ever take a break?

She sighed, then entered the information into their system.

"Mom you're not listening." Her daughter complained, looking over as she drained out the pasta.

"Oh sorry sweetie." Sara said. "What did you say?"

Her daughter talked about how she visited campus and met with a counselor who gave her a tour. The fall semester was starting next week and Sara knew she was really nervous about starting college. Sara sent a request for quotes out to market, then closed her laptop and moved it aside as her daughter brought over plates of shrimp scampi with seasoned pasta, asparagus tips and sun dried tomatoes.

"Are you sure you want to be a teacher?" Sara asked after eating a shrimp. "Cuz you really have a thing for cooking."

"I know. I love kids though. I'm really excited about this program I got into at school. I'm going to be spending a lot of time with hands-on experience."

"I'm glad you found your passion." Sara said, watching her daughter trying to twist the spaghetti around her fork. "I went to school for biology and somehow I ended up in insurance."

"How was your day today?" Her daughter asked.

"Okay. I don't think my boss likes me, but then, I don't think he likes anybody so I guess we'll see how it goes."

Sara got to work early the next morning. She liked to come in about an hour before everybody else, just to warm up slowly to the day. She put her lunch in the fridge, made some tea, then sat down and started looking through her emails. She got a few quotes back late last night. Good. She started organizing them to see what companies she needed to send follow-ups to.

A short time later, she heard footsteps approaching. Michael stopped before he entered his office. "I sent you some accounts last night. One is a rush." He didn't seem to be in a good mood. Sara wondered if that was normal for him.

"Yes, Sir, I set them up for you. I'm just waiting for one company to get back to me."

He went into his office to start setting up. "Which company is holding you up?"

She went to his door and told him. He groaned. "How can a company that offers the best rates have the worst customer service."

It didn't sound like a question so she waited expectantly as he pulled off his business jacket and plugged in his laptop.

"Alright. Call Marcy Jones for me. Tell her you need this quote immediately."

"Okay, Sir." She went back to her desk and looked up her phone number.

At first the woman seemed put off by Sara's phone call. Then Sara told her who she was working for, and all of the sudden Marcy was all too eager to help. Sara wondered exactly how far Michael's influence extended as a few minutes later the quote showed up in her inbox.

She forwarded them to Michael. A second later she heard him call from his office. "Sara print these out for me so I can review them."

"Okay, Sir." Was he going to bark orders at her from his chair all the time?

She printed out the quotes, then went into his office and handed them to him. As she turned, she looked at the wall he was facing and to her shock was a huge portrait of a well-known character from a favorite children's story of Sara's. The girl was sitting in an office with stacks of paperwork, and several office objects, such as a phone, and a computer, who had faces on them.

"Wow!" Sara said, momentarily amazed. "That is so cool!", she said, looking at it. "Um, could I take a picture of it to show-"

"You can actually buy a print online." Michael seemed annoyed.

The comment struck her. She turned and looked at him. "Did you paint this?"

He looked at her. He had beautiful chocolate eyes that held her gaze steady. "Yes I did."

She felt ashamed that she had asked if she could take a photo of it. "I'm sorry. I'll have to check it out online. It's wonderful."

Was that a hint of a smile? Probably not. Without a word, he turned his attention to the paperwork and she went back to her desk, feeling slightly embarrassed. She in no way meant to insult him.

Later that evening, she looked him up and discovered his online shop. He had about two dozen prints for sale. Some were pop culture. A few were of actual people. They were all unique and different but she liked the one from his office the best so she ordered that one.

About a week later, she got to her desk and to her surprise was a large, flat object wrapped in brown paper. She peeked through his door and saw Michael already at his desk.

"Um - thank you." She said quietly.

He looked over at her. His eyes were quite nice. "You're welcome."

She got to her desk and started setting up.

Months passed. Sara was efficient and fast, and Michael seemed to tolerate her. They worked work well together - she was somehow able to keep up with the steady stream of business that he brought in. She made phone calls on his behalf and often checked her inbox at home in the rare occasion that he had a rush request. She was dependable and prudent.

There was only one time when he got mad at her. It was a busy morning, just before Thanksgiving, and she was bombarded with emails. It so happened that she accidentally forwarded the wrong set of quotes to one of their biggest agents.

Very shortly after, she heard Michael take a phone call. Her ears pricked when she heard the conversation and with a sinking heart realized she must have done something wrong.

"I see. No no, we will get right information over to you shortly. I don't know what happened here. I can't understand it either but I'll get to the bottom of it and I assure you it will not happen again."

Sara sat at her desk, not moving.

"Sara." She heard him say sternly.

Shit, she thought, getting up quickly and almost tripping over her chair. She went to the door.

"Our biggest agent just called to inform me that they got a quote for another agent. Also they are now trying to negotiate fees with me." He looked at her, clearly annoyed. "I don't know how much easier this job can be in order for you not to screw up."

Ouch. Her breath caught in her throat for a second before she was able to reply, "I'm sorry, Sir. I will fix it immediately."

He turned back to his computer and she went back to her desk, trying to hold back tears. She triple checked the attachments before sending out a new email, sincerely apologizing to the agent. Then she went to her car with some tissues and sat alone for a few minutes.

