Page 9 of Naughty Heart

This was the worst possible news any of us—at least those of us who needed the income from our jobs to survive—could have received.

And just a matter of weeks away from Christmas.

Granted, I’d already been prepared for a lonely holiday, having a small celebration with Pam and Cheryl a few days beforehand. But on the actual day, I didn’t have any special plans.

Most of my coworkers were married with families, kids who were hoping Santa would visit. As horrible as my own personal situation was, I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be in that predicament.

The minutes passed, and I found myself zoning out. Before I even realized what was happening, it was over. Or, it was intended to be over.

Bryan was walking away, unwilling to answer any additional questions at the moment.

Some members of the now former staff were leaving, hanging their heads in disappointment or disgust.

And others were sticking around, demanding answers.

I looked up at my friends and said, “This is the worst possible thing that could happen today.”

They couldn’t do anything else besides nod in agreement.

I had no idea how I was going to survive now, and there was no amount of positivity that was going to change the harsh reality I needed to face.

If I didn’t figure out how I was going to have an income, I was going to be homeless before Christmas.

3

EVELYN

“Are you hiring?”

The shock and devastation hadn’t really worn off yet.

I hadn’t been able to move beyond the feel of despair just yet in order to find the bright side of this whole unbelievable situation.

I was officially unemployed for not quite a full twenty-four hours yet, and everything about it felt absolutely miserable.

Truth be told, I didn’t think there was a bright side. And until I could get myself out of the survival mode, it wouldn’t be possible to feel good about any part of what had happened.

It was Saturday morning, and I’d barely gotten any sleep last night. I’d tossed and turned most of the night, wondering how I was going to continue to take care of myself and what kind of future I was going to have.

I needed to pay my rent, so I’d continue to have a place to stay. I had intended to do that, until I’d gotten fired along with the rest of my coworkers. Now, I was wondering if it made more sense to hold on to the last bits of cash I had, so I’d be able to eat.

This is why people did the smart thing and saved money.

I’d heard plenty of people talking about emergency funds.

My life had felt like one big emergency, and sadly, it seemed there were never any funds set aside to help get me through those trying times.

No matter how tough times were now, I had no choice but to carry on. That meant I couldn’t waste a single moment.

So, I was on the hunt for a job.

And since spending any money was unnecessary, I figured it would be wise to find something close enough to my apartment that might allow me to walk to work. Maybe that seemed extreme, but I was desperate. And considering I had no income and was already swimming in debt while behind on my rent, every dollar mattered.

On the bright side, a one-mile walk would put me right in downtown Landing, where there were lots of shops. To top it off, it would be great exercise every day and would give me time to clear my head. While a job at one of the shops wasn’t necessarily a permanent solution—or probably even the best one—I figured these shops would be busy right now, and it would be the ideal time for me to try to land a job.

Having an income was the most important thing. Finding a job I loved was going to have to be secondary.

And if I could score a job—any job—at a place that was this close to where I lived, I could sell my car, take the cash, and bring my rent current. I might not be able to pay off all my debt, but securing my housing was of far greater importance.