Page 74 of The Do-Over

Stella lifted her head and flipped the braided rope of her hair behind her shoulder. She set her pen down and leaned back in her chair. “Just don’t give her any unrealistic expectations. Let her know the facts and let her decide what she wants to do.”

“Right, of course. But this is a huge opportunity, and I don’t want it to slip through her fingers.”

Stella rubbed a hand on her forehead like she had a headache coming on. “Just be honest. No false expectations.”

A knock sounded. I hopped up and opened the door. “Hey, stranger.”

“Yo.” Bria stuffed her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, which she wore despite the heat of the late spring day.

I wrapped my arms around her for a hug. She held out for a handful of seconds before patting me twice on the back. “I’ve missed you.”

“Come have a seat,” Stella said.

Bria plopped into a chair and slouched down, looking from the director to me. She was make-up-less, and her face looked strange without her drawn-on eyebrows. “What’s going on?”

“I hope you don’t mind. I asked Stella to get you to come,” I said, sitting in the chair beside her. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”

Bria sucked her teeth, the sound strangely loud. “Sorry. I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, I heard. Is everything okay?” I touched her hand. “I’ve been worried.”

She shrugged and stared at her feet. “It’s all right. I’m just tired.”

“I have good news.” I paused and pulled out a packet from my purse. “I might have found a job for you, a good one.”

“Yeah?”

I held out the papers, and she took them slowly. “It’s with an oil company and they have benefits and a tuition reimbursement program for when you start taking classes. I called and talked to the person in charge. I told her about you, and she seemed excited to meet you. What do you think?”

Bria thumbed through the application. “She knows about me, you know, having been locked up?”

“She said it wasn’t something that would lessen your chances.” I nibbled on my thumbnail for a long moment. “I, ah, I already set up your interview.”

“What?” She dropped the papers on her lap; one slipped off and drifted to the ground. “I don’t even know if I want to apply.”

“She said the slots were filling fast, and I wanted to make sure you got one. It’s at the beginning of September. You have ages to prepare and—”

“I don’t know anything about oil or working at some fancy company.”

“They’ll train you.”

She crossed her arms. “Man, look. I’m tired of applying for these jobs and getting turned down. Besides, I can’t afford to take time off for some interview that’s not gonna work out, anyway.”

I leaned forward. “I think if we polished up your interview skills, and you tried your hardest—”

“I’ve been trying my hardest and it ain’t ever good enough. What makes you think this is going to turn out right for me?”

Her words made my throat tighten. I understood that feeling. Hadn’t I felt the same way more times than I could count? Hadn’t I fought it my whole life? A fierce fire started in my gut, a determination that Bria was going to overcome this. She would succeed.

“Bria, look at me.” The silence stretched, but I waited her out. Her eyes met mine. She swallowed and pressed her lips together. “You can do this. Right, Stella?” I glanced at the other woman, who’d been suspiciously quiet.

She nodded. “If Bria wants to do this, it sounds like a good opportunity.”

“I’ll help you. Mathias will help you. We’ll get you ready for that interview and you’ll blow them away.”

Bria blinked and looked away, her voice thick when she spoke. “I guess I can give it a—”

She hadn’t even finished the sentence before I threw my arms around her. “Oh, yes, this is going to be awesome. Just you wait and see.”