Macy focused her attention on the slow-moving cab line. She closed her eyes for a moment and prayed that the rest of the day would be uneventful. Her horoscope had been all wrong today.
It would have been so much easier to blame this delay on Avery Malveaux, Mr. Good-looking. If she could have gotten Roxy’s signature and departed immediately as planned, the nervous ruckus in her stomach would have settled. But she had to small talk with all of them. Her toes screamed for release from her shoes.
What was it about Avery Malveaux that made her feel warm and hateful at the same time? Maybe it was all those news articles about how he treated women. According to them, he wasn’t loyal, and his last name told her he wasn’t honest.
She folded her arms over her chest. His success at English depended on her willingness to help him understand the customer relationships. No one understood the temperament of English customers better than she did. For once she had something that would benefit a Malveaux. The thought made her giddy.
She craned her neck to see down the street. If another taxi didn’t come soon, she was going to have even more problems in the morning.
Her phone rang, and she pulled it out of her purse. The number following the 202 area code wasn’t familiar. There was no reason to waste time on a wrong number. She shoved the phone back in her purse.
The courier closed in fifteen minutes. If she got into another slow cab, she wouldn’t make it. She tapped her fingers against her thigh.
The phone rang again. Macy snatched open her purse. Annoyed with the phone, and the delay in this stupid cab line, she didn’t check the caller I.D. before accepting the call.
“Yeah,” she yelled.
“I must have caught you at a bad time.” Gayle sounded hurt.
“I’m sorry.” Macy adjusted her tone when she recognized her roommate. “This day just keeps getting worse. I didn’t mean to yell.”
“Where are you? Aren’t you coming?”
Loud rap music came through the phone, muddling Gayle’s words in the persistent beat. Macy held the phone away from her ear.
“Macy!” Gayle shouted again. “Can you hear me? I asked if you were coming.”
“I don’t think so. It’s almost seven, and I haven’t dropped off the contract.”
“There you go again. I’ll bet you’re grinning at your boss like you don’t mind giving the company all your time.”
“Cut me a break. It’s late, I’m tired, and my shoes might look cute, but I swear they’re issuing an all-out assault on my toes. I found out I’ve got to work with Avery Malveaux and I’ve got the upcoming audit, that I’ve only begun preparing for.”
“So you’re not coming.”
“No. Please understand. I’m exhausted.”
“You’re twenty-seven, for god’s sake. You’re supposed to have fun now and then. Instead, you work as if you have a family of ten to support. We haven’t been out together in months.”
“I know, I know. I shouldn’t have to keep up this pace much longer. Roxy will make a decision about the VP assignment in a few weeks. Then I might get my life back.”
“Fine. Then I’ll have fun for you.”
“Good idea. Bye, Gayle.”
Macy ended the call. She wanted to kick off her shoes and stand barefoot on the cool pavement but decided to wait until she was in the cab.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had fun. But Gayle didn’t have a brother who needed help funding college, or a mother who needed extra financial help every month. If only her life could be that carefree.