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“I’m not sure what you’re saying.”
“I want you to come back to Frills East,” Rebecca says quickly. “We’ll pay you twice your salary to return and become the assistant manager of this office. We could use your expertise to break us out of our rut. Frills has been coasting on our current business, but I want to thrive. I want Frills to be the biggest interior design company on both coasts.”
I’m once again silent, unable to find words. This is coming out of nowhere. If I’d suspected this was the purpose of our call, I might have had Clementine take it instead.
I’m not good with confrontation, and I hate telling people no. It gets me into trouble sometimes, and I find myself in over my head, but at least it’s easier than dealing with the disappointment on people’s faces when I tell them I can’t do something.
Thankfully, I can’t see Rebecca’s face, but I can picture it. Her rosy cheeks highlighted with a subtle amount of makeup and a hopeful look in her eyes. Rebecca is slightly older than my mother, but you’d never guess by looking at her, thanks to the plastic surgery and cosmetics.
“I thought I was going to become the manager of Frills West.”
“That was the original plan but plans change. We need you back here. You’re a valuable member of our team. I’m glad I sent you to California, but I’m hoping you’ll decide to come back home.”
“Is my employment contingent on this?”
“No, of course not. We can’t afford to lose your talent.”
I sigh. “Then I think I’d like to stay here. I want you to officially make me the manager here, with Clementine as the assistant manager.”
Clementine told me that she knew this would be the case eventually, so I know she won’t be mad about it. I honestly don’t think she liked being the interim manager while I got my California bearings. She’s not a fan of the paperwork. I’m not saying I’ll like it, but I came to California for a few reasons, one of which was the chance to move up in the company.
“Maybe you could think about it for a while before deciding?”
“I’m sorry, Rebecca, but this is what I want. I’m not going to come back to Massachusetts, but I can definitely help out as much as I can from here.”
She sighs. “You know, I had a feeling this is what you’d say, but I had to ask. I’ll draw up the paperwork and talk to Clementine about the new arrangement. She has been begging me to make you the manager for weeks now.”
“Well, looks like she’s about to get her wish.”
“I’m proud of you, Leila. You’re doing so good there. It was the best move for you. I do wish you’d come home, though.”
“I’m sorry. But I really will help as best I can!”
“I’m counting on that. Talk to you soon!”
I hang up the phone and sit at the table a while longer, not really believing what just happened. First, I actually said no to someone, and the world didn’t explode. Plus, I’m officially going to be the manager of Frills West. Things are finally looking up over here!
I text Spencer the good news and then send a message to Malia and Abby. They immediately respond that they’re excited for me, and Spencer promises to take me to dinner to celebrate.
Today has not gone as expected. I figured Rebecca just wanted my version of what’s happening here, or she finally remembered that I exist. I definitely don’t want the home base to struggle but staying in California is the best choice for me. It’s about time I started making selfish decisions.
My parents aren’t going to be happy. They still want me to move home and marry Jason, who has tried to call me a few times.
None of that matters. I didn’t even think about Spencer when I decided to stay here.
This is all about me.
Chapter Thirty – Spencer
I got the call yesterday that I was cast in one of the indie films I recently auditioned for. It’s a small indie flick, but at least it’s something. Since I only have one more week of filming left for this current movie, I’m glad to have another one lined up.
It sucks that the new movie is filming in Canada, but it’ll only be for about two months. In the meantime, I have a few months before I go, and I plan on spending as much time as possible with Leila. Since we got together, we’ve hardly been apart for more than a day or two. Being up in Vancouver is going to be hard.
Maybe I’ll see if she can come with me. She does a lot of work remotely, anyway.
I shake away the thought. That wouldn’t be fair to Leila. She has to do a lot of in-person scouting and measuring. Plus, by then, we’d only have been together for like six months. I’m not sure a two-month trip to Canada is the right six-month anniversary celebration.