"You can do this." She whispered to herself, trying to dry her cheeks. She couldn't stop shaking. She couldn't help wondering if Michael's next conversation would be with HR in regards to her termination.

"Wow." She breathed out. She pulled the visor down and checked herself. She looked upset. Her eyes were slightly red and puffy. Great.

When she got back, Michael's door was closed. That was fine. Sara sat down, took a breath and started going through her inbox.

The office was closing at lunchtime. Sara kept her eyes glued to her computer screen. At last the door opened and Michael stepped out. She heard him pause slightly at her cubicle but she did not look over and instead started typing faster, trying to look extremely busy. She felt him look over, then she heard him keep walking.

After he left, she packed up her things, then went down the hall to see Dennis, their HR manager. He was just turning off his computer and seemed surprised to see her.

"Sara, hello. How are you?" He asked.

"Okay. Um can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He looked kind of concerned.

"I messed up on one of Michael's accounts earlier. I don't know if he complained about me, but should I consider moving to a different department?"

Dennis seemed confused. "Sara I don't know what you are talking about. I haven't spoken to Michael in awhile."

Oh, so he didn't complain. Well that was a relief, she thought.

He sat back in his chair. "Look, I know that he is a tough guy to work with. He's impatient, and extremely straightforward. He's also our biggest producer. I imagine that is a lot of stress to deal with. But you are doing a really great job."

Except for today, she wanted to interject, but held her tongue.

"Do you want to switch departments?" He asked her.

"Um, no, I guess not. I do love challenges. I sometimes worry he would rather have someone better."

"Honestly, between you and me, you're the longest assistant he's had. I think the last person was here about a week before he yelled at her to get out of the office."

"Wow." She said. This guy really was a jerk!

"Look, don't worry about it. Leave your laptop here. Go home and enjoy your life for a few days."

"Thanks Dennis."

She started to go back to her desk to drop off the laptop, then decided to bring it, just in case. Then she went home.

She got to work early on Monday after a relaxing few days off with her daughter. She didn't turn on her computer all weekend, and when she checked her inbox she saw some emails Michael had forwarded her on accounts that had to be set up. She made her tea and got to work.

Soon after, she heard the familiar footsteps coming down the hall. He paused at her desk. "Good morning."

She gave him the slightest look. "Good morning, Sir."

He looked at her a second longer than normal, but she had already turned back to her screen.

The end of the year was their busiest time. Everyone was trying to book their business by year end deadlines in order to post premiums on the current year. Sara was often working until 6 or so, trying to wrap up the day and not be overwhelmed the next. Michael often stayed later than her.

A few days before the Christmas holiday, Michael came over to her early one morning. "Sara, I was wondering if you would accompany me on a sales pitch."

It was entirely unexpected. "Ah, what about Eric?" She asked.

"He called out sick. I just need you to come with me and reassure them that we will take good care of them."

Wow. Sara was nervous, and excited. A little while later they got in his car and started driving to the agency.

As they parked, Michael said, "I will do most of the talking. Or all of the talking."

A frown crossed her face quickly, but she agreed.

They went in and were greeted at reception by a smiling older woman. "I haven't met you before." She said as she shook Sara's hand.

"Terry, this is my associate Sara. She handles the back end stuff for me."

Ugh, Sara thought. What a crappy introduction. But Sara smiled warmly at the woman, and they stepped into her office.

"So-"

"Wow, did you go to Italy?" Sara blurted out, looking at an enlarged photo on the wall of the woman and possibly some of her family members on a gondola.

"Oh yes, my husband and I took our kids to Venice last summer." The woman said, staring fondly at the photograph. Terry missed the glare that Michael shot Sara. Sara missed it, too. She was fascinated by world travel and was looking at various artifacts on display from the woman's journeys.

After a good twenty minute conversation about cultural food, Michael broke in to the conversation finally.

"We actually came here to discuss the new life insurance changes that are taking effect to your policy in a few weeks." He said to Terry, then glanced at Sara as if to say, enough already!

The woman brought up her concerns, and Michael was able to smooth them out. She was thinking of adding additional options, and Sara interjected, "We can research that for you. I know you just want the best value for your dollar. I can check with my contacts to see if we can put something together for you by the end of the week."

That sounded good to Terry. As she showed them out, Sara started to wonder if she had overstepped her authority.

They got in the car, and Sara turned to him, but Michael spoke before she could open her mouth. "Sara, I asked you not to intervene. But Terry was trying to cancel coverage, and I think we may have saved this account."

That was a compliment, right? "That was kind of fun. She was very nice."

He looked at her and she could see that small smile on his face.

The holidays passed, and a new year began. Sara's favorite time of year was summer, when the earth flourished with color, and sunlight abounded. Michael rarely took vacation time, but he was scheduled to take the first two weeks off of May. Sara never asked him personal questions, as he did not ask her any, so she did not know what he was doing. For someone she spent almost a year working for, she knew so little about him.

The Friday before his vacation, she heard him pack up and exit his office. He stopped by her desk.

"I will be out of the office for two weeks with limited access to emails. But I will forward you work when I can."

She gave a small smile. "Sure, don't worry."

He started to walk again, then stopped. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt like she had been not acting quite like herself lately. He watched her for a second.

It was uncharacteristic of him to study her. She felt herself get inexplicably flustered as she realized he had turned back to her.