Page 5 of Only Fate

“You should’ve quitbeforethe firing,” Angel says, following me on my return to my cubicle.

I blow out an upward breath. “I just had to make sure I said it.”

He chuckles. “You said thatandmore.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t think about the walk of shame post-firing. I want to shrivel up and melt into the floor as everyone stares at me while I pack my cubicle. Charles stands in the corner, arms crossed, waiting to interfere in case I get in the mood to spill more company secrets.

I say goodbye to my old coworkers and leave, carrying a single cardboard box with random belongings. All I have to show for my hard work here.

A box, a scene, and unemployment.

Adrian doesn’t bother telling me goodbye—thank God.

The muggy spring weather smacks me in the face as I walk outside. When I drop the box into my car’s passenger seat, itslips off the edge. The urge to scream bites at my throat as I watch the items tumble onto the floorboard. As soon as I’m inside my car, I burst into tears.

2

They say there are many ways to deal with life changes.

Pinterest told me to take time to reflect.

My mother told me to embrace change.

But the best advice was given by my best friend, Amelia.

“Time for tequila and nachos,” she told me over the phone.

That’s why we’re gathered around a table at Down Home, the neighborhood pub.

Down Home is where we toast our accomplishments and wash down our failures. Both are welcome, and neither is looked down on.

“Screw Adrian Castillo,” I announce, raising my shot glass. “And screw Adaway and Williams.”

Amelia follows my lead and lifts her glass. “Yeah, screw them.”

My cousin Callie and our friends Mia and Ava do the same. The five of us have been best friends since our births.

“Screw them,” we say together. “Cheers!”

Tequila spills as we clink our glasses. When I knock back my shot, I cringe as the alcohol slips down my throat. I’m used to having my tequila accompanied with a little margarita mix.

Though being unemployed sucks, I’m proud of myself. Thepartners worked us ragged and pitted us against each other for promotions. Every day I was there, I was miserable.

Setting down my glass, I sigh. “You know what will get those jerks back?”

“What?” Amelia asks before shoving a cheesy nacho in her mouth.

“Starting my own law firm here in Blue Beech.” I lean in closer, as if I’d just pitched them the best idea in the world.

Not that they wouldn’t support me. I could tell them I was moving to the forest and planned to live off strawberries for the rest of my life, and they’d ask when they could visit.

Starting a law firm from scratch is hard, but it’s always been a dream. It’s expensive, and it can take years to build a decent client list. Some attorneys don’t make a penny during their first few years. But I’ve always been a go-getter.

“You won’t have much competition since Adaway and Williams is an hour away,” Mia inputs. “Terrance Nelson is the only attorney in this town, and given his age, he’s bound to retire soon.”

“Terrance handles all the legal stuff for the brewery,” Amelia adds, picking cheese from her black hair. “Last week, he said he was looking for someone to take over his firm. It’s like destiny.” She raises her hands and makes a spirit fingers gesture.

Amelia and her boyfriend, Jax, own the local brewery in town. She didn’t always have ownership in the pub. Jax co-owned it with Chris, his best friend and Amelia’s fiancé. After Chris’s death, he left his share of the brewery to Amelia, and at the time, considering she and Jax hated each other, they both spent months trying to convince the other to sell their share.

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