Page 59 of The Summer We Mended
ChapterTwenty-Two
Jess
On Monday morning, Jess sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table, her laptop open and blinking at her with a dozen tabs: job listings, partially filled applications, a resume she kept tweaking and retweaking.Across from her, six-year-old Maisie was elbow deep in glitter and glue, her tongue poking out in concentration as she fashioned what looked like a sparkly squirrel from popsicle sticks.
“Look, Mama!”Maisie held up the half-formed creature with pride.
Jess smiled, even though her chest was tight.“That’s amazing, baby.I love how sparkly his tail is.”
Maisie grinned and went back to work, humming something tuneless.
Jess turned her eyes back to the screen, skimming the listing for anything that piqued her interest.There was an administrative assistant role.She met every qualification.Bachelor’s degree, three years of office experience, good with calendars, people, and software she’d taught herself out of necessity.But the job was in the city, a ferry away, and paid just enough to cover daycare and gas.She bookmarked it anyway.
Her phone buzzed on the table.She looked to see it was an unknown caller.Jess stared at it like it might explode.Her thumb hovered over the screen, then she hit the red button.Voicemail.
Immediately, it buzzed again with a voicemail notification.
She sighed and opened it.A robotic voice.
“This is a courtesy call from Goldpoint Collections.Your account ending in zero-eight-seven is now past due.Please call us immediately to avoid further action.”
Jess deleted the message and pressed her forehead to the table.
“Are you sad?”Maisie asked, peeking at her from under a sheet of construction paper.
“No, baby.Just tired.”Jess forced another smile and sat up.“I didn’t sleep great.”
Maisie considered this seriously.“Maybe you need a glitter squirrel too.”
“I think that might help.”Jess reached out and ruffled Maisie’s hair.
By ten-thirty, she had sent out three job applications, each one chipping away at her optimism.She felt like a bird throwing itself against a window again and again.She’d applied for so many positions over the past month: office assistant, copy editor, even a few remote gigs that paid per task, but no one was biting.Or if they did, it was only to offer scammy “opportunities” that required a fee up front.
How do you break down all your experience into a resume?How do you tell a potential employer that you ran your own business, that you were very successful, and wore thirty different hats in doing so?
You couldn’t.And Jess didn’t want to anyway.In her heart, she knew that she wasn’t meant for a nine-to-five; she wasn’t meant to work for someone else.It’s why she was halfheartedly turning in her resume and responding to job ads.
She had to find something, though.The bill collectors would only wait so long before they started taking her to court and tanking her credit score.She let out a long breath.
Luckily, they were living with her parents rent-free, but she still had other bills.There was health and car insurance, her cell phone bill, her car payment.She hadn’t worried about money in years, and now the thought of being behind on everything was causing the anxiety and overwhelm to tighten her chest.
The phone rang again with a private number.She ignored it and turned to Maisie, who was now taping glitter squirrels to the sliding glass door.
“Hey, do you want to help me pick out lunch?”
Maisie looked up.“Mac and cheese?”
“Mac and cheese it is.”
They cooked side by side in the kitchen, steam rising from the pot, and Maisie narrating her process like she was on a cooking show.Jess let her talk, laughing in the right places, but her mind was spinning.
She’d check Indeed again after lunch.Maybe Craigslist.Maybe she could pick up something from Fiverr, or reach out to old contacts, even if that felt like scraping the bottom of an already-empty barrel.Especially since most of her old clients thought she was shady because of Clark’s actions.
She wanted to bury her face in her hands and cry.But she couldn’t.
While Maisie chattered on about school, Jess heard the front door open and shut.
“Girls?”her mother called, voice cheery and bright.
