The girls were gathered around the firepit. We were waiting until dark to actually start a bonfire. Lila was sharing a story about the last time she’d camped. She’d been convinced she saw a bear and had crept out of her tent in the morning armed with bear spray only to have nearly blinded her best friend, Charlie, who had left her tent to use the bathroom.
Lila was warm and friendly and I already loved being around her even though I’d just met her.
“Hey, Mattie? Would you mind getting the buns and the condiments out of the cooler?” Giles called.
“On it,” my sister shouted back before getting up and walking over to the car.
“This is so great,” Lila said, scootching her camping chair so that it was closer to mine. “We don’t get out this far into the mountains as much as I’d like.”
“It’s beautiful out here,” I murmured. “I grew up in Florida, and we don’t have views like these.”
“Is that where you live now or…” Lila asked.
“Well, I was in Atlanta until…” I let out a sigh, hating to admit that I was currently unemployed. “I got laid off recently. I hadn’t gotten to spend much time with my sister lately so I just up and left, and I’ve been here ever since. The whole thing was kind of spontaneous.Sonot typically what I would do, but I needed to get out of there.”
Lila winced. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s hard losing a job.”
“Even harder finding one,” I joked.
Her eyes narrowed as if she were calculating something. “What did you say you do?”
“I am—well, was—in marketing. Used to be the Director of Marketing.”
Lila gasped. “Wait, really? This is, like, fate or something. Any chance you’d be interested in joining a women-owned start-up?”
I furrowed my brows. “What?”
She laughed. “Oh shoot, let me explain. I own a women’s meetup network with my best friend. It’s called ConnectHer. We’re popular in Denver and a few other markets, and we’re growing fast. We’re hoping to be completely national by the end of the year. We’re looking for a Chief Marketing Officer right now. Obviously, you’d have to interview with Charlie and me, but I have a good feeling about this. We’ve been struggling to find a good fit.”
“Wow,” I said. “That’s totally unexpected.”
“Now, the pay isn’t amazing, of course. We try to be as competitive as we can, but we’re still a start-up after all. But the benefits are great, and I promise it’s the most fun you’ll ever have at work. We have a Denver office but are totally open to remote employees.”
I had been pulling teeth to find decent jobs to apply to and here Lila was, presenting me with this opportunity. It was completely unexpected.
But a start-up? I had never gone that direction because I didn’t like the uncertainty of it all. An older company might not be exciting or have innovative ideas, but they were usually secure. And they paid more. It would look better on a résumé.
I sucked in a breath through my nose. “Look, that sounds amazing,” I said. “But I’m actually really close to the final stages of another opportunity. It’s kind of like my dream job.”
Lila’s smile fell a little. “That’s amazing. I totally understand. It was just a thought. I mean, of course you’re close to landing something, you seem great.”
Lila hardly knew me, but she seemed like the type of person to instantly see the best in everyone.
“I’m sorry,” I offered. “Maybe if it doesn’t work out.”
“Totally,” she said. “I can give you my number and you can let me know if anything changes.”
“I will,” I said, smiling at her offer.
“Oliver!” A loud feminine squeal caused us both to spin around in our chairs to see the source of the noise.
“Elise!” Oliver called back, before a short blonde with two braids launched herself at him.
Immediate heat boiled in my chest and rose to my face as the two started talking excitedly. I couldn’t help but notice that she kept placing a hand on his chest.
Oliver appeared to introduce her to the others at the grill. I strained my ears and thought I heard the word “coworker.”
“Wonder who that is,” Lila said.
