Fallen Woman(29)

I’d been on a couple of outings with Holland and the one with Drake and Max, but at the end of the day, I was still lying down in the same bed in the same housing project on the same side of the tracks. If I wanted out of these circumstances, I’d have to up my game. I needed a car, I had to move, and I desperately wanted a permanent fix to Emmy’s needs. The only way for that to be a viable option was to have a better job with more stable income. I checked the job postings in HR daily—the company posted internally before they hired from outside, so I figured I had a better shot there than trying something new. When I saw the opening in Marketing, I thought I’d hit the jackpot. My degree and my Madison Avenue experience were tethered to advertising. I submitted my paperwork to apply internally and waited.

When I found out the job had been given to someone else without so much as an interview, I was furious. I’d had my heart set on the job, but if I didn’t get it fair and square, fine. Although, I thought they would at least interview everyone who applied. I didn’t want to ask Jase about it and never mentioned to him I’d applied for it—I wanted the job on my merit, not his name. So, after lunch, I went to my manager’s office to ask about the process for internal promotions. I knocked on his door that was wide open, and as usual, he had his feet propped on the desk and was doing something on his cell phone.

“Hey, Dale?”

He glanced up at me but didn’t bother giving me his attention when he returned his eyes to the screen. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“I was wondering if you could tell me how the internal job application process works?”

He continued moving his thumbs on the screen while he answered me in as few words as possible. “You apply. They interview. They pick someone.” I could tell by his tone he wasn’t interested in explaining anything, but I didn’t care.

“Do they interview everyone that applies?”

“Uh, maybe, I don’t know. You’d have to ask HR.”

“Thanks.” He held up his hand briefly to wave me off, and I turned around.

I wasn’t normally a very brazen person, but that job should have been mine. Had I been interviewed for it, I would’ve nailed it, and I was pissed I didn’t get the chance to audition for the part. I set off in search of the hag in the HR department to find out why I’d been overlooked, but when she was at lunch, Ben offered to help me instead.

Ben.

I didn’t like his name or the way it sounded when I said it.

“Ben, I was wondering if you could tell me the process for internal promotions.”

In ten times as many words, he reiterated what Dale had told me.

“So everyone who applied should’ve been interviewed?” I pursed my lips and tried to remain calm.

“Of course. That’s the respectful thing to do for employees.”

I held my tongue. I wanted to lash out, but I didn’t have any real answers yet. “Do you know why I wouldn’t have been interviewed?”

“Have you been here longer than six months?”

“Yep.”

“I don’t know. What’s your name?” He sounded apologetic as he searched through folders on his desk, although I had no clue what he was looking for.

“Gianna LeBron.”

His hands halted mid push. “I’m sorry, LeBron, you said?”

“Yes.”

He slowly raised his head to make eye contact with me. “As in Jase Lane’s, Gianna LeBron?”

My hip jutted out, and my hand landed promptly on my side. “Seriously?”

“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m just looking at the notes on why an interview wasn’t scheduled and am so glad it’s not my head that’s going to roll.”

“What?”

“Your manager said he needed you in the department and asked that you be passed over for this position.”

My hands fell to my side, and my body straightened. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I’m a mail clerk. When I applied for this job there were ten other people waiting in line for it that could’ve been trained in less than ten minutes. How does he get to make that determination?” I’d gone from furious to totally confused and on the verge of tears. “I’m a single mom with three kids. Why did he get to make that call?”

The awkward redhead shrugged his shoulders. “Please don’t be upset with me. I didn’t have anything to do with it.” Ben was scared. Whatever he’d heard about my relationship with Jase led him to believe I had the power to make his life miserable.

As tears pricked the backs of my eyes, and I fought to keep them at bay, I wondered how selfish Dale truly was. He had a cushy job where he sat on his ass and let his employees run all over the place. When one had an opportunity to do something better, he squashed it because he was too lazy to train someone new. “Thanks, Ben. I appreciate your help.”

Ben called out to me as I walked away. “Please tell Mr. Lane I didn’t schedule the interviews.”

I was defeated. My relationship with Jase would either benefit or hurt me. I had tried to keep from using it to my advantage—I wanted to earn a spot here—but my boss prevented me from doing this legitimately. War waged in my mind—part of me wanted to confront Dale, and the other wanted to complain to Jase. I opted for Dale, knowing Jase would find out and then the chips would fall where they may.