“No, Mom. I haven’t heard from her.” If I don’t answer her, she’ll keep harping on it. “I’m not sure if I ever will.”
I hope I do, though. Anything serious is not something I’m ready for, but some fun when we both need to blow off steam doesn’t feel like a horrible idea.
“Oh, okay. Well, I’m heading to the grocery store. Do you need anything, or want to come with me?”
As much as I want to scream absolutely not, I don’t. It would only hurt her feelings. But I need to come up with an excuse. It’s not like I can say work because she knows my shift at the pizza place doesn’t start until this evening.
My phone pings, and I immediately check it. It’s an email from one of the places I guess I applied to. “Actually, I think I might have a lead on a job. I’m going to call this guy back and see when he’d like me to interview.”
“That’s good news.” she claps her hands, “text me if you think of anything you need.”
“I will.” She knows I’m not going to. I’ve been fairly independent for my entire life, and a part of me thinks that truly upsets her.
She stands from the bed and walks toward me, giving me a quick hug. “Good luck with your call. Who knows, it could be life changing.”
I can only hope.
Lucky for me, the place had an interview open for today. I don’t even know what the job is for, but it’s worth checking out. After plugging in the address to my phone, I follow the map through town. Ideally, I wouldn’t need the map. I mean, aside from college, I’ve lived here my whole life. The need to make sure I arrive at the correct address is stronger than relying on my memory.
It doesn’t take long to get anywhere in this town. I park in front of the building and check my appearance before stepping out of my car. My uniform for the pizza place is in the backseat in case the interview runs long.
When I glance up at the sign, I see I’ve arrived at a flower shop. A spark of excitement zings across my body. Kate never said if her flower shop is in town or not. At least, not that I can remember. There’s a possibility this isn’t the one she owns with her friends. But…there’s a chance it is. The fact the interview is at a florist has to have some sort of meaning, right?
I straighten my back, and head to the front door. I want to make the best impression possible on whoever is interviewing me on the off chance this is the shop Kate does in fact own.
A bell dings as I push the glass door open and step inside. The scent of flowers is overwhelming and something I’ll have to get used to if I do get the job. Allergies aren’t something I’ve ever dealt with, but my nose is starting to itch. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been around a lot of florals before.
“Hello?” I call out. There’s nobody at the front counter, and I wonder if the man I talked to forgot about the interview. I’ve already forgotten his name because I was too excited about actually having an interview.
A tall guy walks out of a hallway behind the counter. “Hi, are you Xander?” He holds out his hand waiting for me to take it.
“Hi, yes. I’m Xander.” I place my hand in his for a quick shake. “It’s nice to meet you…”
I let the sentence hang in hopes he’ll provide his name. “Kai.”
“Sorry, I’m horrible with names.”
“No problem.” He gestures me to follow him. There’s an open space between two of the glass counters, and I hurry through them after Kai. The hallway is narrow and short. He leads me to a small office to the right. “Take a seat.”
There are two chairs, but only one directly in front of the desk so I choose that one to sit in. “Thank you for the opportunity to interview.”
“No, thank you for being able to come in for it. We really need the help,” he looks at a piece of paper on the desk. “Have you ever worked in a flower shop before?”
“I can’t say that I have.” I really hope this isn’t something that will keep me from the job. “Right now, I deliver pizzas in the evenings. Work has been hard to come by considering I went to college.”
“What’s your degree in?”
“Business communications,” I take a breath and let it out, “I haven’t had much luck finding a job because they want experience, but nobody is willing to let me get that experience.”
“I totally understand that,” Kai laughs, “the business world is pretty cutthroat. All it takes is one person to give you a chance and doors will open.”
“I hope so.”
“You’re actually overqualified for this job, but I do like that you have delivery experience. There are a few positions we need to fill. And, honestly, you were the first person to answer quickly, so you’ll have first pick at what you want to do.”
“What are the positions?” I feel like a dumbass for having to ask, but I don’t want to admit that I was applying for jobs without looking over the details. That would probably make it seem like I’m unprofessional.
“We have a couple open to work the front counter during the day. We also need delivery drivers. The only caveat to that is we may need you some nights on the weekend. And then we have helping with the arrangements, but you don’t have floral experience so that probably isn’t the best job for you.”
