Page 38 of Someone Just Like You

Molly:Sure. When would be a good time?

I held out my glass to Esther for a refill. “Don’t be a hog.”

Ping.

Rosaria:I’ll be around all day, but it can wait!

I was too intrigued to wait. “We’re pretty much finished here, right?” Our food had been untouched for the last several minutes and we’d just emptied the carafe. All that remained was draining our glasses.

Esther yawned. “Yup. I need a nap. You can tell me why you haven’t screwed Jude’s twin on a bed, against the wall, or on the kitchen table yet later.”

“What do you mean, Jude’s twin?”

She stretched her arms over her head, the fabric of her black form-fitting dress moving with her. “They look alike, have the same dog, and are both bartenders. Actually, they’re not twins. They’re clones.”

I growled. “Give it a rest.” Although these coincidental similaritiescouldexplain why I’d been weirdly attracted to Jude. Maybe he reminded me of Timothy. Or maybe I wasn’t ready to seal the deal with Timothy because he reminded me of Jude. Both possibilities left me cold.

More likely, Esther was mocking me for the pure joy of it. It wasn’t as if Jude and Timothy were actually that similar.Definitely the last one.“I mean it,” I said, wiggling a finger at her.

While Esther snickered, I texted Rosaria back that I was on the way to my apartment and would call her in twenty.

When I got home, I chugged a bottle of Dasani water before brushing my teeth and gargling with Listerine. Rosaria wouldn’t be able to smell the eggs or champagne on my breath through the phone, but the exercise helped me transition from Sunday Funday with my best friend to professional business chat with a networking partner. Any buzz I had was soaked up by a combination of the food, twenty-minute walk home, and eagerness about what Rosaria wanted to “run by” me. After a quick text asking if she was ready, I stretched my legs the length of my couch and called her.

I insisted she hadn’t interrupted my day (although Esther might have disputed that statement), and after a bit of small talk, she got to her point.

“I was thinking about what you said over lunch,” she said.

I waited for her to elaborate. I’d said many, many things.

“You said you’re a recruiter, not a career coach. And I wondered why that was. Why aren’t you a career coach?”

I looked up at the ceiling. “Truthfully, I didn’t even know what a career coach was until I saw Ceiling Crashers’ sponsored ad on Instagram. Many non-practicing attorneys make the transition to legal recruiting, and it seemed the natural step for me too. I always enjoyed the people more than the practice.” With one notable exception.

“Ceiling Crashers is still in early stages, but we’re growing fast. Cone of silence, but I’m being interviewed byForbesnext month.”

I squealed and kicked my legs in vicarious joy. “I’m so happy for you!” An article inForbescould really put Ceiling Crashers on the map.

Rosaria laughed. “Maybe you can be happy for both of us.” She paused. “Listen, Molly, I’m going to be straight with you. It’s clear to me you’re more passionate about what I do than whatyoudo. So, I was thinking, how would you like to join my team?”

I shot up. “What?”

“I know this comes out of left field. I wasn’t looking to hire. We’re small by design, but your ideas were so well thought out and your enthusiasm fits right in. I think you’d make a great addition, and I know you’d be happy.”

I tried to picture myself working for Ceiling Crashers. Would I meet with women every day, helping them turn their career dreams into reality? Provide input into the questionnaires? Give talks at the Y?

Rosaria continued. “I don’t have a specific position in mind, but we could discuss. The thing is…I can’t pay you much. In fact it’s probably a lot less than you’re making on commission now.” She gave me a number. “But if you stick with me for a couple of years, the number will go up. Possibly significantly.”

She kept speaking, but my mind was spinning. What she was offering amounted to $30,000 less than I had made so far this year on commission thanks to placement of high-salaried attorneys. It would mean a huge step backward. Molly Blum didn’t go backward. She steadily climbed. Not to mention Rosaria didn’t have a position to fill. She wanted to make one for me. Flattering for sure, but risky. What if it didn’t work out and she let me go? Even with the uncertainty of a commission-based salary, my current position offered more security. And Michael had mentioned an early promotion. I was making so much progress!

“What do you say?”

Chapter Eighteen

As flattered as I was by Rosaria’s offer, I couldn’t accept. Of course I couldn’t. Leaving my job?Already?Switching careers?Again?Not to mention the pay cut. I had student loans and a mortgage to pay off. It was an offer I had to refuse. Rosaria had understood, and with a promise to keep in touch, we’d ended the call.

Over the next two weeks, I put in extra hours in the office—homeoffice, in my case—trying to set up enough interviewsmyway to avoid alerting Michael I was still doing research. I was exhausted. At least today was Friday. I lowered my head onto my desk at the day job with the promise it would only be for a minute. I closed my eyes.Just a minute.I could go home early, but I lacked the energy at present for even the short commute to my apartment. What I really needed was a dress for the party. With my eyes closed, I pictured Jude with the girl from Hillstone on his arm. I hadn’t decided if it was too soon to bring Timothy around my family.What does one thing have to do with the other, Molly?

When my phone rang, I reluctantly lifted my head and pressed the green call icon. “Hi, Mom.”

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