Page 99 of When Fate Breaks
Briar & Brooks, the fourth-highest grossing marketing firm in the United States, had decided to make a last minute appearance at one of our business career fairs at the University of Alabama my final semester before graduating and, although their typical minimum GPA requirement was a 3.8, I somehow managed to wiggle my way into an interview and eventually secured one of the firm’s ten summer intern spots at their Montgomery, Alabama branch.
The internship was set to take place from the first day of June until the end of August. At that point, five interns would be chosen for full-time employment at the branch. As ecstatic as I was at the thought of being kept on at all, the number one spot was what I had my sights set on. The best intern of the summer would earn a position as a marketing associate at the Briar & Brooks headquarters in New York City.
New. York. City.
It was a dream. It was the only option. Though I could never complain about being offered a job in my desired field at an incredible company, being a mere thirty minutes away from Ramer was not what I had in mind for my life post-high school. Not at all what I had planned. In my mind every single day at work over the summer, there was only one full-time position available.
And it was going to be mine.
“Thank you for your positive affirmations, Ri, but I’m not so sure this time,” I tell Riya as we settle into our respective cubicles across from each other. “I mean, who needs a wooden water bottle? Much less a $50 wooden water bottle?”
“It doesn’t matter. If anyone can sell it, you can,” Riya smiles, pointing at me with her purple feather pen before returning it to her notebook. “Find your audience and you find the money. Just like Margaret always says.”
“Well if you find a few thousand rich kids lacking drinkware in the next half hour, let me know,” I say, digging my palms into my sleep deprived eyes.
“Did someone say kids?” A male voice sounds from in front of me. I look up to see Matthew Hollis, another summer intern, leaning against the outer wall of my cubicle. “Talking about our future again, Annie?”
“Hi, Matt. No, Matt. I’m busy.” I hold up the manila folder, waving it at him to show my notes and setting it back down on my desk, trying my hardest to look even busier than I already truly am.
“Well then,” Matthew says, leaning on the wall like some cheesy jock out of a movie, his offensively blue eyes sparkling, “I guess I’ll leave you alone.”
“Great, thanks,” I say, not looking up.
“As soon as you agree to go out with me.”
My head snaps up. “Matt. No. For the third time.”This week.
Matthew puts on his best pouty puppy dog face, his blonde brows furrowing. “C’mon, Annie. I promise I won't bite.”
“Matt, I’m sorry. But I told you,” I groan, exasperated, “I’m just not interested.”
“You have a boyfriend, don’t you?”
My spine steels. “No, Matt. But I do have a proposal presentation in,” I stop to look at my watch dramatically, “twenty-two minutes. So, if you could, please.”
Matthew lets out a heavy sigh, pushing away from my cubicle. “I’ll get you one day, Annie Jacks.”
I shake my head as he walks away, letting my gaze fall back to my outline. I read over it for a few seconds before I can feel eyes burning a hole in the side of my head and turn to see Riya frozen with her head cocked to the side, staring daggers at me.
“What?” I ask.
“What?” she hisses. “More like what’s wrong with you?”
My brows raise. “What do you mean?”
“How are you going to keep continually rejecting that six feet and two inches of perfect human specimen?”
“Did you say six feetandtwo inches?” I deadpan. “Well no one told me about the other two inches. Hold on, let me run after him and accept right away.”
“I don’t understand you, Annie.” Riya shakes her head. “I mean, hun, with peace and love, you look like you haven’t slept in three days and may have crawled to the office this morning and he’sstilllooking at you like you hung the moon.”Okay, not untrue, but still, ouch. “Just go out with him!”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
“Why? What’s wrong with him?”
