I held up a finger at my best friend, Kelsey, letting her know to be quiet while I clutched the phone to my ear. “Yeah, Dad! I got the job.”
Dad’s words came out weak, but I could practically feel him smiling on the other end of the phone. “That’s awesome, baby girl. I knew you would.”
“It’s like double the pay. So we shouldn’t have to stress as much over the bills, okay?”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
“You’re watching the game, aren’t you?”
“You are correct.”
“You want me to let you go, don’t you?”
“You are correct.”
I laughed. “Okay, thanks for listening to my news.” I started to hang up.
“Jenny?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m very proud of you. And I love you more than anything in this world, new job or not.”
Dad always knew how to warm my heart. And I knew he meant every single word. “I love you too. Get back to your game.”
“Okay. Tell Kelsey I love her too.”
“I will.”
I tapped the red button on my phone and turned my gaze to Kelsey.
She was practically shaking. “You got the job? Squee!”
Kelsey wrapped me in the mother of all bear hugs, forcing all the air from my lungs. Her chest trembled against me, and she did that thing where she started jumping up and down, kind of forcing me to do it with her. I tried to pat her on the back, or show some kind of appreciation, but she had my arms pinned to my sides.
“Kelsey?” I struggled to get her name out.
“Yeah?”
“I can’t freaking breathe.”
She released me and I took in a large gulp of air. Her laughter echoed off the walls and her honey-colored eyes lit up. “Sorry. I hardly ever squee, you know this. I’m just so happy for you!”
A warmth radiated through my body. It was hard not to feel happy around her. She was one of those people who never frowned. We’d known each other since kindergarten when she gave me a carnation pink crayon after mine had broken. We’d been through everything together—boys, dances, dating boys, breaking up with boys, boys breaking up with us.
Kelsey was pretty in the “I don’t have to try to be pretty” kind of way. She had on a pair of Levi’s jeans and an old vintage Beatles tee that clung tightly to her thin frame. Her dirty blond hair was tied in a loose knot. She was definitely a rocker chick who loved her music.
“I know this about you. I certainly do. And I know, it’s insane.”
“Why’s it insane? You’re a badass. Any company should be begging you to work for them.” She gave me the stare I usually got when I sold myself short.
“Oh, I didn’t tell you about him.”
“About who? There’s a him?” She sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her. “I want to hear all about it and him.”
“Oh my God. Okay. So, I was hauling ass trying to find the place, right? I looked out in the park while I was walking down the sidewalk and I ran into the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Kelsey perked up. “Oh, I like where this is headed.”
“Just—just wait, okay?”
She made a motion like her lips were sealed. I laughed because there was no way she would keep quiet through this story.
“Anyway, he was a real prick.”
“I hate him already,” she said, nodding.
I stared and she zipped her lips once more over a wry grin.
“Thank you. So, obviously, I gave back whatever he dished out. But my God, he looked like a guy right out of a fashion magazine—brown eyes, dark hair, suit. And I’m not gonna lie, he was quick-witted. You know what that does to me.”
She started to speak and I held up my hand to shush her.
“So I’m flustered all to hell and really late at this point. Needed coffee. I couldn’t figure out if I was mad or turned on while I hauled ass to find the building. Then I get to the interview and walk through the door—”
Kelsey shook her head. “No, nope, no way. Did not happen.”
I nodded and dropped my face into my palms. “It did,” I said between my fingers.
She shoved me on the shoulder. “Shut up!”
I pulled my hands from my face, leaving my dignity still clutched in my palms. My face had to be ten shades of pink.
“Wait, but you got the job, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
Kelsey was already looking off at the wall, and then up to the ceiling. I could practically see the wheels spinning in her brain when her head whipped back to face me. “He likes you.” She drew out her syllables in a falsetto, as if we were fifth graders at the lunch table and she was teasing me about a crush.
“You’re full of it.”
“Nuh-uh!” She shook her head with that silly grin of hers.
“Not a chance. What am I going to do?”
“If he didn’t like you, why the fuck would he give you the job?” Her stare morphed into the “don’t be stupid” variety.
“I don’t know, okay. Pity? So he can torture me every day? He was a condescending asshole the entire time, so I’m still baffled that he offered it to me.”
“I’m surprised security didn’t escort you out, because I know you had to have given him shit back the whole time.”
“Oh, I did.” I nodded. “When I corrected him on a baseball fact I thought his head was going to explode.”
“Because he likes youuu!”
I ignored her teasing and thoughts raced through my head. Still. Why did he give me the job? Maybe I’d impressed him with the George Brett thing. That had to be it. No guy like him enjoys being corrected by a female in front of his colleagues. Maybe he was being objective and saw through all the banter, and that I knew what I was talking about.
“Whatever.” I shoved her and laughed. “I can’t screw this up. The salary is almost double what I made before. I just need to keep my head down, steer clear of Mr. Hot Cocky Asshole, and do my work.”
“Well, if there’s one thing you’re good at, it’s avoiding hot men.”
“Hey!” I shoved her playfully and laughed.
“Well, it’s fucking true, Jenn. You avoid them like the plague.”
“Keith was hot.” I looked away as soon as I said it and pretended to whistle.
“That was two years ago and he played Dungeons & Dragons and slept with one of those mask things over his face so he wouldn’t die.”
I couldn’t look at her because I might’ve died of embarrassment or laughter. “He was kind of cute…” I let my words trail off, trying not to giggle.
She started to impersonate Darth Vader breathing through his helmet, and I lost it when she broke out her best imitation. “Jenn, join me on a quest in the enchanted forest. We will have sex and you will call me Fatherrr.”
I could barely breathe when I turned back to see her face flushed and practically trembling trying to contain a grin. We both erupted into a fit of laughter and fell back into the couch. She cocked her head sideways and leaned against my shoulder.
“What am I going to do?” I asked.
“Well, I’m not saying this is the best approach. But…”
“Go on. I’m listening.”
“You could always just let him take you in the file room and fuck you up against the wall.”
“Oh. My. God. You are the worst.” I tried to shrug her head from my shoulder but she kept it there as we both chuckled.
“I’m just saying. It’s been a while. And it sounds like he has some pent-up aggression he needs to get out. Everybody needs some wall action on occasion.”
I couldn’t think of a day since I met Kelsey that she hadn’t made me blush. We both sat back up on the couch. “You give sage advice, you know that?”
“Oh, you could wear nothing but a baseball jersey into his office, and bite your nail, all bending over and tell him the TPS reports are ready.”
“I’m going to let that slide since you threw in a kickass movie reference. But no, I will not be getting it up against the wall in his office. Thank you for your concern though.” A shooting pain started in my stomach. More thoughts raced through my mind, and I frowned. “I can’t fuck this up. I need this job.”
She wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me in for a hug. Kelsey always knew when it was time to joke, and when it was time to be serious. “I know,” she whispered.
“Bills are starting to come in and I can barely keep up. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I gripped her shirt tight in my hands and squeezed her closer to me.
“You’re going to kick ass at your job. Just like you’ve kicked ass at every other fucking thing you’ve ever done in your life. It’s what you do.”
“And yes, he’s hot. And for some godforsaken reason I’m attracted to him. Six months ago I would’ve told him to take his job and shove it. It’s going to be difficult. I just have to ignore it and do what I have to do.”
She somehow managed to pull me closer to her. “You will. I promise.”