She stopped pouring.
“Oh.”
“Today?”
“About an hour ago.”
“What happened?”
I told her enough to explain the situation, although I left out some of the humiliating details.
When I finished, she looked astonished.
“He fired you because you helped somebody?”
“Pretty much.”
Marlene shook her head.
“Then maybe getting fired was the first good thing that happened to you today.”
I stared at her.
“That’s a strange definition of good.”
“Sometimes people do you a favor by showing you exactly who they are.”
She walked away, leaving me to consider her words.
Perhaps she was right about Gavin.
Unfortunately, understanding someone’s character didn’t solve my financial problems.
I opened my phone and searched available positions.
Marketing director.
Account strategist.
Brand manager.
Senior creative lead.
Every listing looked simultaneously achievable and beyond my reach.
I had strong experience, good results, and established client relationships.
But I was also thirty-eight, divorced, and responsible for supporting two daughters.
