Tina smiles, then leans back and sips her wine. “He’s going to be so surprised. I want all of our family and friends to see it. It’s going to be so magical.”
I smile. I can imagine it too. For a moment, I forget all about what happened earlier today. But then, like an annoying fly, the reminder that I lost my job today returns. My smile slips.
Tina reaches her foot across the couch and kicks my knee. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”
I don’t want to take away from her moment, so I frown, pretending I don’t know what she’s talking about. “Nothing. Tell me more about the proposal.”
She tilts her head, eyes narrowing. She’s always been able to see right through me. I don’t know why I think I can hide this from her. I sigh.
“I got fired.”
Her eyes go wide. “Are you serious? Today?”
“Yes, today.”
“But that was, like, your dream job. And you were so good at it. What happened?”
“One of our vendors dropped the ball on a really big client’s fundraiser. They ended up needing a last-minute caterer, which I managed to arrange, but since the food wasn’t exactly what they had on the menu, and it was over an hour late, the client was pissed. They needed someone to blame, and since I was the new girl,andin charge of booking the caterer, I got canned.”
“The new girl? You’ve been there for a year.”
“You know what’s the stupidest part about this whole thing? The client was the one whochosethe caterer that dropped the ball. We had never even worked with that caterer before, but apparently the big boss had attended an event that was catered by them, thought it was the best food ever, and demanded that we use them for the fundraiser.”
“That’s not fair. Didn’t you explain that to your boss?”
“Oh, he knew damn well that’s what happened. He knew it wasn’t my fault. I know he did. But I guess Malcolm Ridges said that if he didn’t fire me, he would sue them. Can’t disappoint a top client, I guess.” I roll my eyes.
“Malcolm Ridges? Isn’t he the president of that local charity? Guess I’m never donating to them again.”
“I shouldn’t have said his name. ANY-Time are a great organization and they do wonderful things. They lost money from donors because of the whole caterer situation, so I guess I can understand why he was upset. I just hate that it cost me my job.”
“I’m pissed for you. What are you going to do?”
I shrug. “Look for another job, I guess. What else is there to do?”
“You could start your own business like you’ve been talking about for ages. To be honest, I felt like your talents were being wasted there anyway. We both know you can do so much more than book caterers.”
“Starting my own business would cost a lot of money, and with the amount of student loan debt I have, it’s just not realistic.”
“I could help you out.”
I smile. I shouldn’t be surprised by how readily she offers to help. Tina has always been the first person to jump in and help someone in need as long as I’ve known her. I love that about her, but there are some things that I need to figure out on my own, so I shake my head. “No. I could never ask you to do that. If my business failed, and I had no way of paying you back, it would ruin our friendship.”
“You don’t have to pay me back. Consider it a gift. How much do you need?”
I laugh. “I’m serious, Tina. I’m not taking your money. I’ll look for a job.”
“What if it takes a while to get one? What will you do?”
“If I have to, I’ll apply for unemployment.” And if times get really tough, I could always sell my fancy left-handed tape dispenser that I definitely didn’t steal from work. I’m sure I could get eight bucks for it on eBay.
She wrinkles her perfectly manicured brows. “Unemployment?” The word stumbles out of her mouth like she can’t believe I would consider such a thing.
“Yes. Just until I get a new job.”
“So you’ll accept money from the government, but not from me?”
“The government and I aren’t friends. Besides, my employer paid for unemployment insurance. That money is there to be used by people like me.”
