“Yeah. Didn’t want to get stuck in traffic, I guess. I need a mirror.” She headed to the dressing room, presumably for better lighting.
Giselle snapped the register shut, keys dangling from her elastic bracelet. “Victoria, could you come with me, please?”
“Tori,” I reminded her on instinct, and she flattened her lips. Maybe she called me the wrong name on purpose to punish me for being late. I set down the panties to follow her to the back, bracing myself for another lecture.
She directed me to sit in the cramped little office, my legs tucked against a stack of boxes. All scrunched up like this, I felt like a grown-up in a kid's chair.
My boss propped her hand on her waist and looked down her nose at me. “Effective immediately, you are no longer an employee at The Intimate Closette.”
“Sorry, what?” I shifted forward and knocked into the tower of boxes. Feathers flew out of the top one. I tried to steady the tower and catch the feathers amid my confusion. “Are you firing me because I was late this morning?”
“I’m firing you for many reasons. Not that I need any. This is an at-will employment state, ‘Tori.’”
I’d never heard my name said with such disdain—and it wasn’t just the faint French accent.
I scrunched my eyebrows. “I thought it’d be better to come in late than call out sick.”
She crossed her arms. “You weren’t completing your duties as I deemed satisfactory.”
“But my sales have been improving so much. I think—”
“It doesn’t matter what you think. And I’m not saying that to be cruel or mean. This is my business, and I decide what’s best for it. You will be paid through your hours worked today.”
“Oh. Okay.” Was I supposed to leave? Give her an apology?
She stepped away from the door and cleared her throat.
I stood and grasped the ends of the loose measuring tape hanging around my neck. “Thank you for the opportunity. The Closette really made me appreciate…new things.” Like silky fabrics on my body. And blowing my boyfriend in a semi-public setting.
But mostly, it reminded me how nice it was to make someone feel good about themselves and take care of their bodies.
Giselle’s expression softened incrementally. “I’m glad to hear that. This just wasn’t the right fit. You can still shop here any time. No hard feelings.”
“No hard feelings,” I repeated, slightly numb and dizzy.
I put my coat on and went through security, who were waiting for me. The guard gave me a sympathetic smile and went through my bags and patted my coat to check for stolen goods. “Take care of yourself,” he said.
“Right. You too.” I sniffled.
I just wasn’t a good fit. For med school or underwear-slinging. So where did that leave me?
I wandered outside in the cold and adjusted my scarf only to realize I’d never taken the stupid measuring tape off my neck. Technically, I’d stolen it.
Ugh. Maybe Giselle was right to fire me.
I couldn’t imagine going back into the mall, passing our friends and now-former coworkers to find Kat. Especially since that security guard would be watching me. Nor could I call the rideshare again without being in the negatives for cashflow today.
So, I sucked up my pride and used my last resort: I called my parents.
Chapter twenty-nine
Getaway
Iwasn’t going anywhere fast, not if I had to rely on my parents, my sister, and my boyfriend to get there. Under normal circumstances, I’d sit at home and cry about it. But then I’d be stuck there. Possibly forever…or at least until eviction. Then I’d have to live in Angel’s car or move in with my parents, where I’d be stuck dealing with Jen. I couldn’t do that again. I had to escape this situation. And that meant getting my own transportation—even before any new job interviews.
Dad drove me to a car lot in relative silence. It wasn’t the same terse quiet as I’d endured earlier with Giselle, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable either.
I cleared my throat. “Do you think car dealerships have any Valentine’s Day promotions? Or is that more of a chocolates-and-flowers kinda holiday?”
