“And you’re available to start right away?”
Ahh! Sara squealed inside. Oh, yeah. They were interested. And so was she. This was no time to be coy or play hard to get. She laced her fingers on the table, and smiled at her three interviewers, each high-level decision-makers at Imagine Media. “Absolutely. You name the date.”
Smiles and nods greeted her.
Parker Jones, the creative director, slid a business card across the table to her. Sara looked at both sides of the card and ran a thumb across the soft matte finish. “Who did your design?”
Parker grinned at his two colleagues before meeting Sara’s eyes. “I did.”
“It’s very nice.”
“That fact that you know good design along with the principles of marketing and communication is a great asset.” Parker told her. “We like hybrids around here.”
“That’s right,” Carolyn Reyes, one of the partners, added. “We don’t work in silos. We work in teams. There’s a lot of brainstorming and collaboration.”
Exactly what Sara was looking for. And why she didn’t need an MBA. She didn’t want to be locked into a single track or concentration. At a place like this, she could contribute in multiple ways. She wished she could ask about flexibility of hours and day care, but she didn’t dare. Raising red flags at this point would be plain stupid.
And just when Sara thought the interview was wrapping up, the conversation took off again. They talked for twenty more minutes, until Carolyn glanced at her watch. “Hey, guys, I’m going to have to break this up. We’ve got the Westside strategy presentation in a few minutes.”
Parker glanced from Sara to Carolyn and opened his mouth as if he were about to say something. Looking discreetly away, Sara gathered her things, aware of some non-verbal communication among the three. She wondered if they might invite her to the presentation. That’d be great, but she desperately needed to find the ladies’ room. She’d had a large iced tea at lunch, then a bottle of water during the interview, which was going on almost two hours now.
“Sara, thanks so much for coming in today. It’s been a pleasure.” Carolyn extended her hand, and Sara shook hands with each of them.
Sensing that these people liked direct communication, she flashed a smile and asked the question pressing on her mind. “Any idea when you might make a decision?” Wouldn’t bother her a bit if she had to cancel the other interviews she had scheduled or remove her résumé from the big online employment sites.
“Shouldn’t be long,” Carolyn said. “Couple of weeks at the most.”
“Perfect,” Sara said, though in her heart, she’d been hoping for an on-the-spot offer. They’d clearly clicked. Oh, well. Proper procedures, and all. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”
She tucked the business card into her slim leather satchel and made a beeline for the restrooms she’d seen in the office lobby.
Since it was close to four o’clock, and that meant rush-hour traffic, Sara checked her GPS for a back-roads route to Morgan’s apartment. It’d take longer to get there, but that was preferable over the jockeying for position, tailgating and pressure from other drivers.
She’d rather meander the roads while her mind returned to the interview she’d just nailed. The phone buzzed in her hand, and Sara grinned at the text from Morgan. Meeting for an early dinner would be great. She could stop at a coffee shop, spend an hour at her laptop, and avoid rush hour all together. You’re on, she texted back. Where to?
They settled on a Thai place still about fifteen minutes from Sara. She put the car in gear and drove the short distance to a Starbucks in the next strip center.
With a decaf Mocha in hand, Sara connected to the Wi-Fi and watched dozens of emails load. She scrolled through. Most of them simply acknowledged receiving her résumé and application. Ah, this one wanted to set up an interview. She blew out her breath and closed her eyes for a moment. On one hand, it was flattering to receive so many requests. On the other hand, she’d love to be done – and politely decline all other interviews. She’d forgotten how emotionally draining the ups and downs of interviewing and job hunting were. The frequent restroom breaks and need to eat only added to the stress. And her short window of opportunity. With each day that passed, her abdomen grew while her chances of being hired diminished.
A few more sips of coffee revived her as she continued scrolling through the emails. She blinked. And did a double-take. This must have been buried earlier. A message had come at one a.m. from Evan. In the subject line was a simple ‘hello.’
She toyed with her napkin, folding and twisting it while she wrestled with conflicting thoughts and feelings. Did she want to rekindle the friendship? There’d definitely been a connection at the wedding. She couldn’t help but wonder what his reaction would be if – no, when – he found out she was pregnant. He’d find out because Dana would find out. No way could her mother keep it a secret from Dana, one of her best friends. Besides, Whitfield was a small town. Once people knew her mom was a grandmother, the jig was up.
Did it even matter? She couldn’t go through her pregnancy being ashamed of it. Really, the only reason she needed to keep it under wraps right now was to get a job. After that, it was simply part of who she was. Friends would support her – or they wouldn’t be friends.
