I shift in my seat, fidgeting with the lid of my water bottle. This sounds worse than missing happy hour.
“One of our bigger donors isn’t making a contribution this year. I just found out earlier this week.”
Yeah, this is definitely worse than missing happy hour.
“I’ve had to make some hard decisions with the impact to our budget.” Her already weak smile wavers into something closer to a pitying grimace.
“So, are we looking at cutting hours or programs again?” I ask. This has happened before when we’ve lost a grant or donations got tight. That’s just part of working for smaller, local organizations like this.
“Grace,” Kathy says, but I already know what’s coming. “I’mso sorry to do this, especially right before the holidays. But we’re not going to be able to keep you on next year. We just can’t fit your position in the budget right now.”
My throat tightens and water pricks the corner of my eyes. This is not how I saw today going.
A million things are racing through my mind when I feel Kathy pat me on the shoulder. “We can’t thank you enough for everything you've done, Grace. I know it's not much, but you’ll still get paid through the end of the month. And if something changes and we can afford the position again, you're always welcome back.”
I look up at her, seeing her look of genuine remorse. I’ve always known this was a possibility working here with a razor thin budget each year, but that doesn’t change the fact that it still stings.
I hang my head for a moment, take a deep breath, and put on a brave face. There's no point in sulking. I might as well make the most of it. My mom always said when one door closes, another blows open.
“I still can't believeTJ is letting them use his house for the wedding,” Clay says, reaching for another slice of pizza, before Lizzy bats his hand away.
“I wanted that one. You take the other,” she says, playfully glaring at my brother before she grabs the slice with more toppings.
He throws his head back, groaning. “Always such a brat.”
She cocks her head and smirks. “Yeah, but you love me.”
He leans over and drops a kiss to the top of her head.
Kayleigh and I share a glance, understanding just how unlikely this scene would have been ten months ago. Clay waspractically a recluse, grumpy and self-loathing, for nearly the entire decade since my accident when we also lost Mom. That was until our older brother Tanner’s fiancée, Veronica, brought her best friend, Lizzy, into our lives earlier this year. But that’s a whole other story.
Watching them is almostenough to distract me from losing my job earlier today. I was always supposed to be the sibling that had their shit together, even if I’m the free spirit. While I may not have had a plan for my life, I always seemed to end up in the right place at the right time. I was the first one in my family to graduate college. I got my dream job here in Park City working for a non-profit I was passionate about. Even being set back for nearly six months recovering from the car accident in my teens, I was exactly where I wanted to be up until a few hours ago.
I get up and head to the kitchen island. “Anybody need a refill? It’s Friday night after all.”
I pour myself a glass of red wine, leaning against the counter, watching them in the dining room. Seeing my brother with Lizzy, I’m beyond happy for them. Having someone in my corner like that would be great right now, even if I don’t need them, but here I am still very single.
I know what I want from my life. That will never change. I want to see the world and keep traveling. Aside from losing my job today, I still want to work with non-profits and make a difference. And I can do that alone or with someone that will enjoy it with me. If I did have someone with me, I’d want someone who’s comfortable in their own skin and knows what they want. It shouldn’t be this hard to find a confident man that makes me feel valued, the way I value myself.
“You alright?” Kayleigh’s voice catches me off guard when she joins me in the kitchen. "I've never known you to be all doom and gloom when there’s pizza around.”
She's got me there. I love pizza. Pizza party at school orwork? I know everyone thinks they’re cliché, but I have always thought they were fun. Growing up in Jackson, Big Red’s pizza was a staple in our house on Friday nights. I loved standing around, sharing food, and pouring soda out of the big bottles. That’s why I always love it when we do pizza here on Friday nights.
I smile half-heartedly back at Kayleigh, taking a sip of my wine. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a long day.”
She eyes me skeptically. “You sure?” She points to my wine glass. “That’s the second glass you’ve poured in the last ten minutes. Starting to worry there won't be any left for the rest of us.”
Clay is easy to hide my feelings from when he’s distracted by Lizzy, but I’m clearly not fooling Kayleigh tonight.
“Look, I don't want to make a big deal about this, especially with my family and the wedding next week. So can we keep this just between us?”
She grabs the bottle of wine to top off her glass and nods. “Your secret is safe with me. Promise.”
I let out a long sigh. “I got laid off today.”
She jerks her head back. “Are you serious? We were just volunteering with you this morning.”
I hold my finger to my lips in a shushing gesture. “Don’t let them hear you, but yeah.” I take a drink and shrug. "It is what it is.”
