Page 83 of Accidental Dad's Best Friend

When I first left Grand Junction, I only told Cassie the basics. Job offer that would get me back into real journalism. Missing the city I grew up in. Wanting for opportunities for Jax, all that. I didn’t tell her who I was working for. I didn’t tell her about Ethan at all. Not until a month ago when I broke down and needed someone to talk to. Cassie of course was wildly supportive. She didn’t even bat an eye at me getting involved with a man nearly 20 years older than me. The girl reads enough erotica to think it was hot. Kinky even, as she put it.

“Do you think he’ll ever talk to you again?” She asks carefully.

“I don’t know.” I blink my eyes. Thank god for waterproof mascara. I can’t even think about Ethan without bursting into tears, let alone talk about him. Every time Jax has brought him up, I’ve had to lie and say I have something in my eye before rushing into the bathroom to sob. “I like to think so.”

“If not for your sake but Jax’s,” she goes on. “But, I mean, maybe you were right. Maybe your instinct to keep Jax from Ethan wasn’t just because you didn’t want to share him with an unknown. Maybe it was your gut telling you that Ethan wasn’t going to man up and be involved. Maybe it’s good if you never hear from him again.”

I blink fiercely. I hate that thought. I didn’t want to be right about him. But I haven’t heard from him since the night at the NBT office. Other than one text to confirm my rent was paidfor two months and after that, it would switch to my name on a month to month basis, it’s been crickets. Radio static. In other words, miserable.

“Maybe you’re right.” I let out a sigh.

“So what magazine are you interviewing for now?” Cassie changes the subject. Bless her.

“It’s called Out and About. It’s a local magazine covering Denver’s food, beverage and activity scene.”

“That sounds like a nice change of pace. Less politics and skinny chicks.”

I laugh at that, shoving my lipstick in my bag. “That’s what I thought too. It’s a new magazine. Actually, I’d never even heard of it until they reached out. But from what I’ve seen, it’s exploding. And the pay seems too good to be true.”

“Well get it, girl!” Cassie cheers for me. I make a promise to call her soon and definitely let her know if I get the job. She tells me there’s no way I won’t. And honestly, I do have a good feeling about this one.

I get out of the car and straighten my black skirt. I check my white blouse, making sure it’s tucked just right, and run my hands over my hair that is pinned up and back out of my face, save for a few curls that rarely behave.

Then I march towards the glass door of the modern building, head high and smile true.

“Good afternoon,” a woman with short black hair greets me at the desk.

“Hello. I’m here for an interview?”

“Ah yes. He’s waiting for you.”

My smile tips downward. “Oh. Am I late? I thought–”

“No, you’re right on time. He’s just eager about this interview. If I had to guess, the odds are in your favor.” Shesmiles and I smile back. It’s not the first interview that has felt more like they are selling themselves to me than I am to them. But something here feels…different. I can’t place it.

“Miss Sloane?” A black woman with hair braided into a bun and tied back with a floral scarf smiles at me from the doorway. “He’s ready for you.”

I take a deep breath and blow it out softly before following her down the back hall.

Here we go.

The walls are lined with photos of food, wine, parks, and the mountains. White doors are labeled with gold name tags. The place is very chic. Bright and open. Nothing like NBT was, with its oak and dark accents. Everything about Out and About is refreshing.

We make our way into an open area and my breath catches in my chest. Along the perimeter of the walls are fish tanks. Tall, colorful fish tanks.

“Aren’t they lovely?” The woman I am following asks. She must have noticed my mouth dragging along the floor as we walk. “The boss said he loves fish and threw a nice chunk of change into having them installed. Definitely a focal point, if you ask me.”

“My son will love them,” I say softly. Then I correct myself. “If I get the job, I mean. My bad.”

She just smiles. We stop in front of a door and she knocks softly. “Well I hope it works out.”

“Thank you,” I smile back. The door opens slightly and she raises her eyebrows before pushing it open the rest of the way and gesturing for me to go inside.

I take another breath, throw on a smile and walk in. The woman closes the door behind me and I stay in my spot, waiting for the man standing at the desk to turn around. My eyes are drawn to the windows, ceiling to floor, overlooking alake surrounded by trails and trees. Out and About is not in the concrete jungle like many of the other publishers. It’s near a park and a winery. Honestly the real estate is perfect considering the genre of magazine.

I take a step forward, wondering if I should sit. But just as I approach the chair, the man turns around.

I stop in my tracks.

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