She clicked on the email.
Hey, there. Just thought I’d check in and see how Dallas is treating you. Any luck on the job search?
Short and simple. Testing the waters? Well, perfect timing on his part. She was dying to tell someone about her interview with Imagine Media. Smiling inside, her fingers tapped the keyboard.
Hey, just got out of an interview. I think they liked me. I’d love to get this one. Keep your fingers crossed for me. What’s happening there? She hit send, wondering how long it would take for him to see her response. She didn’t know much about his job, but figured he spent a fair amount of time at a computer.
Sure enough. Less than a minute later, a new reply popped up.
Hi. You caught me watching the clock today. Playing a little basketball with some guys after work. I may have to uncross my fingers. Temporarily. Hope you get the job. Who’s it with?
A small agency called Imagine Media. They seem smart and fun. Lots of good energy.
Cool. Sounds perfect for you.
Really? Interesting. He thought he knew what was perfect for her.
You think?
Sure. Never did see you in corporate America.
She couldn’t argue with that. Maybe they hadn’t changed that much since high school after all. Basic personality and style had been set by then, she supposed. And what about Evan? She had to smile. Banking seemed to fit. Not boring accounting, and not risky investing, but a solid, steady institution. A stable career with standard hours and a good paycheck. She could see how that would be attractive to him. Of course, good looking, smart and personable would be attractive to a bank. Evan was probably their poster child – maybe even featured in their advertising. If only every company she worked with could be lucky enough to have someone like him on staff.
That thought brought her abruptly to Todd Riley. Ugh. She honestly hadn’t thought about him in days. He was handsome enough to be in ads but didn’t have the easy-going manner that Evan did. In fact, Todd tended to come across as harsh or tense in photos. Not that she’d seen many – only a few selfies they’d taken during the time they’d dated, and a small collection of family photos at his place. Just as well. The fewer images she had to purge from her head, the better.
A new email brought her attention back to her computer. Oops. She hadn’t responded to Evan’s last comment, and now he was out of time.
You still there? I gotta go for now, but let’s talk later.
Sure. Why not? Wasn’t as if she had a full agenda. She’d probably be on the computer, anyway, looking at websites about pregnancy and caring for newborns.
Sounds good, she wrote. Have fun.
She answered a couple of other messages and then packed up her things and headed for the restaurant, ready for an appetizer – or two.
Climbing out of her car, Sara wished she’d thought to toss in black flats when she left for the interview. Her feet were beginning to protest the tall heels. A stiletto girl she’d never be. At least the leggings and jacket would look just as cute with some ballet flats and would be perfect office attire for a place like Imagine.
Inside the restaurant, Morgan waved. She slid out of the booth as Sara approached the table. Her mouth practically gaped.
“Oh, my gosh. Look at you. This is sassy.” She lifted a chunk of Sara’s hair. “Wow. You should wear your hair down more often. Looks fab.”
“Thanks.”
“I didn’t order you a drink. Wasn’t sure if you’d had any caffeine today.”
Sara sank into the booth. “Yeah, I decided I needed it before my interview, so I guess it’s just water now.”
“You’re being so diligent. Are you getting headaches from withdrawal?”
“No. I’m getting hunger pangs from being pregnant.”
“Okay, let’s order food. Then I have something to tell you.”
“Not fair,” Sara said. “But stomach pulls rank. Let’s get a couple of appetizers.”
They ordered edamame and pan-fried dumplings, then Sara leaned in. “What’s up?”
Morgan’s sheepish smile turned into a wide grin.
“What?”
“Sam and I are moving in together.”
Sara’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
Morgan’s head bobbed. “Yeah, we’ve been talking about it for a while, and well–” she shrugged. “Last night we just decided to do it.”
A couple of what-about-me thoughts crashed into Sara’s head, but she pushed them back, trying to focus on what this meant for her friend. For now.
“Aw, that’s great,” Sara told her. Wasn’t hard to see the happiness on Morgan’s face. “Are we a little bit excited?”
“And scared,” Morgan added. “We’ve been dating a long time but living together will be different.”
“For sure,” Sara agreed. She’d met Sam several times, the first when he’d accompanied Morgan to a mutual friend’s wedding in St. Louis a couple of years ago. On first impression, he’d been friendly and fun – and pretty hot. The few encounters she’d had with him since crashing in Dallas were equally positive. Seemed like a great guy. She hoped she wasn’t wrong. Her confidence in judging character – in men, at least – had taken a beating.
