Page 2 of The Physical Attraction Seminar
I thought I charmed Elliot with my confidence, but it turns out he was just as desperate to hire someone as I was for a job. Regardless, the guy took a chance on me, and now, I can’t imagine working anywhere else. There have been countless changes throughout the years, but this place exudes a sense of familiarity that keeps me in place.
“It is with great honor I announce that…” his voice trails off, and I give Camila a knowing look while bumping our coffee cups together.
My breath bottles up in my chest as anticipation hums throughout the room. People in front of us lean forward in their seats, eagerly waiting for Elliot to finish his sentence. With my cup to my lips, I draw in a long swig of coffee to soothe my growing restlessness and watchas a flurry of hopeful glances and optimistic smiles break out across the room.
“After nearly two decades, I am stepping down as chief executive officer of Solus Commercial Realty effective tomorrow afternoon.”
Gasps erupt around the room, camouflaging the sound of my coffee-induced choking.
Between short-winded coughs, my gaze shifts to Camila, but her poker face reveals nothing. Subconsciously, she reaches over and delivers a few sharp strikes between my shoulder blades.
Resigning.
My immediate boss is resigning… which means I’m out of a job.
“I know, I know.” He motions for the crowd to settle down. “The timing is less than ideal, considering there’s still a month until the end of the quarter. But I’m here to assure you that you are being left in excellent hands because not only will I be stepping down as CEO…”
“There’smore?” someone’s voice bursts out over the buzz of murmurs.
I rarely let my imagination wander when it comes to envisioning a different career path, but over the last few months, that daydream has become more frequent. Sure, I’ve heard people talk about the “seven-year itch” in reference to marriage before, but I never considered it could apply to jobs, too.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my job. As the years have gone on, the pay has grown substantially, and the hours have become more reasonable. I could probably usesome more vacation time, but working at Solus has rarely felt like “work.” Every day, I get to come to work with my best friend, and Elliot has become somewhat of an older brother to Camila and me over the last few years.
Despite it all, there is a little red devil on my shoulder urging me to keep my options open. From time to time, curiosity pulls at my thoughts, leaving me to wonder if there is a job out there that could offer me a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment than my monotonous day-to-day assistant tasks.
The fact that Elliot is leaving unexpectedly like this means I’ll be jobless. Regret washes over me like a tidal wave, and suddenly, I wish I hadn’t stayed complacent in a job simply because it offered a steady, comfortable paycheck and decent work-life balance.
Maybe I should’ve applied to a few jobs. Taken some interviews. At the very least, kept an updated resume.
Oh god, when was the last time I updated my resume?
It had to have been… I don’t know, eight years ago.
As my heart plummets, a coiling sensation tightens around my lungs like a snake constricting its prey, making it difficult to take a full breath.
As my coworkers turn to gauge my reaction to the news, the weight of a couple hundred pairs of eyes rests heavily on me. Silence sweeps across the room, and the dumbfounded expressions of my coworkers gradually transform into frowns of pity as our eyes meet. Some offer their condolences with soft-spoken words, while others show their compassion by placing a hand over their heart, accompanied by sympatheticsmiles.
I want to run. To bolt out of the room and not stop until I sought refuge in my apartment, where I could nestle under a mountain of blankets. The only thing I can do is force myself to suppress the queasiness in my stomach and concentrate on the sight of Elliot’s grin-plastered face.
He looks so happy. So proud.
And I look like a fool.
“Solus Commercial has been acquired by?—”
“An acquisition?” Donna, from marketing, who is seated opposite Camila, takes a sharp breath, then swallows. “We’re being… bought out?”
The thumping of my heart echoes in my ears, and Elliot’s words fade into the background. I can’t believe that after nearly a decade of working side by side, being blindsided with unemployment was how this was ending.
“Does that mean your job…” Donna trails off.
“No longer exists?” I bob my head with a gulp. “I think so.”
My gaze shifts to Camila, who is fixed on the front, her face still devoid of any emotion. It’s only when she twists to face me that I catch a glimpse of guilt swirling in her eyes. She opens her mouth like she’s about to say something, then presses her lips back together.
I gasp, staring at her like I’ve seen a ghost. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”
“You got run over by a hot dog cart?” Camila and Elliot both ask with teary-eyed laughter.
