Page 5 of In a Pinch

For a second, I think about causing a scene when I get into our department, letting all the assistants know what kind ofhuman they are dealing with when it comes to Maggie. But she is probably expecting that. I will not satisfy her anymore. She doesn’t deserve a single breath from me.

I quietly pack my office and take down pictures. I smile at the one of me and Isla. Now, I am wishing she didn’t move across the country last year. She met the love of her life on a vacation we were both supposed to go on, but I missed out because of a stupid boyfriend and a missed flight. She met Cal, and the rest is history. I am happy for her, but I could use our usual chicken nugget and wine pick-me-up.

A big sigh leaves my body. I will call her once I get home and get somewhat of a plan put together. What a shit start to my day.

Chapter Two

Addie

This is fine. Totally fine. I repeat this to myself until my nerves settle. Not having control of a situation or my emotions is a little foreign to me. I am Adaline Hunter and I am a badass. The job was no longer serving me, so the universe set me free.

I unlock my door, kick off my shoes, and walk through the front door. My eyes glance over the apartment, checking our gray couch for signs of my roommate. There are no sounds coming from the hallway past the living space either. Relief hits me when I realize she isn’t here. I’m ready for a tall glass of wine and a FaceTime call with my bestie. I sent her the code red, 911 emergency text on my way home.

Dropping my purse and box of stuff on the kitchen counter, I drag my feet to the fridge and pull out my favorite wine. My kitchen is pretty small. Only two beams and a countertop separate it from the living room, which is also small. I’ve never minded small spaces. They feel cozier and keep me from hoarding random shit. The decoration we have is minimal—enough to make it feel like a home, but not so much it feels busy. Clutter makes me feel itchy.

Turning, I open the cabinet and grab my largest wine glass. The matching one beside has me wishing my best friend was racing to my house after the 911 text instead of answering via FaceTime.

Plopping down on the couch, I rest my head against the back. What a drastic turn of events. How I went from a promotion to jobless in a matter of minutes is beyond me. What am I supposed to do now?

My phone rings, pulling me from my pity party. Disappointment floods me when I realize it’s not Isla, but my mother.

My mom is amazing. She is the best mom I could ever ask for. I was always the golden child—strong-willed, always had the best grades, and was overly ambitious. Telling her that her golden child was just fired will be, well, unpleasant. She will be kind and supportive, blah, blah, blah. But deep down, I know she will be disappointed. And there is nothing worse than disappointing your mother.

“Hey, Mom. How are you?” I ask, putting the phone on speaker and resting it on my lap.

“Oh, well, I am fantastic. Have you heard the news?” This stumps me because I genuinely have no clue what this woman is talking about. If it has to do with family, I haven’t seen them as much lately. We usually have monthly dinners, but I had toskip out on the last one due to the flu, and I wasn’t home for Christmas.

“I’m guessing I have not. Is everything all right?” A small dose of worry enters me. Surely, if this was an emergency, she wouldn’t sound excited.

“Oh, yes! More than okay! I am going to be a grandma! Your sister Sarah is pregnant!” My mother’s glee seeps through the phone.

“Oh, wow! That is so exciting. When is she due?” I ask, surprised that Sarah hasn’t told me this news herself. Maybe she just called Mom and told her to do the phone tree.

Having three siblings can sometimes be a lot to try and call each person. I give her the benefit of the doubt that maybe she isn’t feeling well. We have a pretty tight-knit unit between my two sisters and younger brother, but as we’ve gotten older and settled into our lives, our check-ins with each other have become more sporadic and usually just in our group chat.

“Well, she is eight weeks now. They are thinking sometime in August, beginning of fall. I am just glad one of you is finally giving me a grandchild.” The hint isn’t missed. She forgets that I need a partner to make a baby. My history with men isn’t always great. I either pick the losers or end up as a flight risk when I find a good one. The good ones are almost always too sweet, and I need a little bit of rough around the edges to smooth me out.

“Don’t hold your breath on my end. I am a single pringle, and don’t plan on changing that until someone knocks me off my feet.” My mother sighs at my response. If she thought that was disappointing, I can’t wait to tell her I lost my job.

My phone vibrates, letting me know I am getting another call. Pulling the phone, I see Isla’s face light up on the screen. Saved by the bell.

“Hey, Mom, sorry to cut this short, but Isla is calling me. Do you mind if I call you back later?”

Knowing her love for my best friend, I am not surprised when she answers, “Of course not. Give her my love. Buh-bye.”

I hit the button to accept Isla’s call. “Hey, bitch!” My usual pep returns to my voice.

“So, what was the 911 about? Are you okay?” Isla’s voice sounds almost breathless.

“Well, get ready to buckle up for the ride I am about to take you on. You know Maggie from work?” I readjust on the couch, tucking my legs underneath me.

“The one who is always late and doing the bare minimum, but is super nice?” Isla asks. Her memory is impeccable, but we have to do a bit of an edit on Maggie’s personality traits. She’s a lot of things, but super nice isn’t one of them.

“Yup, that is her. Guess who got the promotion? Not me. But little ole, backstabbing Maggie after stealing my ideas and taking them to the big wigs.”

She gasps on the other end of the phone. “You’re joking? This is like an early April’s Fool’s joke, right?”

“Nope, and that’s not all. For an extra dose of ‘Fuck you,’ the company laid me off today. So, now I am not only promotion-less but also jobless.” A sigh leaves me. I wish it would take some of the tension in my head with it.

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