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After they left, Jenny threw her arms around me. She was so short her arms only reached my waist. “Aw, Sadie. You did a good thing.”
“Yes, yes. The wicked witch has a heart after all.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
I sighed. “You know, this might actually be better. If we make her our friend, she won’t feel like she has to drag Denver along as a buffer. We might actually see less of him!”
“You go ahead and think that. Now let Nitro back out of his cage. I haven’t heard a good ‘Your Mom’ joke all day.”
Chapter 4 – Denver
Working at a bank was a responsible choice. I had reliable hours, full benefits, decent pay, job security, and free mints.
But I felt like a sailboat on a motionless sea, waiting for the hint of a breeze to pick me up and send me somewhere. In less poetic terms, I was bored. It was always sixty-nine degrees in here and quiet. The most thrilling part of my day was using my supervising override power to waive fees and approve transactions. Woohoo.
Leaving early for a secret job interview was the most exciting job-related thing I’d done in… well, in way too long. GoWithFriends was interested in me. Every twenty-something I knew was talking about them right now, and I might get the inside scoop on why. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I wanted some of that excitement to rub off on me, maybe help me figure out what to do with a business degree that, so far, had been little more than a line on my resume.
I mean, yes, I had dabbled in real estate and done well for myself, but what else? What was next for me?
Even if jumping ship at my current job was a mistake, at least it was something. I climbed into my red Jeep and drove over to the new GoWithFriends building. It was so new, they were still putting in the desert landscaping out front. I stopped in front of the glass doors and adjusted my tie and crisp white collar before going in. The company prided itself on being authentic, easy-going, and slightly off-beat. Did that mean I was overdressed?
Too late to worry about all that now.
The lobby inside was spacious and bright. There were colorful painted circles overlapping each other, some taking up half a wall. Power affirmations in bold type were everywhere. You couldn’t get more opposite of a bank lobby, and I was all over it.
The receptionist noticed me right away and stealthily put her phone away before sitting up taller and waiting for me to approach.
“I’m here for a four-thirty interview. My name is Denver Talcott.”
She clicked her mouse a few times and then nodded.
“One of the four-thirties. Go on in.” She pointed at the bright purple double doors off to my left.
One of the four-thirties.I’d probably have to sit quietly in a waiting area with the rest of them while we sized each other up. Nah, I’d be chatty. What was the use in passive-aggressive staring?
Beyond the purple doors was a long hallway, and I paused until I heard the sound of nervous but enthusiastic conversation in the room ahead and to the right. Apparently, everyone else had decided to be chatty, too.
I paused in the doorway and surveyed the group before my eyes landed on the little table just inside the door. Colorfully wrapped candies were scattered around a plastic sign holder with the instructions on how to proceed.
1. Take a name tag.
2. Fill it out.
3. Mingle until we take you in for your interview.
Okay, let’s go. I definitely wasn’t here for their services, seeing how I had a girlfriend and plenty of friends, but this would be a good opportunity to show them what I could do. After all, I was basically applying to be a professional wingman, although GoWithFriends called them BFFs. Best Friends Forever. Which was… amazing. Hired to be someone’s best friend and give them dating advice? I rubbed my hands together. Time to make some love connections, because that was all these other people would be getting out of today. The job was mine.
I took one of the oversized name tags, which had fill-in-the-blank prompts and picked up a Sharpie.
Hi, my name is _____________. I’m naturally ______________ and I like to _______________.
I was tempted to look around and see what others had written, but then I’d either be inclined to copy or do the exact opposite, and neither of those choices would be the real me. Spontaneous. Inspired.
I quickly wrote.Hi, my name is Denver. I’m naturally tall and I like to dance in the car. Wow, that was… I crumpled that one up and slipped it in my pocket before taking another one. Spontaneity was overrated anyway.Hi, my name is Denver. I’m naturally open to new things and I like to mountain bike.That would have to do.
The rest of the people in the room, maybe fifteen or twenty in all, were milling around looking self-conscious. There were quite a few in business attire like me, but just as many dressed like they’d left the house in search of coffee and never checked a mirror. Was bedhead trending? I’d have to ask Makayla.
I joined a small circle of people and met a lady named Prinna with a slight gap in her front teeth and a tendency to tap her nose to emphasize her points. Blake, an acquaintance of hers, stood at her elbow like she was his security blanket. He was as tall as she was short, and as subdued as she was animated. His name tag said he was naturally shy and liked soap-making.
