Page 119 of From Rivals to I Do

“Don’t be silly. I’m happy to watch her. I’ve told you that a dozen times,” she responds.

She was right. Given my lifelong track record with tardiness, it would be best for me to leave with plenty of time to spare, even though I’m not an early riser.

Especially considering I’d be trusting in public transportation, which wasn’t always the most reliable.

“I found something!” I yell when I pull out a silky white blouse from one of my bags.

My mom walks over to me and looks at it, high-fiving me for the successful discovery.

“This is going to work out for you. I know it,” she says in a cheery voice.

I prepare to leave as quickly as possible and make my way into Manhattan.

***

By the time I arrive, the streets are packed with people rushing back and forth. I’m forty-five minutes early for the interview, so I decide to walk around and

enjoy being back in my hometown for a while. I walk by a few shops, admire the outfits displayed on the mannequins, and play a game of doing the math of the

salaries before I can afford to wear any of them.

That is why I moved to LA, after all. I wanted to be rich and famous, but instead, all I got were a few commercials and an episode playing a killer on a crime

show no one watched. I gave up on acting when I found out I was pregnant with Charlee. Being a mom was much more rewarding than anything I’d done before.

My interview time draws closer, so I make my way back to the tall skyscraper according to the instructions in the email. I stop in front of it and admire it.

They don’t make buildings like this in LA. I back up and take a moment to calm myself.

Rather than a grounding moment, I back right into a stranger on the street. I immediately spin around and see the stranger spilling coffee all over himself.

He’s dabbing his shirt with his jacket as quickly as possible.

“I’m so sorry,” I say as I rush to him and help him dab the coffee off his shirt. “I wasn’t looking. I didn’t mean to...Are you all right?”

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine,” he says with a laugh.

He looks at me while I continue dabbing his shirt with the inside of his jacket. Then, finally, I freeze, realizing the jacket probably costs more than I’d make in

a week if I got this job and dropped it.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, feeling very guilty about the accident.

“Really, it’s fine. Unfortunately, accidents happen,” he says in a reassuring voice.

The alarm on my phone rings, reminding me that my interview is in a few minutes. I have to check in for it as soon as possible. Making a good first

impression is especially important to me, and being late won’t help that.

“I have to go, but I’m very sorry,” I say again, turning away from the man and walking into the building.

The email told me to check in with the receptionist at the front door, so I wait patiently behind another person already speaking to her before approaching the desk.

“Hi, my name is Rayne Stevens. I have an interview at one,” I tell her when I finally approach.

“Thank you,” she says, typing away on the computer. “You’re on the fifteenth floor. Just take the elevator up and have a seat in the waiting room. I’ll let Mr.

Kapino know you’re on your way.”

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