Page 4 of New Girl in the City
“Hey, Mel, what’s crackin’ pretty lady?”
From anyone else I might have slowly blinked before retreating muffinless, but all the happier for avoiding the interaction. But this wasn’t just anyone. This was my favorite coworker in the agency.
Claudia Sanchez.
I grinned and shot her a wink. “Just another day in paradise.”
“That’s talking about this city generously,” she whispered and stepped beside me. “I hate New York.” She snagged a blueberry muffin and gave me a sidelong look. “Tell me again why you left a picturesque mountain town in the Colorado Rockies for this place?”
“Because what are your thirties for other than chasing a dream? And there is no,” I plucked up a chocolate muffin with a satisfied smile, “dream bigger or better, than New York City.”
“That’s just insanity”
“That’s showbiz, baby.”
She smiled and took a bite of her muffin. “You got me there, Pérez,” she laughed. “I would never choose this place, Mel.”
I was silent for a moment considering her words. Why had I come here? What was the motivation behind leaving the life I had created in Colorado? When I had applied for the move with my company, it had been to see what I was capable of, the challenge of the city making me reach for another goal, something new that I could sink my teeth into, but it was harder to remember with each passing day in the city. But I couldn’t really get into all of that with Claudia over muffins and coffee, not when I had only just crossed the two-month mark in the city. I had just figured out where I wanted to put my coffee maker in my kitchen. I hadn’t even memorized my favorite take out numbers from the curry joint down the street.
Two months wasn’t enough time to think I had failed, or to entertain thoughts of moving back to Colorado. What I needed to do was remember not to be so hard on myself. I needed to give myself more patience than I had in the past, which meant settling into the city and trusting the process. No one was good at everything immediately. Myself included.
Living in one of the biggest cities in the world was no different. I stayed quiet and moved towards the espresso machine, because the only thing that I needed more than three muffins in my belly was more caffeine. It was only when the machine was working on my cup of sweet, sweet caffeine, that I spoke.
“Everyone needs space to grow, Claude. New York is my chance.” I picked up my steaming cup of coffee and took a sip. “But maybe yours is the mountains.”
She sighed and leaned a hip against the counter with a wistful smile. “Oh, a girl can dream. Do you know what I would give to go to the mountains?”
“Well, I do still have connections there in Twin Forks, I mean. I could put in a word for you with the agency branch there if you wanted?”
She beamed and flicked her half-eaten muffin at me. “That sounds amazing, Mel baby. You put in a word for me and I promise you can come visit me in my sweet mountain cabin anytime you want to escape the traffic and smog of New York.”
I laughed. “Sounds like a deal. I’ll put in a call today after lunch.”
Her eyes lit up. “Ohhh, lunch! I hope there’s carbs. Do you think it’ll be sushi?”
* * *
The callto my old agency branch had gone well, surprisingly well, with my former boss. We had indulged in all the customary pleasantries one did when a friend and former coworker rang out of the blue, but after all the catching up I knew it was only a matter of time before they would be asking the question I had been dreading from the moment I had dialed the familiar extension.
“So what can we do to get you back on the mountain?”
There it was.
My shoulders tensed slightly, and I forced my hand to relax on my cell. “What are you talking about? I barely thawed out from my sojourn down the damn thing in the first place,” I joked but their question plucked at that insecure part of me that knew it would be so easy to just...go home. To stop being so alone and slip back into my old life where I was a big fish in a small pond. Even in the worst-case scenario, I would never be alone. Not with Aurora and Grant’s domestic bliss bubble encompassing all it touched with friendship and love. That couple was practically a set of Care Bears bent on loving anyone that felt alone.
And, man, was I alone.
But that didn’t mean my former boss woman needed to know that.
“Ah, we can just call it a little extended leave to the flatlands,” she replied. “We would love to have you back up here, Mel. No one gets the high-end clients like you. We need you.”
Need. God. That felt good to hear...but still. Still, I could do this on my own. I knew it.
“Sorry, Claire. I just figured out where to get the good curry in town. I can’t leave now. I have Galbi next on my ‘best in town’ list. I couldn’t possibly leave now, not when there’s important work to be done,” I lied. The smile in my voice was forced, fake and brittle, I could feel it pulling hard on my cheeks, but I kept it up all the same.
“I never should have approved that transfer,” Claire muttered. “I knew better. I should have dragon hoarded you all to myself.”
“Shoulda, coulda, woulda,” I shot back and this time my smile was less forced. It was easy talking with Claire. She’d been a wonderful boss and one of the reasons I missed Twin Forks as much as I did. I was lucky my boss here was also of the same caliber. The decision to stay or go was a moot point, but it was still nice to know I was missed by her.
