The Anti-Boyfriend(14)
“I’m an expert at winging it, Cynthia. When I was injured, I made the best of it. When I suddenly got pregnant, I knew nothing about raising a child—winged it there, too. I want this position badly enough that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. Can I promise you that I’d be able to make a hundred percent of the appearances? No. But I can promise you I will make every effort to be where you need me to be. And if I have to miss something, I’ll work ten times harder to make it up to you, to make sure you know I’m dedicated to the job.” I let out a long breath.
She nodded silently. “There’s absolutely no doubt that hiring someone who’s been so respected in this industry would be a good public relations move for us. Not to mention, you worked for our competitor, so having you with us would be a get of sorts. I’ve always been looking for a way to stick it to Charles.”
I smiled. If that helped justify her offering me the job, I was all for it.
She tapped her pen on the desk. “Tell you what. Let me mull this over. I have a couple other people I’m interviewing, and I want to give them a fair shot. I’ll call you when we’ve made a decision.”
The idea of her interviewing people who likely had more experience gave me anxiety. Still, I tried to keep my poker face. “That sounds great.” I nodded as I rose from the chair. “And if there’s anything else I can answer, please don’t hesitate to email or call me. I hope you give me a chance to prove myself.”
She reached out her hand. “Carys, it was amazing to see you again. You’re just as lovely as I always remembered.”
After I left City Ballet, I went to pick up Sunny from Simone’s house. Since she lived nearby, she’d graciously offered to watch my daughter. But given her lack of experience, I didn’t want to dally in case something had gone wrong.
On the way to Simone’s, I checked my email as I walked. To my utter shock, several responses to my inquiry about a part-time childcare worker had come in. I’d figured it wasn’t going to be easy finding someone interested in a variable schedule. But it seemed I’d underestimated the number of people who didn’t want to be tied to a fixed routine.
Hope filled me. Maybe this was going to work out after all.
*
Later that afternoon, after Sunny and I had returned home, there was a knock at the door.
Peeking through the hole, I smiled. Deacon stood there with two Starbucks cups in his hands. Lately, he hadn’t even been texting me before coffee runs. He’d just proactively get me a latte if he happened to be passing by.
“You’re my favorite person right now,” I said, reaching for the coffee. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I needed this.”
His eyes went wide as he looked me up and down. “Look at you. You look great.”
I was still wearing my black sheath dress from the interview. My hair was down and styled into loose curls. This was definitely the most dressed up Deacon had ever seen me.
“I do clean up nice when I have to.”
“Where did you go?”
I didn’t immediately answer, instead walking over to grab my wallet, though I knew he would once again refuse my money.
Deacon held out his palm. “Stop. I won’t take it.”
“Why are you paying for my coffee again?”
“Because you didn’t ask for it. I chose to get it. Now drink it and put away the money.”
“You spoil me, Deacon. And given that I have no income, it’s most appreciated.” I took a sip then smiled. “But that may be changing soon,” I added in a song-songy voice.
He perked up. “You got a job?”
“Not yet. But that’s why I’m dressed up. I had an interview today.”
“No shit? What’s the position?”
“It’s a PR gig at a different ballet company than the one I used to work for.”
He beamed. “That’s fantastic. That’d be perfect for you.”
“Well, I can’t celebrate until they offer me the job. And I’ll have to figure out a situation for Sunny if I get it. I’d probably be able to work more than half the week from home, but there would be some events I’d need to attend, sometimes with little notice. That’s why I have to line a couple people up.”
“You got any leads?”
“Actually, yes. There’s this company that matches families and childcare workers. A friend of a friend recommended it. They sent me a few people to check out today. I’ll have to interview them all, but the company vets them, runs background checks, and makes sure they have appropriate experience. Like, I specifically requested people who have worked with special-needs kids.” I took a sip. “I just pray it will work out.”
“Well, my gram always says if you think positively, make yourself believe it will all work out, it will. We have no idea how much our outlook affects things.”
“I definitely have to work on that.”
Deacon took a seat on my couch and picked up a ball of yarn I had sitting there from the night before. “What are you making?”
“Oh. I’ve been trying to teach myself to crochet, but it’s not going well. I wanted to make a hat for Sunny.”
“Promise not to laugh, okay?” he said.