before then.”
“Sounds good. And good luck.”
“Thanks.” She turns and calls over her shoulder, heading for hair and makeup on the opposite side of the room from me.
I go back to my desk and check over the list of the reports that were e-mailed to me this morning. After going through each one, I notice my numbers are right on point with some of the other people who have been on air here for years but vary depending on the state. I check to see if Kathy has e-mailed me back, and when I see she has, I open the e-mail and my heart sinks. Once more, she’s dismissed the ideas I had on ways to promote the products on my schedule.
Not ready to give up, I go through some of the past projects she’s headed, finding they have performed well but not great by any standards. I would understand her being set on using her formula if it was working, but it hasn’t been. By the time I’m done going over all the information I’ve found, my brain is tired and I’m confused and convinced that maybe it’s me she doesn’t like.
“I’m back,” Samantha says, stopping at the edge of my desk, and I look up at her. “I’m just going to grab my purse. Want to meet me at the elevator?”
“Yes, I’ll be right there.” I start to shut down my computer, thinking maybe food will make me feel better, but stop when an e-mail from Sawyer Markel, my old social worker, pops up. My bad mood instantly lifts when I see she sent me her cell number along with a brief message asking how I have been and letting me know it will be easier if I call her. After I program her number into my phone, I meet Samantha, and I head out to lunch with my hopefully new friend.
“So what do you think?” Samantha asks as we finish up lunch.
“I’m not sure I’m a good judge. I was starving, so I think I could have eaten my own hand,” I admit, and she smiles, looking at my empty plate before pulling off one more piece of her sourdough bowl and popping it in her mouth. “Did you enjoy it?”
“It was good, but there is nothing like having seafood while looking out at the bay. Have you ever heard of Fisherman’s Wharf?”
“I went to San Francisco once with my ex and he took me there, though we didn’t have the clam chowder. We went to some fancy restaurant with his father. Honestly, I don’t even remember the meal. I think I slept through most of it.”
She cracks a smile then gets a faraway look in her eyes. “Every time I go back home to visit my family, I make them take me there to eat as soon as I land.”
“What made you choose Seattle if your family is in California?” I know I could never be that far away from Jamie.
“I wanted to prove to myself and my family that I could survive on my own. So far, I’m doing okay, but I don’t know if I will stay here after my contract is up with IMG. My sister just had a kid, and I feel like I’m missing out on all the fun aunt stuff.” She pulls out her phone and shows me a photo of an adorable baby with chubby cheeks.
“He’s cute.”
“Right?” She looks at the photo herself then tucks it away in her pocket. “Do you have family here in Seattle?”
“My brother’s here.”
“That’s cool. Are you two close?”
“Yeah, very.” I smile. “He’s annoying, but he’s also my best friend.”
“I have a brother, so I get it.” She grins, and I grin back.
“Actually, he has a show this Friday and I promised him I’d show for a little while. Do you have plans?” I ask, hoping she says she doesn’t.
“My only plans involved me lying on the couch in my pajamas, eating junk food, and watching reality TV, so no.”
“Well, there won’t be junk food but there will be alcohol, and the groupies who show up when he and his band perform are more entertaining than any reality TV show you might watch, so you’re night will be the same minus the pajamas.”
“Sounds like a good time to me,” she says, checking her watch. “Darn, it’s already time to get back. I’m going to use the restroom really quick.”
“I’ll wait here.” Once she’s gone, I pull out my cell and notice I have a couple