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Nibbling my bottom lip for a second, I wonder whether I can lie on my resume. If I don’t get a job fast, I’ll be in a whole lot more trouble than fibbing. Before I change my mind, I pick the laptop up and hand it to Alyssa. “Don’t go too crazy,” I warn.
She throws me an excited grin, places the computer on her lap, and says, “Leave it with me. You’ll be employed before you know it. I know you told me your husband didn’t want you to work, but was there anything you did for him or any hobbies you took up?”
I told Alyssa briefly what my life was like. She was co-renting me her apartment. I felt like I needed to explain why I was unemployed.
“I painted.” It was the only thing that gave me peace. I could shut out the rest of the world and the crap I was living in and get lost in the creativity.
“Really? Were you good?”
I chuckle. “No. Terrible.” I’m glad the canvases stayed at the mansion.
Alyssa taps the side of her chin. “I’ll spin that into something creative. What else?”
I take a moment to think. “Every day I organized the staff on their daily chores.”
“Staff manager. Great organizational skills,” she says as she types on the computer. “Anything else?”
“I arranged dinner parties and took care of the household admin.”
“This is perfect. I can do a lot with this.”
Oh God. What is she going to write? I might regret letting her do this.
Thirty minutes later, Alyssa turns the computer around to show me her work. After reading it, I gasp at my new resume. “I don’t have a degree in business!” I point out. “Or have any of the office qualifications you’ve listed. I can’t use this. I thought you’d add things like filing and answering phones. This is too much. I’ll keep trying restaurants. Surely someone needs a dishwasher.”
“You won’t be washing dishes, because you’ve applied for three administrative management positions, and I’ve got a gut feeling you’ll get one.”
My mouth falls open. “What did you do?”
“Applied for three admini—”
“I heard you. Retract them!” I snatch the computer from Alyssa’s lap and pound random keys on the keyboard like that will fix the problem.
“Relax. There’ll be hundreds of applicants. You’ll be lucky to get an interview.”
I stop pressing keys and stare at her. “You said you had a gut feeling I’d get one.”
Alyssa grins. “I like to be optimistic.”
“You’re so annoying.” I drop the laptop back on Alyssa’s lap.
“But you love me,” Alyssa says with a sweet smile.
“The jury’s out on that one,” I huff, picking myself off the floor to sit next to Alyssa.
She puts an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, things will work out.”
My stomach twists in a knot. “I wish I had your optimism.”
Chapter Two
HARPER
Aftershowering,Ihangthe towel neatly on the towel rail in a perfect line with the one next to it. I stare at them for a beat, my scalp prickling with unease. They’re too perfectly aligned. I mess them up. Still not satisfied with how they look, I pull one off the towel rail and toss it over the shower curtain rail. “Derek would have a fit if he’d seen that.”
I slap a hand to my forehead.Why can’t I stop thinking about him?I was married for nine years and have only been free for three weeks. It’s going to take some time to erase him from my mind. I wish I could reach inside my brain and rip all memories of him out!
In the kitchen, I make a cup of tea. God, I crave a caramel latte with extra caramel. But I don’t have the money to waste on small luxuries. I need my money for more important things like food and a place to live. Taking the mug to the sofa, I place it on the coffee table, pick up the laptop and turn it on. Every morning I check job listings, and every day I get disheartened at not being employed by now.