“Have you talked about getting married?”
“Why yes, we have as a matter of fact. And we turned twenty-one about six years ago, by the way.” Morgan’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Water dribbled down Sara’s chin as she choked on a laugh. “Oh, good grief.” She slapped her forehead. “I’m sorry. You know that’s not how I meant it. If he asks, will you say yes?”
“Yeah. I think so. Ask me again after I’ve lived with him for a few months, though.”
“Ah, so this is a trial run?”
“I suppose so. He thinks it’d be weird to get married while he’s still in law school. Says it’ll feel more like starting real life after he graduates. I get that.”
“Sure. Makes sense.”
Conversation suspended while their waiter delivered their entrees. Sara immediately reached for the steaming Pad Se Eu noodle dish. “I can’t believe I haven’t gained fifty pounds already,” she said. “It seems like all I want to do is eat.”
“Hey, no big deal. You’re eating for two.”
“I’d rather not give birth to the Michelin Man.”
“Don’t worry. It’s good for you.”
“Hope so.”
“Hey, this is good for you, too,” Morgan said.
“What?”
“My move. This way, you can stop worrying about where to live while you’re job hunting. You can just take over my lease.”
Sara chewed while she processed Morgan’s offer. Sounded as though she thought she was doing Sara a favor. Maybe she was, but Sara had some doubts. Morgan’s place wouldn’t be the ideal location if Sara got the Imagine job. At least a thirty-minute commute – twice as long as Sara wanted.
“I’ll think about it,” Sara said, finally.
Morgan’s eyebrows rose. “You get along all right with Leah, don’t you?”
Leah was Morgan’s official roommate. Sara didn’t know her well, but had no issues with her, either. “Oh, sure. It’s just that I really want to get an apartment close to where I end up working. I’d love to get the one I interviewed for today, but it’s a pretty long drive.”
“Oh.” Morgan’s face fell. Obviously, she’d hoped Sara could solve the sub-let dilemma for her. “Well, maybe for a few months, anyway? Until you’re sure? I can leave all my furniture for now.”
“Yeah, maybe. I don’t want to commit to anything long term yet.” Could be a decent temporary solution, she supposed. Sara took a deep breath. She should be grateful. It could be that things were falling into place. “When are you moving?”
Morgan grinned around her lettuce wraps. “Soon.”
“Okay. The gal at Imagine said they’d make a decision soon, too.”
“Perfect. You like that one best so far?”
Slowly, Sara nodded, wondering if she were putting too much weight on the one interview. “Yeah. But I can’t stop looking. I have three interviews next week, and one is with a headhunter, so you never know what will come up.
“Well, Sam and I will figure out the details this weekend. He’s got a court case they’re following in Austin on Friday, so he’ll be home late. I’m getting a few people together to go out Friday night. Leah, and Jess, and maybe a few others. I want you to come with us.”
“Yeah, sounds fun. Where we going?”
“I’m thinking West Village.”
“But, Morgan, isn’t that mostly a bunch of bars? What about a movie?”
“But then you can’t talk. You’ve got to get out and meet people while you can, you know.”
Sara groaned inside. Even in college, bar-hopping had never been her thing. She’d much rather go to an event – a gallery open house, movie, or concert.
“Once this baby comes, you’ll be stuck at home all the time,” Morgan told her.
“I don’t think I’ll be stuck. But I won’t be bar-hopping.” Sara tried to keep the edge out of her voice. Truth was, Sara didn’t love crowds. Staying home and watching a movie or reading a book sounded like a good time to her. Morgan knew that. While they’d become friends in the sorority, Morgan was more like Annie – thriving on going and doing with a pack of friends. Sara preferred having a few close friends. Maybe that made her boring. Or a nerd. But she didn’t care. That’s who she was.
Morgan blew out a heavy sigh. “You know, you are the perfect person to do this single mom thing. I mean it. You’ll probably be completely happy being at home every night and won’t miss the rest of us at all.”
“Not true,” Sara told her. “Well, only a little bit true. I’ll miss you, but not the bar scene. You’ll just have to come visit. I can manage to use a corkscrew and pour a glass of wine, you know. And I like to cook.”
Now there was an idea for a baby shower – instead of buying booties and equipment for the baby, bring a home entertainment item for the mom-to-be. Her friends could come to her. The opportunities to meet new people would take care of themselves. Or would have to wait.