Page 85 of The Rebound
Less than three minutes later I walk back up.
Jess is sitting on my upturned backpack, scrolling through her photos while Louise breaks open our snacks for the day.
“Everything okay?” she asks, distracted.
I nod, turning the phone over in my hands. Jess looks up when I don’t answer, her eyes instantly narrowing.
“What?”
“Pat got me an interview.”
“You mean Pat from next door?” Louise asks at the same time as Jess asks, “Who’s Pat?”
“His cousin’s neighbor’s son works at Stewarts,” I begin as Jess jumps to her feet, understanding dawning.
“You sneaky bitch. Iknewyou had a plan. I can’t believe you kept your plan from me.”
Louise rises too, dusting dirt from her pants.
“It’s a smaller company,” I say, trying to keep her in my sight as Jess throws her arms around me. “But they’re good. They have offices all over the world.”
“They offered you a job?” Louise asks.
“Only an interview.”
“Only an interview,” Jess mimics. “This girl is the queen of interviews. You thrive on interviews. You know she used to do them for fun? Said it kept her on her toes, the weirdo.”
“It’s a foot in the door,” I say diplomatically.
Jess squeals, spinning me around. “I brought you some clothes in case this would happen.”
There’s a strange expression on Louise’s face but it vanishes as soon as I turn to her.
“Congratulations,” she says with a smile.
“It’s only an interview,” I repeat as Jess starts dancing around me.
“Everything will go back to normal!” she exclaims. “We can go home and you can show all those bitches what’s what.”
“What bitches?” I ask.
“No one,” she says quickly, twirling me. I fight back a scowl. I can only guess I’ve been the source of pitying gossip since I left.
“We need to celebrate,” Jess adds.
“Maybe Roman’s can squeeze us in for dinner,” Louise says. “I’ll see what time Tomasz gets off at.” She walks away, taking out her phone as Jess twirls me again.
“You’re not nervous, are you?”
“No. But would you stop? It’s one interview. Out of…severalI applied for.”
She just shakes her head. “This is the one. I can feel it in my bones. I’m your good luck charm.”
“You’re something alright. Stop. I’m dizzy.”
Jess drapes an arm around my shoulders, looking victorious as my head spins.
“I was right,” she says, tilting her face toward the sun. “This hike was an excellent idea.”
