It’s changed me.
I return to my office and close the door. Time to put on my interview hat and show Mardi Parties that I’m worth hiring.
* * *
“Do you think it’s possible for dreams to change?” I ask Haley a couple of hours later as we sit at the Lucky Cowboy bar.
She takes a sip of her whiskey sour before answering me.
“I never thought so before, but lately, I’ve wondered the same thing.”
“Really?”
She nods but doesn’t volunteer what brought her to this point. And I don’t pry.
Haley’s a great person and is becoming a good friend, but I still don’t feel like I know her very well. She’s private, which I respect. The world could use more Haley Laine’s in the world—people who don’t feel the need to blabber on about themselves all the time.
Ironically, right now, I’m about to blab.
“Do you want to hear my story?” I ask her.
“Always.” Her blue eyes brighten with interest, and she shifts her stool closer to mine.
“Before I tell you, I want to preface by saying that I’ve already told Mia about the new job interview, so don’t worry about feeling you have to keep something from your boss.”
Now her eyes widen. “You may be leaving the company already?”
“It’s a possibility.” I reach for my wine. “It’s complicated.”
“Well, do tell, Ms. Hill.”
So I do. I tell Haley about Jared and the head hunter and the new cabin. And the job interview I just finished an hour ago.
When I’m finished, she exhales. “That’s a lot of decisions, Ash.”
I finish the last swirl of wine in my glass and signal the bartender for another.
“The strange part is that when I consider dropping out of the selection process for Mardi Parties, I feel an enormous sense of relief.”
That’s the first time I’ve practiced saying out loud to another person what I’ve been feeling since I began my phone interview earlier.
“Did you like the people you spoke with?”
“I did, and because it was a video call, I was able to make eye contact with them and get a better sense of what they’re like rather than just hearing a voice. So I really got a feel for the company, and they were all professional and friendly.”
“That’s all good.” Haley pushes her sliding glasses up on her nose. “I’m sure talking to people from home was nice.”
“It was.”
I change the subject then, and we chat about what our next live video will be about.
“We could go to a rodeo,” Ashley suggests.
“That could be interesting.”
She starts throwing out different ideas, but my mind is elsewhere.
Because she’s given me an idea…
