Page 16 of No Such Thing as Serendipity
I am so happy for you and happy that Terrence did the right thing. I and Fortitude valued you. You earned every penny.
Congratulations to you and Misty. I know she’ll be happy to have you near her.
Unfortunately, I am booked solid this week, so I cannot meet with you. But I send my highest regards. Should you need anything, references, or whatever else, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Please take care,
Blake
I hit send before I could think more about it. I’d covered all the high points, hadn’t I? Happy for her. Praising her service. Wishing her the best. Nothing more needed to be said.
So I lied about being busy. I couldn’t stand to see concern and pity in her eyes. I’d seen enough from Emma. Besides, I wanted her to remember me as a success, not a failure. No, I’d wait and reach out to her once I secured another job. When she could be proud of me again.
Not meeting up with her was for the best. I clicked out of my email and focused on my spreadsheet.
CHAPTER 7
Yesterday, it’d been ablow losing Nancy, but today, I was more determined than ever. The tiny setback wouldn’t defeat or define me. It was my catalyst. My catapult into something better.
I’d received messages from colleagues, hinting of the rampant speculation concerning me, but I had no intention of confirming anything. They weren’t my friends. They were my competition, so the less they knew, the better.
With renewed determination, I’d expanded my search. Who said I had to stay in New York? I could go to Boston, LA, or Chicago. If I landed in Chicago, maybe I could convince Nancy to rejoin me. I’d even found a couple of possibilities in San Francisco. To make the deal, Terrence must have been working with MetaForce for a while. If he’d only told me, I could have moved with Marta. Nah, in this case, he’d done me a favor.She’d shown how little she regarded me. So good riddance.
I should order something to eat. Sleep and nutrition were important to keep my mind sharp. As I reached for the phone, itrang. It didn’t just ring, but the familiar ringtone filled the air. A ringtone I hadn’t heard in months.
Marta.What were the odds? Was this Emma’s serendipity? I’d looked at companies in San Francisco, and now Marta was calling.Hmm.
I finally answered. “Hello?” I said, pretending not to know who was calling.
“Blake.” Marta’s perky voice filled my ears. “It’s Marta. Long time no talk.” She let out a nervous giggle.
“Ten months” spilled out of my mouth before I thought through my response.
Marta chuckled. “You always were so precise. I just wanted to call and see how you’re doing, how you’re holding up.”
Holding up?That was a peculiar greeting from someone I’d not talked to in months. How should I respond?
“I mean...” Marta never liked silence, so she couldn’t help but fill the void. “I heard.”
And there it was. My humiliation had already spread across the country. No, that wasn’t possible. I needed to play this cool. “Heard what?”
“That Terrence is selling Fortitude and you’re out.” Leave it to Marta to get straight to the point. “Did I hear wrong?” she asked when I didn’t respond right away.
“No.”
“No, it’s not true, or no, I didn’t hear wrong.”
“Your source is correct.” My tone was formal, but until I knew her angle, I wouldn’t say much. “May I ask who your source is?”
“Umm, a friend...uh, one I met out here. She works for Titan.”
Shit.Titan was a company in San Francisco I’d earmarked. Coincidence? Emma would say no. Was this what was supposed to happen? As soon as I was unemployed, poof Marta called. Was she sniffing after me, wanting me back? This wasn’tanything I’d considered for my future, but I supposed I could do worse.
“She’s the CEO,” Marta added.
Hmm.Even better. “How ironic,” I said. “I’ve been creating a shortlist of companies I might pursue, and Titan was on it.”
“Oh, you’d move to San Francisco?” Her voice rose an octave.
