Page 5 of Forbidden Kisses
"Crap."
"Yeah, exactly," I said. “It’s also conditional on my passing the bar exam."
I’d expected that, of course; I’d just hoped that they’d take me on right away, even if it was doing something mundane. I’d worked as a waitress and a bartender during most of my college days in law school, and I was ready to kick-start my career and pay off some of these student loans. I’d taken the bar exam in February, and we’d just had our graduation ceremony last week. It was May already, and I still didn’t have those damn results!
"You know what? Let’s look on the bright side. At least you’ve got an offer," Julia said. "So, let's have some dinner. I made gorditas."
Julia was fantastic in the kitchen, and over the years, I’d picked up valuable cooking skills from her. I loved these little corn cake things. She knew just how to make them with the right amount of meat, cheese, and all the good stuff.
We went into our small kitchen that also doubled as the living room, and all three of us gathered at the kitchen island, where we usually stood and ate.
I groaned. "Why are the results taking so long? I can't believe they're torturing us like this."
Christine shrugged. "Hey, I'm just happy we survived law school.”
"I’m going to have to get some other jobs until I start this one," I muttered.
Julia grimaced. "You don't have enough to cover rent?"
I shook my head. I never liked to discuss financial stuff because they were my friends, but Julia was also my landlord, and I didn't want to put her in a bad position.
"I can cover this month," I said quickly. "And I can always go back to The Shack and ask if they need another waitress." But my soul was dying a bit at that prospect. I wasn't what one would call an extrovert. I liked being surrounded by friends, but waiting tables was draining. I didn’t have whatever it took to get those extra tips that some of the staff was able to muster.
Still, a girl had to do what a girl had to do. And if that was what it took, I’d gladly wait tables. Honestly, I’d take any job I could find at this point.
"All right, let's dig in," Julia said.
The gorditas were delicious. I was only half paying attention to what the girls were talking about, mulling over my next steps. I was going to browse Craigslist tonight and keep my fingers crossed for some cleaning jobs. They were right up my alley. Cleaning was something you did by yourself, so points for my introvert self.
After dinner, I went into my room and noticed a missed call from my sister, Paula. I‘d call her later. She was probably going to try and console me, but that wasn't what I needed right now. My hopes were to begin the job next month so I could splurge with my first paycheck and take her out for a fancy dinner. She deserved it. Paula was in school, studying business and working two jobs on the side. I couldn’t wait for a decent paycheck so I could help her out.
I opened my laptop and searched Craigslist, checking out the job listings. There was a legal website I used to apply for my professional job, but for little side jobs like this, Craigslist was king.
I fell down the rabbit hole for what felt like hours; fortunately, I did have a lot of leads for cleaning and pet-sitting jobs. I was about to close my browser when one listing for a nanny job really caught my attention.
I smiled as I read it. I loved, loved,lovedkids. Growing up, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, but my mom always gently tried to steer me toward careers that would pay better. One thing led to another, and I ended up in law school, but my heart was still with teaching little kids. I’d always loved that there was a six-year difference between me and my younger sister.
I read the listing carefully. It was for three months, from two o'clock until six o'clock Monday through Friday. The residence was in Camel Valley, and the boy was ten years old. That sounded super tempting.
I scrolled down to see what they were paying, and my eyes about popped from their sockets. Okay, that was a very generous amount for four hours a day. It was definitely more than I made at The Shack, including tips.
Don't get your hopes up. You don't have any nanny experience.
But that didn't keep me from applying. It was one of my mantras in life: I never held myself back.
After I’d applied, I noticed that the employer had uploaded a questionnaire. That was a first with Craigslist; usually, people simply used the questions from the website. I downloaded the document and opened it, expecting to see a few general questions. Then my jaw dropped. There were sixty questions, though some I’d expected, likeAre you a smoker? Do you have experience with children?
Oh, what the hell.The questions I’d had to answer when applying for legal positions had been much worse. I could knock this out in no time.
As a got farther into the list, I became really excited about the opportunity. It also said that overnight stays might be required but would be announced well in advance. Honestly, the thought of being in some fancy residence in Camel Valley sounded amazing. I was certain it was going to be more peaceful thanliving with Julia and Christine. I loved them both, but they liked to party—a lot. Even if I didn't go out with them, whenever they came back from a night out, they were typically very inebriated, loud, and did I say loud?
I poured myself a glass of white wine to help me finish the questionnaire. I had a great feeling about this.
CHAPTER THREE
Duncan
"Duncan, are you sure you don't want me to take this over?" Magda, my HR manager, asked. She was managing the background checks on everyone I was interviewing today.
