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“Fine. I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you!” She looks at her phone. “Shoot. Work emergency. I better get back. Have another coffee and think about it!” She kisses the top of my head and runs off.
I watch as she runs off somehow looking like a supermodel doing a candid photoshoot. It’s always amazed me that someone like her is friends with someone like me.
CHAPTER 2
MILLIE
I’m mindlessly clicking through my excel spreadsheet, Danielle’s words swirling around in my head. I keep seeing the participation fee in my head on a loop.
I filled out the application during my second coffee before I came back to work and now I’m wondering if it was a good decision to apply.
I would never admit it, but I enjoyed filling out all the questions. It felt therapeutic, somehow.
It was a surprisingly long application with what seemed like a lot of psychological profiling, which isn’t exactly encouraging; like, what do they do with that information? I wasn’t particularly in a rush to get back to the office, though, so I took my time.
I wonder what type of dating show offers that amount of money. It’s enough for college and housing and a whole lot more. It would set me up for my future.
If that’s how much they pay for all TV shows, it suddenly makes sense how seemingly normal people end up on them.
I bring up the email confirmation and stare at the instructions. Basically, I could hear back soon or never. How specific.
The likelihood of me getting chosen is slim so I may as well forget about it, but I can’t get the money out of my head. It’s like when you start imagining what you’d do if you won the lottery.
Suddenly, someone clears their throat behind me, and I jump out of my skin.
“Gosh, Leila, you gave me a heart attack.” I hold my chest and take a deep breath.
“What do we have here?” Leila leans forward to look at the screen, her long dark hair brushing my face. “Wow, nothing work-related. I approve!”
I roll my eyes.
She grins. “I don’t know how Dani convinced you to do this but I’m so for it. Tell her we need a girl’s night soon!”
I laugh. Leila is constantly telling me I need to get out of my shell and she and Danielle formed an alliance as my cheer squad after one night out together. It was an instant bond.
As two of the few women here, Leila and I have had to stick together. She’s been treated a bit better than me because her father is high up in the company, but that comes with its own psychological, passive-aggressive battlefield.
Even though she doesn’t have too much room to be able to stick up for me, she’s always there to lend a helping hand or step in when Matheson gets too harsh.
Leila’s phone rings. She gives me akill me nowlook and answers as she walks away.
Unable to concentrate, I go to the break room and make a coffee, daydreaming about a life without having to worry about money.
Other than going to college, I could get Danielle to help me invest some of it so that I end up with more money down the track. That’s her area of expertise.
A pit forms in my stomach. I feel guilty for wanting these things. It was my choice to use my college fund for my mom’s treatments. I wasn’t going to stand there and watch her die, which in the end is exactly what I did.
No part of me regrets what I did; because of the treatments I got at least an extra five years on top of what the doctors predicted. I’m grateful for the time I had with her, but there’s a part of me that wonders where I would’ve ended up if she hadn’t gotten sick.
Right now, I miss her more than anything. I wish she were here to give me advice or just a hug. She would probably tell me to quit my job, find a way to go to college and appreciate every moment because life is too damn short.
I slowly drag myself back to my desk and type away. At this point I’m on autopilot and barely registering what I’m doing.
Suddenly, everyone sits a little bit straighter. The guys around me actually start doing work. The air is thick with tension. I can feel myself breaking out in a sweat. Matheson is back.
His voice lightly shakes the cubicles as he starts ranting and raving about something Eric didn’t do. He turns to me. Here we go.
