Read Online A Previous Engagement by Stephanie Haddad - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephanie Haddad
Ads: Link
bathroom?”
He held up a book, Bathroom Renovations And You: A Beginner’s Guide. “Call me Bob Vila.”
“Okay, Bob,” I patted him on the back. “You let me know when you want to freelance for Prime. I could use a person with impeccable grammar on my writing team.”
“Thanks, Tess, but I’ll leave the marketing jargon to the college kids.” He yawned, stretching his arms in front of him with his fingers interlaced. A few of his knuckles cracked. “Plus, investing’s not my area.”
“And home improvement is?”
He shrugged. “I can stand it and it pays the bills.”
I took a big gulp of water. “Grant,” I ventured on a whim. “How did you work up the guts to leave your job and start freelancing?”
“Well, I realized I could control a lot more of my life if I left the firm. The hours, the pay, the assignments. It was scary, and it was hard work, but it was worth it. Especially to be at home with the little man.” He leaned back in his chair, studying me. “Are you in the market? I didn’t know you wanted to write.”
“I don’t, not really. There’s a lot of marketing consultants out there who work freelance. I thought there might be some helpful carry-overs.”
“You’d be surprised,” he smiled, reaching for a stack of research papers. He flipped through, found the fact that he needed, and turned back to his keyboard. “I bet you’d do pretty well for yourself if you started consulting. A lot of firms are hiring outside talent now, you know.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “It’s fun to do little side projects like the Birch’s posters and stuff, but I don’t think I could make a career out of that. Who would hire me?”
“Around here? Plenty of people, I’m sure.”
I thought about this for a minute, turned it over in my mind. Working for myself would be freeing in one aspect, but I looked at my three friends, all working for themselves, and how much work they had to bring home with them. At least my work stayed at the office. Most of the time. “Well, it’s fine. I mean, I’m happy where I am. I just got promoted and all… my job’s good.”
“And the Oscar goes to,” he said grandly, looking up from the screen. “You know, I almost bought that. Everything okay there in Prime Hell?”
Laughing, I stood up and pushed the chair back under the table. “I’m just waiting for the latest and greatest to land on my desk, and I’m sure it will all be fine. I never like to stay in one position too long, right? Get back to work, you crazy writing fool. I’ll see you later. Tell Kendra I had to get going.”
“Tell me yourself,” Kendra said, standing in the kitchen doorway. Riley was propped on her hip, playing idly with a lock of his mother’s hair. “Running scared?”
I leaned in to give my godson a kiss. “No, I gotta get home. I’m pitching a new marketing outreach to my boss, so I need time to prepare.”
“All right, fine,” she scrunched up her nose. “I guess you’re off the hook for now, but once you get things in motion with Christian and his girl-to-be, we’re working on you. Riley, say goodbye to Auntie Tess.”
Riley smiled behind his blue pacifier and waved a frantic little hand at me. “Buh-bye, Anntess!” The pacifier tumbled to the floor and his face fell. “Uh oh.”
I agreed to babysit Riley in two weeks and then I was off, leaving the world’s most adorable family to the rest of their Sunday business. The sweatshirt I borrowed from Grant protected me from hypothermia during the journey home. I opened the door to my gorgeous apartment, grateful for the warmth but resentful of its emptiness. What would it be like to come home to someone? Maybe I just needed a dog. I had my new pal Finn, who I greeted stiffly, but the thought stuck with me like peanut butter on the roof of my mouth. I went to bed that night wondering if I’d been missing out on things more
He held up a book, Bathroom Renovations And You: A Beginner’s Guide. “Call me Bob Vila.”
“Okay, Bob,” I patted him on the back. “You let me know when you want to freelance for Prime. I could use a person with impeccable grammar on my writing team.”
“Thanks, Tess, but I’ll leave the marketing jargon to the college kids.” He yawned, stretching his arms in front of him with his fingers interlaced. A few of his knuckles cracked. “Plus, investing’s not my area.”
“And home improvement is?”
He shrugged. “I can stand it and it pays the bills.”
I took a big gulp of water. “Grant,” I ventured on a whim. “How did you work up the guts to leave your job and start freelancing?”
“Well, I realized I could control a lot more of my life if I left the firm. The hours, the pay, the assignments. It was scary, and it was hard work, but it was worth it. Especially to be at home with the little man.” He leaned back in his chair, studying me. “Are you in the market? I didn’t know you wanted to write.”
“I don’t, not really. There’s a lot of marketing consultants out there who work freelance. I thought there might be some helpful carry-overs.”
“You’d be surprised,” he smiled, reaching for a stack of research papers. He flipped through, found the fact that he needed, and turned back to his keyboard. “I bet you’d do pretty well for yourself if you started consulting. A lot of firms are hiring outside talent now, you know.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “It’s fun to do little side projects like the Birch’s posters and stuff, but I don’t think I could make a career out of that. Who would hire me?”
“Around here? Plenty of people, I’m sure.”
I thought about this for a minute, turned it over in my mind. Working for myself would be freeing in one aspect, but I looked at my three friends, all working for themselves, and how much work they had to bring home with them. At least my work stayed at the office. Most of the time. “Well, it’s fine. I mean, I’m happy where I am. I just got promoted and all… my job’s good.”
“And the Oscar goes to,” he said grandly, looking up from the screen. “You know, I almost bought that. Everything okay there in Prime Hell?”
Laughing, I stood up and pushed the chair back under the table. “I’m just waiting for the latest and greatest to land on my desk, and I’m sure it will all be fine. I never like to stay in one position too long, right? Get back to work, you crazy writing fool. I’ll see you later. Tell Kendra I had to get going.”
“Tell me yourself,” Kendra said, standing in the kitchen doorway. Riley was propped on her hip, playing idly with a lock of his mother’s hair. “Running scared?”
I leaned in to give my godson a kiss. “No, I gotta get home. I’m pitching a new marketing outreach to my boss, so I need time to prepare.”
“All right, fine,” she scrunched up her nose. “I guess you’re off the hook for now, but once you get things in motion with Christian and his girl-to-be, we’re working on you. Riley, say goodbye to Auntie Tess.”
Riley smiled behind his blue pacifier and waved a frantic little hand at me. “Buh-bye, Anntess!” The pacifier tumbled to the floor and his face fell. “Uh oh.”
I agreed to babysit Riley in two weeks and then I was off, leaving the world’s most adorable family to the rest of their Sunday business. The sweatshirt I borrowed from Grant protected me from hypothermia during the journey home. I opened the door to my gorgeous apartment, grateful for the warmth but resentful of its emptiness. What would it be like to come home to someone? Maybe I just needed a dog. I had my new pal Finn, who I greeted stiffly, but the thought stuck with me like peanut butter on the roof of my mouth. I went to bed that night wondering if I’d been missing out on things more
Similar Books
