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I couldn't believe my luck. My God, just being with him in his office had been overwhelming. He'd been so composed and businesslike. How had he managed it? I'd been completely sidetracked.
I needed to get my bearings. Now that I was outside in the middle of bustling LaSalle Street, I realized I could have handled myself better. I was a grown-ass woman, and I'd dealt with a few ordeals in my life, even though I was only twenty-six. I’d pieced myself back together after losing my parents as a little girl. I pulled myself up by the bootstraps after the breakup with my ex. I was strong. I should have stayed, done the job just to see how things went, not fled like a scared little girl.
Taking a deep breath, I strolled up the street, pondering what to do next.
My phone beeped. I took it out of my purse, seeing it was a message from Nina.
Nina: How is it so far?
Instead of replying, I called her, and she answered right away.
"Hey, how is it? How's your new boss?"
I laughed nervously, but tears were now building in my eyes. "Remember the guy I told you about? The one I met last night?"
"Hello? How could I forget?"
"He’s my boss."
"No way!" Nina exclaimed.
"Yes way." A sniffle got me. Tears would be forthcoming.
"Wait... what? How is that even possible? It's too big of a coincidence." She sounded as dismayed as I felt.
"Ha! Yeah, well, when you think about it, the odds work out. The bar was close to the office." Crap, one eye leaked. My mascara would be messed up in no time.
"I mean, didn't you know what he looked like? Didn't you look him up before applying or when you got hired?"
"No, I didn't. I only looked at past interns on LinkedIn, tracking where they moved after their internship. I guess I should have looked him up. Then I’d be happily starting my new job."
"What do you mean? Aren't you starting it?"
"No. I didn’t react well. I froze for a bit, then told him I wasn’t sure I could take the job. He suggested I take the day off to get over the, uh... shock.”
“That seems reasonable.”
It felt like karma was trying to teach me a lesson.You’re a good girl, Megan. And good girls don’t have one-night stands.
I walked up LaSalle Street, soaking in the movement of the city around me. It grounded me, as weird as it sounded. Some people needed nature to feel grounded. I needed the hustle and bustle of Chicago. Usually, it made my problems seem small in comparison, but it wasn’t helping as much as I hoped right now.
"Okay, as your best friend and someone who screws up regularly, I’m telling you that you just have to learn to live with your mistakes. You don't have to give up the job."
"I'm not sure I can work with him."
“You were excited about this, Megan. Don’t give up now."
"I am excited. It's a great internship. And I searched for something like this for a long time."
“You’re the one who can best judge the situation. I'm just saying this doesn't have to be the end of it.” She sighed. “Meg, I've got to go. I’m at the office. Keep me posted, okay? And, girl, please don't be so hard on yourself. You've been on the straight and narrow your whole life. And, well, shit happens."
I laughed, despite my mood. “Have a great day, Nina.”
My work history was a bit turbulent. After graduating, my ex-boyfriend started his architecture studio. I was eager to help him, already envisioning a future when we’d both run a successful company. I was even naive enough to dream that we’d get married as soon as things settled.
To support us, I did odd jobs on the side. Then, two years ago, he declared that he wanted to see other women, that he’d only been with one woman in his life, and it wasn’t enough. He also made a snide remark that I wasn’t ambitious enough to build a career. I still winced every time I remembered that conversation. I’d put my career on hold to help him, and he was throwing it in my face.
After that, I started working at SkyDesigns and loved every minute of it. I was let go from that job five months ago. They were downsizing because the company couldn't get enough projects. The new hires were let go first, and I was among them. In the meantime, they’d closed down completely. The job market was brutal.
