California Girls(70)

“I swore I was done being the victim,” she said, angrily brushing her cheeks. “I don’t want to feel that every eight seconds my life is falling apart, but I also don’t know how to make things better.” She sniffed. “So if you want to give me a bracing pep talk, this would be a good time to do that.”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “Is that what you want?”

“I want something. Anything that isn’t feeling like a fool all the time. What am I doing wrong? Why can’t I get my act together?”

“It’s more together than you think.”

She sighed. “Daniel, while I appreciate the words, honestly, just give me some tough love. I swear, I can take it. Please.”

She wasn’t sure why she felt his advice would be the right advice, but deep in her gut she had the feeling he saw her more clearly than most people.

“Okay,” he said, his gaze steady. “I don’t know what to say about your dad. He sounds like a jerk and I’m sorry he hasn’t been there for you. Do you need his support or do you just want it?”

“Oh, that’s a good question. I’ve never considered that like that before.” She thought for a second. “I’ve managed this long without him. I guess I thought he’d call me about Glen breaking off the wedding. I put a couple of calls in to him but I didn’t hear anything back after that first text. I guess I want his support but don’t need it.”

“You could confront him.”

“I could, although I’m not sure what I’d say. ‘Hey, Dad, it would be nice if you pretended to love me.’” Her eyes filled again. “Stupid emotions.”

Daniel shifted, as if he was going to move to the sofa. Maybe to offer comfort, maybe to hold her close. For a second she was caught up in the idea of him taking her in his arms and...

Back the truck up, she told herself. Daniel was her friend and there wasn’t going to be any taking anyone in anyone else’s arms. She was smarter than that.

She returned her attention to the topic of her father. “Okay, Dad’s a jerk and when I grow a pair, I’ll tell him exactly that.”

He tilted his head. “You do that a lot—put yourself down. Why do you have to grow a pair? You’re not weak, Ali. You’ve been through a lot the past few weeks and you’ve held it together. You should be proud of that. Maybe you don’t need one more thing right now. Maybe when you’ve recovered from all this crap, you’ll be ready to deal with your dad.”

“Oh.” She smiled. “That’s good, too.”

“Now, work.”

She groaned. “Yes?”

“You’re working in a man’s world. The cars, the warehouse, all of it is dominated by men. If you want to get ahead, you have to play by their rules.”

“I hate that. It’s not like they post them or anything. How do I know what the rules are?”

“They’re simple. Be visible. If you want the promotion, tell them. When they ask why you should get it, be prepared with a list of your accomplishments. Be specific. Tell them how you’ve saved the company money, time, whatever. Speak up at meetings. You don’t have to be rude, but you do have to be noticed. Don’t let them take you for granted. When you do something right, talk about it. When you do something wrong, fix it.”

She fell across the sofa, her body and head landing on the cushions. “No,” she groaned. “Don’t make me talk about my accomplishments and be all braggy. It’s not me.”

“Then you won’t get the promotion and you’ll grow old and bitter monitoring inventory.”

She sat up. “That was harsh.”

“It’s true. Ali, you’re more than qualified, but you have to act like it. It’s very possible your boss knows you’d be the best person for the job, but has no idea you’re interested. You’ve never discussed advancement or even a five-year plan.”

“How do you know that?”

“You don’t have a five-year plan.”

He was right, of course, she just wished he hadn’t said it so bluntly. Tough love, she reminded herself. She’d been the one who wanted it.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “I’ll come up with a plan and a list of accomplishments, then I’ll go talk to my boss.”

“Are you sure you even want the job? It’s going to be a lot more work and responsibility.”

“Of course I want the job. I’d be good at it and it would be interesting. Plus, I’m not working at the warehouse for the rest of my life, despite what you said. The promotion would look great on my résumé.”

The smile returned. “Bring that attitude to the interview and you’ll do fine.”

“You’re right. Thanks. Sometimes it’s hard to remember I have to be like them when I really just want to be like me.”

“Don’t change too much. I kind of like how you are now.”

“A mess?”

“Sweet, funny, kind, interesting. Don’t lose that.”

“Is that how you see me?” she asked before she could stop herself. “Because those are not the words I would use.”

“You should. Stop putting yourself down.” His gaze sharpened. “Why don’t you accept compliments more easily?”