Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
I smoothed my hands down my pencil skirt and nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“May I ask the reason for them letting you go?”
I brought up my stay calm and act like your shit doesn’t stink attitude. “There was a scheduling error, and Mr. Brookwood wasn’t happy about that.”
She nodded slowly. “I see.” She started looking at my resume again. “Okay, well we have a few other interviews lined up, but we’ll be sure to keep in contact.”
And just like that, I was denied. But I plastered on a fake-as-hell smile and stood, shaking her hand, thanking her, and leaving her office.
Once I was on the sidewalk outside the building, I closed my eyes, wanting to scream. I was so damn frustrated. This was the second interview. And both of them had given me the same look, the same “we’ll be in contact” spiel once they’d found out I’d been fired from Brookwood Financial Holdings.
“Do you want me to come over and help you get ready?” Michael said from the other end of the phone.
I was currently bent over with my head nearly in the fridge as I looked for that last can of Dr. Pepper I knew was in here. I needed the caffeine. Well, honestly, I needed something a lot stiffer than a can of pop, but I was fresh out of the hard stuff.
“No, because I’m not even going to try tonight, if I’m being honest.” I pushed the jar of pickles to the side and spied the brownish can. “Ah-ha! There you are, you little bitch.”
“You talking to yourself again, Olive?”
I shut the fridge and started laughing. “No, I found my last Dr. Pepper, which makes my day marginally better.” I heard some shuffling on the other end of the phone. “What are you doing tonight?” I could hear David in the background, his voice muffled.
“We’re just staying in, ordering pizza, watching some horror movie David picked out.” A moment of silence passed. “Hey, if the date doesn’t pan out, you can always swing by and join us for a late movie.”
I popped the cap of my DP and brought it to my mouth, taking a long drink. “The way my week has been going, I’m sure the date will be a bust, so I might take you up on that offer.”
“Don’t you have one more interview?” Michael asked, and I exhaled over-dramatically.
I took another sip from the can and turned around to lean against the counter. “Yeah, but in less than two weeks, I lost my job, got three interviews, failed two of them, and am going on a blind date. Only good thing that came out of all this was the fact that I got a month’s severance from my fucking ex-boss, and I found the last Dr. Pepper in my fridge.”
Michael burst out laughing. “Hey, there’s always that silver lining, right?”
I shrugged even though I knew Michael couldn’t see me.
“Besides, the date tonight might be really incredible.” There was Michael again, always optimistic even in the crappiest times.
“Have you actually seen David’s brother?”
Michael cleared his throat. “I mean, I’ve seen pictures. Like, older pictures, but still. He couldn’t have changed that much. He’s not bad-looking.”
I snorted at that. “Not bad-looking” usually meant he wasn’t good-looking at all.
“Pope’s successful and nice, and I’m sure you guys will hit it off. But like I said, if you don’t, well, you’re still getting a meal at your favorite place.”
I exhaled slowly and finished off my pop before tossing the can in the recycling bin. “Yeah, I guess. I should probably get ready though.”
“Okay, but you tell me the moment you’re home and how it all went.”
I nodded. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll be the first to know how much it sucked.”
Michael chuckled. “You’re so dramatic.”
“I know it.” I hung up the phone and set it on the counter then just stood there for a moment. The burger joint wasn’t anything fancy, so I didn’t have to worry about dressing to impress, which was a little bit of weight off my shoulders.
It had been a long time since I’d been on an actual date, so not having to worry about prepping and primping was always a plus. But still, maybe Michael was right. Maybe Pope would exceed all my expectations and make this crappy week turn out to be pretty incredible.
I wouldn’t hold my breath though.
CHAPTER SIX
Olive
I’d arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes earlier than we were supposed to meet. I did that on purpose. Obviously.
I needed to collect myself, to decide where I wanted to sit—which was the table pressed against the wall and where I was facing the front door. I wasn’t really a control freak, but for a blind date, I was going to take that to the next level.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
I glanced at the waitress in her little white T-shirt that said Rocco’s in red across the chest. She was probably barely out of high school, what with her fresh, young face and that innocence in her eyes that spoke of the fact that she hadn’t really seen much of the world.