Read Online Pounding the Pavement by Jennifer van der Kwast - Free Book Online

Amanda takesa moment to contemplate, then decides to have another. The bartender commends us on our wise choice. And after the whole ordeal is over and done with, there is a moment of silence, and I know Amanda is waiting expectantly for me to say something. I take the plunge.
    “Right. So what’s your good news?”
    She smiles coyly and polishes off the last sip of her first martini.
    “I just got promoted.”
    I wait for the bartender to return with our drinks before I respond.
    “Great.” I hold up my glass to toast her. “Then I guess these are on you.” Which they would have been anyway.
    I think it would be nice to have the last word. But I never do. Amanda would never let me.
    “Oh, by the way,” she says, taking a moment to sip her new martini. “Thanks for not hanging around the another night when Ryan was over. We really appreciated the privacy.”
    You tell me. Is it really so wrong of me to hate her the way I do?

chapter six
        Today’s T-shirt celebrates the tenth annual “Greek Winter Olympics” at Dartmouth College. It features a cartoon character, head under the snow, skis up in the air. His brazen hand reaches up from under the snow bank, still proudly holding a flask of whiskey. I don’t know, for some reason it feels appropriate.
    I skip the candy bar for breakfast this morning. As part of Amanda’s new promotion, she’s been assigned to the account of a small-town Wisconsin danish bakery. It will be her job to initiate a new mail-order service to expand their product to a broader, national market. The fruits of her labors, packed into neat little squares of puff pastry, have already reached as far as our very own kitchen—and they probably will go no further. Standing in front of the refrigerator, keeping the door propped open with my elbow, I shove my face with three samples in no time flat. I don’t feel even the slightest bit guilty for having helped myself to more than half my share (had I even been offered a share). I know for a fact Amanda would rather experiment with a crimped hairdo than tempt fate by mixing carbohydrates with a glucose filling.
    I step away from the fridge and lick my fingers. Then somehow managing to avoid smearing sticky raspberry residue all over thekitchen counter, I fix myself a cup of quasi-instant coffee. I also pour myself a large glass of water and a smaller glass of orange juice. With all three cups balanced on everything but the top of my head, I stagger back to my bedroom and turn on my computer.
    The cup of coffee has me revving up in the junk-and-spam-clotted, forgotten storage space of my e-mail inbox. The glass of water has me searching in vain for a spot in the online postings lot. But the glass of orange juice—that’s where I hit cruising speed.
    I’ve found it! The Perfect Job. It practically leaps right off the screen and cuddles in my lap, nuzzling my leg like a puppy Saint Bernard pining for snowfall.
Company
Aspen Quarterly
Job Title
Associate Editor
Job Location
Aspen, CO
Job Requirements
Dynamic, award-winning magazine seeks bright, creative Associate Editor to report directly to Editorial Director. Excellent research, reporting, and proofreading skills required. Ideal candidate must have prior, related editorial experience. Duties include writing and/or editing articles and generating ideas. Must be extremely organized and detail-oriented. ONLY APPLICANTS SERIOUS ABOUT RELOCATING APPLY.
About Us
Aspen Quarterly
is a lifestyle magazine with a special interest in culture and entertainment. Our magazine provides in-depth film and book reviews and up-to-date coverage on all major media and cultural events.
Contact
Please submit résumé and cover letter to Kelly Martin at [email protected].
    I suppose my résumé could do with some minor tweaking. I change my last job title from “Content Development Assistant” to “Editorial Assistant,” and that takes care of that.
    Then I go on to blow every rule in the book.
    I know, from