“It’s not that funny.”
“I know it isn’t.” I took a breath. “I’m laughing so that I don’t cry.”
“Oh,” said Cassie, giving a small giggle herself. “All right then. I’ll take it. It’s times like this I wonder if I should have juststayed with my high-school boyfriend, gotten knocked up, and called the rest a wash. At least I wouldn’t be going through all this.”
“I get that.”
“But I had to girl-boss a little too close to the sun.” She shook her head at herself.
“That’s where we differ then,” I said.
“You made it to the city looks like.”
“Yeah, but…” She waited patiently. “I feel like I’m doing it all wrong.”
“I doubt that,” she smiled.
“I don’t know. Are you living your childhood best friend and her brother who’s been crashing on the couch for the past three months?” Or was it four now?
“Sounds like the start of a sitcom.”
“Might as well be. Especially considering him being there is just…”
“You have a thing with him?”
“What?” I snapped my attention to look at her in the eyes as she raised her eyebrows expectantly. “No. No. It’s not like that. It’s just that I haven’t seen him since we were kids. It’s the job hunting that’s been the hardest part since I got here.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. I think that’s partially why I’m going on all these stupid dates. Figured maybe if I had a guy by the end of the year maybe I wouldn’t have to call the move a complete wash?” I said, feeling my cheeks heat. It was oddly embarrassing to admit out loud.
“What do you do?” Cassie asked.
“I’m a writer.”
“Wow.”
“I know.”
“No,” she quickly corrected. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean likewow that’s a terrible thingor anything. I mean it. It’s brave.”
“I’m just … trying to find a job. Any job at this point. Not even the bookstores are hiring. It feels like everywhere is either swamped or frozen for the holidays.”
Cassie nodded knowingly as the car pulled up in front of us that Cassie ordered on her phone. She slid in first confirming our locations with the driver as I got situated next to her, barely managing to buckle my seatbelt before the car began to drive.
“It’s brutal out there,” she said, continuing our conversation. “Not to mention the job market goes full coma mode in December. But are you freelancing? Yeah? That still counts. A few of my friends are stringing together enough gigs to basically make a life out of it. Don’t give up, okay?”
I took a breath, letting her words settle in a little. “Trying not to. I think the only thing holding me together at this point is living with my best friend, who badgered me to turn this entire mess into a newsletter.”
Cassie’s brows shot up. “This mess? You mean the twelve blind dates?”
I winced, laughing despite myself. “Yeah. That’s the one.”
“That’s kind of genius.”
“I’ll probably delete them all as soon as it’s over. I don’t need my dating disaster arc living online forever, especially if none of it works out.”
Cassie gave me a crooked smile. “Sometimes, you can make a happy ending out of anything, even the messiest start. Or at least something satisfying enough to keep going. Sorry, editorial brain kicking in. I don’t write books, but I’ve built a career picking them apart and fangirling over the broken ones.”
