Page 16 of Fake it For Good
“Tomorrow night,” I said. “I’m meeting the guy for dinner. If he likes me, I guess I got the job.”
She clapped her hands. “Yeah! I know this is going to be awesome. The answer to your money problems has arrived. The kids get to have a real Christmas!”
“Slow down,” I said. “There’s nothing to say he’s actually going to choose me. I’m not like you. I don’t know if I can even pretend to be rich and smart.”
“You are smart, and you don’t have to be rich,” she chided.
“But I’m not refined or fancy,” I said. “This is me playing in the big leagues and I’m not sure I’m ready.”
“You are. What are you going to wear?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m not officially hired, and according to the contract, we don’t get the clothing allowance until we are.”
“It’s just a meeting,” she said. “You don’t have to be fancy just yet. Let’s go see what you have in your closet.”
The reality of the situation was hitting home. I was going to be paid to go out with a man. There were so many kids I grew up with that had fallen victim to that life. To selling themselves to get a meal in their belly. I had barely managed to avoid that life.
“Let’s see,” Marie said and pushed clothes around on the single rod in my very small closet. “You are not big on dresses, are you?”
“Duh,” I said.
“Okay, that’s fine,” she said, unbothered by my limited selection.
My wardrobe was comprised of jeans and hoodies and comfortable shoes. I spent my days cleaning offices and hanging out with kids. When I did work in the office of the nonprofit, we were very casual. It was a small office. No customers or people actually came into the place. I didn’t have to impress anyone. My work was done online or on the phone.
“Okay, this could work,” she said and pulled out a black dress. It was a wrap style. I liked the cut. It gave me a nice hourglass shape, but it was my funeral dress.
“I’ve worn that dress twice,” I told her. “Both times to a funeral. I think that’s bad juju. I don’t want to wear a funeral dress to a first date or, in this case, a job interview.”
“It’s just a dress,” she said. “You bought it from Goodwill. What if they wore it to a funeral or a wedding? Clothes are not lucky or unlucky. You’re not superstitious.”
“Fine,” I said, sighing, and took the dress from her. “But if he hates me, I’m blaming you.”
“Me?” she said, laughing. “I set you up with him.”
“True, but Della set you up with him first because she was relying on her super special gut instinct. If we screw this up, I have a feeling she is not going to be happy with us. We might get fired before we ever have our first date. Della didn’t strike me as someone who appreciates being told what to do. I think she’s pretty much the queen of her world.”
“Yes, but I think you’ll be able to have a conversation with him about the toy industry,” she pointed out. “I haven’t played with a toy since I was five. You play with toys every day. You know what the kids like and what they think is stupid.”
“How old do you think he is?” I asked. “If he owns his own company, I’m guessing he’s got to be at least forty, maybe fifty.”
“Too bad we didn’t know which toy company,” she said. “What if he’s from overseas? That would be exciting.”
“I just hope he’s generous,” I said. “Or can introduce me to people that might be interested in taking on a new cause.”
“Just don’t push it too hard,” she warned. “You’re going to get paid a lot of money.”
“I won’t,” I assured her. “The one thing I do know how to do is make people feel like it was their idea to donate to our cause.”
“Yes, you are very skilled at that,” she said, laughing. “Just be careful. If he hires you, you don’t want to get fired. If there are three dates, that should be about fifteen grand. This is your chance to make a bunch of money. Don’t blow it.”
“Gee, you make me feel so confident,” I said with a laugh.
“I just know how passionate you are about these things,” she said. “Baby steps.”
7
CANE
