A sharp vibration buzzes against my hand, followed by my ring tone. I glance at the screen to see Rya calling me.
That was quick.
“Hey,” I say.
“What are you doing outside an office building?” she asks. The sound on the other end of the phone is dead silent. Makes me wonder what she’s doing.
“I had an order to drop off and I don’t want to go home, so I’ve been sitting her contemplating my life,” I say with a sigh.
“Oh, no, what’s going on?” She pauses for a moment but before I can say anything, she says, “Come over and we can talk. There is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about, anyway.”
My chest tightens with those words. Dread floods my body. What now is all I can think?
And then it hits me.
Does she know something I don’t?
“So, what’s going on?” Rya asks as she sits on top of her feet on the couch, handing me a mimosa.
My brows raise at the alcohol on a weekday. I haven’t drunk alcohol on a weekday in a while. With the lack of sleep and work I have to do later, I say, “No, thanks.”
Her eyes widen, eyebrows shooting up as her mouth falls open. “You’re no fun anymore. You know that?”
I lean my head against the couch pillow, feeling the softness sink my head down further. “Rya, I didn’t come over here to be ridiculed about my decisions. I still have work to do.” I raise my head up. “Why aren’t you at work?”
She shifts her gaze away from me. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about?”
I let out an undetectable sigh. Thank God it isn’t about anyone cheating. Unless she’s cheating and Ezra found out and so now, she isn’t going to work. Oh God, I need to stop this overthinking. “What is it? Is it bad?” Because if it’s bad, I want to prepare myself.
“No. Why would it be bad?”
“I don’t know. What is it?”
She clears her throat. “So, I know your business is doing well right now.” She narrows her gaze at me. “What would you say if I came to work for you? That’s if you need an employee. But with how busy you’ve been, I feel like you do,” she says with a slight smile.
This wasn’t what I was expecting. I never thought about letting her work for me. The last time I helped her get a job where I was working at, she made me look bad by the lack of work she would do, showing up late or calling in all the time. They fired her and I was so embarrassed. I told myself I would never help someone get a job again.
Her working for me, I’m sure, won’t go well. I can see her taking advantage of it since I’m her best friend. “Um, I’m actually not looking to hire anyone right now. I haven’t even thought about hiring someone, to be honest.”
She takes a sip of her mimosa, nodding her head. “I understand.”
Her understanding is unusual. She usually insists on getting her way with everything, so her not trying to convince me feels strange. “Are you looking for a new job?”
She sighs. “I hate working a nine-to-five. I’m getting so sick of this corporate bullshit.” She takes a sip of her drink. “I wish I had a talent like you so I could start something of my own.”
“You have talent to start something.”
“Like what?”
I open my mouth to say something, but the words feel tangled in the air, leaving me speechless.
“See. Nothing,” she says.
I shake my head. “No. I’m sure there is something.” I pause and look her over. “I’m so out of it right now. I didn’t sleep at all last night, so I can’t think straight.”
She crosses her legs in front of her, leaning forward as if she can’t wait to hear what I have to say.
“Zayn didn’t come home last night,” I blurt out, changing the subject.
