After my night with Gen and ourWilliamTV marathon, Jaeger finally called.I was in the shower and missed it, of course.I haven’t called him back, because Gen stealthily lined up a job interview for me while we were watching TV last night.She’d been texting back and forth with Nessa, and this morning I woke with this message on the fridge.
Sallee Construction, Pinecone Chalet Business Center.Interview with John Sallee at 2 p.m.Mention me and Nessa and don’t be late!
I can’t call Jaeger, because I need to get through this interview without falling apart.It’s the best lead I’ve had, and it’s supposedly a friend of Nessa’s, so I might actually have a fighting chance at getting the job.Four days is too long to go without calling your girlfriend when you know she’s waiting to hear from you.I have no idea what Jaeger will say, but I can’t imagine it’s anything good.
The irony of how this summer began, with me thinking I had everything figured out, determined to help Gen, and how it’s ending up with our positions reversed, has not escaped me.
I would have liked to grill Gen about the interview, but she left early—Gen, the thou-shall-not-rise-before-ten person.Something has gotten into her, but she swiftly dodged my question about whom she’d been with earlier in the night, the bugger.
I managed to squeeze a couple of details out of her about the interview via text before she said she’d be out of range.Nessa knows the owner of Sallee Construction, and Gen said to bring my sketches.She didn’t mention what the position was for, but I imagine it has something to do with art.
Who cares if it doesn’t?I’m desperate.
Fingers crossed, I pull up to the Pinecone Chalet Business Center at a quarter of two.If this job doesn’t work out, I’m not sure what I’ll do.I threatened myself with going to Harvard, but I won’t.In fact, I notified the university this morning that I won’t be attending.If this job doesn’t pan out, I’ll find another.It might not pay as much, and I’ll have to put off art classes for a while, but it’ll be the beginning of something that feels right.
I enter the office of Sallee Construction and am immediately optimistic.The receptionist is in a pair of light wash jeans and a purple top, her frizzy blond hair pulled back in a scrunchy.She’s no-fuss and friendly looking, and the complete antithesis of the receptionist at Blue who handed me my closing papers.That’s got to be a good sign.
“Just a moment, honey.”She types on her keyboard with the tips of her stubby fingernails and makes a note in a log to the side of her desk.“Okay.”She beams.“What can I do for you?”
“I’m Cali Morgan.I have an appointment with John Sallee.Genevieve Tierney and Nessa Villanueva referred me.”
“He’s expecting you.Go right on back.First door on your left.”She smiles and turns back to her computer.
John Sallee’s office door is open when I walk up to it.He’s flipping through documents on his desk.I tap on the door.
He looks up, startled for a moment, before a wide smile sweeps his face.“You must be Cali.”He pushes the stack he shuffled to the side, though I’m not sure why.His desk is covered in papers and rolled-up blueprints, as is the rest of his office.Shuffling things around won’t create space; he’d need a shredder for that.“Come on in.”
I take a seat across from John, keeping my back straight to see over the mountain of crap on his desk.Messy desk or not, he has one of those friendly faces, with dark tanned skin and deep laugh lines that match his smile.
“So, I hear you need a job,” he says.
Awesome.I’m like a charity case.“Yes, sir.I do.”
“And you’re friends with Gen and Nessa?”
“Gen is my best friend.We went to college together at Dawson University.I met Nessa through Gen.”I don’t mention the casino.John can read about it on my résumé.I’m not hiding the fact that I worked there, but I’m not going to remind him about it either.He’d receive the same poor feedback about my employment every other hiring manager did.
He nods, considering me from across the desk.“Gen said you’re passing up an opportunity to attend Harvard Law to pursue art.”
I thought John was Nessa’s contact?When would Gen have spoken to him?
John whistles.“You sure you want to do that?”
My chin tips up.“I’ve been considering a different career all year.”
The truth is, I’ve been considering how I wasn’t looking forward to law school all year.I didn’t realize until this summer how much I’d been dreading it.In junior high, the fact that I liked arguing with people seemed a good enough reason to become a lawyer, but not anymore.It only took me forever to figure it out.I’m stubborn that way.
“Mm-hmm.Well…” He looks at a piece of paper in front of him.“It says here you’re taking a CAD course.”
“It begins tonight.”
“And you took upper-division economics at Dawson and are proficient with mathematics.”
“Uh, higher mathematics, yes.”
If he wants me to perform advanced calculus, we’re good.If he asks me which way is left or to do simple addition, my brain might implode.The only way I got away with dealing at the casino was by memorizing the card combinations.
“Okay, well, I’ve got an in-house architect who’s been riding me to hire an assistant with CAD experience.Once you learn CAD, you’ll work exclusively with him.Until then, you’ll do odd jobs for the architect and engineer.An artist comes in handy more often than you would think in this business.”He leans back in his chair.“What do you think, Cali?How does that sound?”
