Page 11 of Naughty Heart

“You’re welcome. Merry Christmas.”

We still had the whole month to get through, and everyone was already feeling so festive. While I was sure it had always been like this, I had a feeling it seemed more pronounced now because I was struggling so badly.

Once I was inside, one thing became clear.

It was possible I had a chance of being hired because the place was packed. Being this busy, they had to have a need for more help, didn’t they?

For some reason, the moment I was in line and taking in the place, I started to feel better. I was envisioning myself working in a place like this, and though I couldn’t say whether the pay would match what I made as a warehouse worker, there was no question the ambience was so much better here—daylight coming in through the big windows, happy people, and the ability to work directly with customers. It would be great.

And fast-paced, too.

Because before I knew it, I was standing at the front of the line.

“Hi, what can I get for you today?”

“Actually, I was just curious if you were hiring,” I replied.

The guy at the register, whose name was Rob based on his nametag, sent an uncertain look my way. “Um, I just started two weeks ago, so I’m not sure. Let me grab my manager, Jen, for you.”

He’d just been hired, so maybe that was reason to hope. I sent a smile his way. “That would be great. Thank you.”

I stepped off to the side, so I wouldn’t be blocking anyone’s way, and a moment later, Rob returned. “She’ll be right out to talk to you.”

I gave him a nod of understanding before he went on to help the next customer who’d been in line behind me.

Eventually, a woman appeared from the back of the shop and walked up to Rob. He pointed at me, so I knew it had to be his manager.

“Hi, I’m Jen. Rob said you were curious about employment,” she said.

“Yes. Hi, I’m Evelyn. I was just wondering if you were currently hiring,” I replied.

Jen sent me a look much like the one I’d gotten in the spa. “I’m so sorry. We just filled our last open position about two weeks ago, so we’re not accepting any applications at this point.”

Bummer.

“Would I be able to leave a resume with you, in case something changes?” I asked.

“Of course. We’ll keep it on file for a year, and if something does become available, we’ll reach out to you,” she assured me.

Feeling a bit beaten down by the job hunt, even though I’d only gone into three locations so far, I had to force myself to smile when I held out my resume. Jen took it, thanked me, and walked away.

I had no choice but to do the same. Turning around, I began making my way to the front door. There were still plenty of shops for me to visit, and I couldn’t just give up now.

But feeling so defeated, I hadn’t been paying attention to what was happening, and I was nearly knocked to the ground when two young boys who couldn’t have been more than five or six years old ran right into me.

I did get knocked down, but I didn’t make it to the ground.

Instead, I wound up in someone’s lap as my resume went flying everywhere. For some stupid reason, I didn’t immediately get to my feet. I twisted my neck to look behind me and lamented, “I’m so sorry about that.”

The man whose lap I’d fallen into clipped, “Do you want to get up? I’m not exactly feeling like Santa Claus right now.”

That did the trick.

Humiliated, I stood and apologized again. “Right. I’m sorry.”

This was it.

I thought being told there were no job openings was going to be the worst part of my day today, but I was wrong.