“Uh, yes.”
“Good.” She gives me a tight-lipped smile and digs into one of her files.
Over the next two hours, Candace runs me through every vision she has for her new rebranding. It’s almost as if she’s done most of the work for me. There was more to Candace’s design needs than any other client I’d had before. She wasn’t hiring me for one job. She wanted to hire me permanently as she added a branch to her business that wasn’t there before. She wanted to start a marketing department, with me in charge.
“What?” I ask her, my jaw dropping. I can feel my insides twisting and the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“Yes. I need to jumpstart this division in the law firm, and we want someone to start immediately. We need marketing presence. Presence we’re lacking compared to other law firms in the Pacific Northwest. Presence you can give us. Your work is incredible and professional. You speak to the buyer and the seller. That’s what our law firm needs in more ways than a simple business logo. Now, if you work for us you would still be able to work from home. The distance between Seattle and Tacoma isn’t too far of a stretch to make it work. I’d love it if you could come in one or two days a week to go over your work for the week. It would be a small commute, but one I know is worth the trip. We’ll set you up with your own office for those days. Does that sound alright to you?”
I’m still staring at Candace with wide eyes and an open mouth. I snap it shut, realizing I probably look like a deer caught in headlights. Here I was, a small business designer, working out of my home and Candace was offering me a corporate position.
I sigh, looking down at the papers she has spread out on the table. “I don’t mean for this to come out wrong and I probably should be jumping to say yes. But are you sure you want to hire me? Am I the right person for the job?”
Candace sits back in her chair, twirling her gold pen between her fingers. She crosses her legs and smirks, narrowing her almond shaped eyes. “See,” she points to me with the pen. “That right there. That’s why I think you’re the right person for this job.”
I stare at her confused, feeling my eyebrows dip even farther between my eyes.
“You’re practical,” she adds. “You look at the situation from all sides, even if it doesn’t benefit you in the end. At our firm we need someone to be honest. To tell it like it is. If something isn’t working, we want you there, telling us how to fix it.”
“Oh.” I look back down at the papers Candace has laid out. There’s no reason I shouldn’t take the job. Logan and I wouldn’t need to move, we could stay where we’ve built our lives over the past year. The only difference I’d be making is taking on fewer clients and spending four hours out of my week commuting between Seattle and Tacoma.
My heart hammers inside my chest, for once feeling as if a small beam of light has begun to shine in on all the darkness surrounding me. “Yes,” I say confidently. “I’ll take the job.”
Candace sits up in her chair, stamping her stiletto against the tough gray carpet. “Perfect.” She gathers all her papers, sliding a folder over to me. “You can start next week. Here are photocopies of everything we went over today.”
My phone vibrates from inside my purse as Candace stands. She straightens out her blouse, then looks at the clock hanging on the wall behind me. “I’m sorry to have to go but I have to be down at the courthouse in thirty minutes.”
I stand, tucking the file Candace gave me inside my laptop bag. My phone vibrates again. “That’s okay. I understand.”
Candace sticks out her hand. “I look forward to working with you, Lena. You’ll be a great asset to our company.”
“Thank you.” I’m breathless. I still can’t believe this has happened to me. “I’m excited to join your team.”
Candace spins on her heel and pushes through the large glass door with the same amount of force she used when she entered.
Once she’s gone, I dig through my purse, finding my phone at the bottom.
Logan: That must have been a short meeting. Did everything go okay? You didn’t send me a text telling me you came home.
My chest feels hollow. What does he mean it must have been a short meeting?
I type out a quick reply telling him the meeting went fine and questioned how he would know the meeting was short if I didn’t text him.
He answers immediately.
Logan: I saw it on our security app. It shows you came home and then left again. Are you with Abby?
I fall forward, pressing my hand on the large glass table. How was it possible for the system to disarm if I wasn’t there? My stomach twists as if a knife’s been wedged between my ribs. My hands are moving at a rapid pace and I fight with the zipper on my bag. Frustrated, I leave it open and exit the office as fast as I can. When I reach the elevator, I tap my finger against the down button, hoping it will somehow bring open the doors faster.
The doors finally open and when I’m taking the more than thirty levels down it takes to get to the main lobby, I respond to Logan.
Me: Yeah, I’m with Abby now. Sorry I didn’t text you. Meeting went great. We can talk about it later.
My hands are shaking and when I step out of the elevator, I trip, falling to the floor. My phone
