Finding Joy - Adriana Herrera Page 0,3

to run these surveys and to be kind to the local staff. Because they’ll be busting their asses to get us the data we need, and you’ll need to overcompensate for the fact that the guy running the numbers is an asshole.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled at her directives. “You’re pretty good at giving shitty orders in ways one can’t say no to.”

She laughed as I fretted about Sam’s shithead ways. I could fake it ’til I made it with the best of them, but I had hard limits when it came to expats acting like assholes to the staff in the field offices.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to handle him,” I assured her. I’d been around enough to not put up with bullshit from overzealous dude-bros trying to show off. “So how will I get to Awassa?” I asked, trying to get the more practical details in order. “Will I get a car to drive down there, or will I have a driver?” I knew me driving would probably involve a visit to a local government office to sort out a driving permit, and wanted to get it cleared up if that were the case.

Bonnie flicked her hands like I was talking nonsense. “Oh no, you won’t be driving yourself.” She sounded like I’d suggested I was going to fly myself there. “You haven’t been here! There’s a learning curve, my friend. You’ll go down with Elias, the logistics coordinator for our project.” Her face lit up at the mention of the man, which I guess was a good sign. “Eli’s a star, one of my favorite people.” Her grin got wider with every word spoken about the magical Elias. “He was a driver for a few years before getting the coordinator job. He’ll get you there in one piece.”

I could work with that. “Sounds good.”

“He’ll come by your guest house tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. to pick you up. Make sure you’re ready to go by then—it’s about five hours to Awassa, and I’d like you to be there by midday.”

She waved a hand in the direction of the cubicle I was supposed to occupy. “All the stuff you need to go over is there. There’s a copy of the contract, so you know exactly what we need to deliver on. The IT guys will come in an hour or so to set you up. They’ll have a phone with a SIM card for you too.”

She pushed off the desk she’d been leaning on and offered me another warm smile. I could not say I was feeling unwelcome in Addis Ababa. “I need to get to a meeting, but I’ll be back before you leave. We’re so happy you’re here and can’t wait to put you to work.”

I laughed again as I dropped my backpack on the chair in my desk. “I’m glad to be here too.”

As Bonnie walked away, I found that I meant every word. I could say it had to do with Tefare and Bonnie being the only two people I’d interacted with so far. But it was more than that. I felt at home here in a way that I rarely felt anywhere.

Chapter 2

I woke up to another chilly Addis morning, and quickly realized I had overslept.

My ride would be here to pick me up in less than fifteen minutes, and of course I’d be a whole-ass mess when he got here. I jumped out of bed and got myself packed up for my trip. Since I’d barely taken anything out of the bag to begin with, I was done in a couple of minutes. I did a quick wash-up in the bathroom and was stepping out onto the guesthouse parking lot with my shoes in my hands when a white SUV pulled up next to me. The top of the truck was piled high with what looked like footlockers, which probably held supplies for the field offices and some of the materials we would need to run our survey. I smiled to myself at the familiar sight, which promised weeks of adventure and hard work.

When the driver jumped out of the vehicle and came around to my side, I finally got a good look at him.

He was not what I was expecting. For some reason, I’d envisioned Elias as some sort of Tefare doppelgänger. And why my stupid mind decided all Ethiopian men were seventy years old with Don King hair would remain a question for the ages.

No, Elias was beautiful.

He was very