Page 79 of A Perfect Pairing
“Complete overhaul. Do you have a few minutes to meet with us right now on video? We’d like to get to know a little about you to determine whether you’d be a good fit for what we need.”
“I… yes.” Inside, she did cartwheels.
“Great. What’s your email address? I’ll send you a link.”
Natasha rattled it off, then after a few more instructions, ended the call. She leaned back in the chair and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Was this the opportunity she’d been waiting for? She gave herself a pep talk. “You can do it. You’ve got this. You know the information like the back of your hand.” Her computer chimed with an email, and she quickly sat up and opened the message. Good, she had ten minutes to get herself together.
At the listed time, she clicked on the link and was more than pleased by the diversity of the six people on the screen. It made her even more excited about the potential of doing business with them. After a round of introductions—the CEO himself ran the meeting. Natasha answered every question, and all the nervousness she’d initially experienced disappeared. This was her area of expertise, and by the time the meeting ended, they knew it, too.
“Ms. Baldwin, I’m very impressed by your knowledge and passion and would like to offer you the position,” Mr. Yarbrough said.
Wait. What? Just like that?Shouldn’t she take time to think about it and discuss it with her girls, Antonio? Mr. Yarbrough’s voice cut into her thoughts as he outlined the salary.On second thought, I can just tell them later.“I’d love to work with your company and bring your vision to life.”
“Wonderful. We’d like for you to come to LA within the next week. You and Ms. Webb can finalize the details.”
“Ms. Baldwin, if you could stay on, we can take care of the logistics now.”
“That would be fine.” Her voice stayed calm, but inside she was a jumbled mess. Everything was happening so fast, it left her head spinning. And who did Daphne know at the company? Once the details were hashed out, Natasha would fly to LA on Thursday for an overnight trip. At the end of the conversation, a thought popped into her head. “Ms. Webb, would I need to be on-site during this entire process?” She’d gotten so excited, she had totally forgotten about the locale.
“I believe that’s the plan. We’d put you up in one of the corporate apartments for the next few months until the project is completed. Will that be a problem?”
Yes! I finally got a second chance with the man of my heart, and now I’m supposed to leave? Not to mention my current job.Her heart plummeted. “There may be an issue, as I’m currently employed. However, I’m hoping we can work something out that will satisfy both parties.”
“I’ll let Mr. Yarbrough know, and we can discuss it when you get here later this week. I won’t hold you, Ms. Baldwin. Please look for an email with your travel itinerary by end of day.”
“Thank you so much.” When the call ended, Natasha did a little shimmy in her seat. She’d been dreaming about an opportunity like this.
She picked up her cell to call Daphne. “Daphne, this is Tasha,” she said when the woman answered.
“Hey, girl.”
“I’m calling to thank you for the referral to Yarbrough. Who do you know there?”
Daphne screamed. “Yes! I had hoped they would call you. My cousin is an executive there and mentioned the company was looking into purchasing temporary housing for their consultants because they were spending so much contracting with other companies. Tasha, please tell me you’re going to do it.”
“They asked for a meeting, so I’ll be doing that.” She didn’t want to give too much information yet.
“Girl, I know you’re going to knock their socks off.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing this.”
“Please. I’ve gotten so many compliments on my bedroom, you’re lucky I haven’t given your name to every one of my family members spread across the country.”
Natasha laughed. “Whoa. Let’s take it slow and see how this goes first. I have to get going, but I owe you, girlfriend.”
“That’s what friends do. Talk to you later.”
She disconnected, placed the cell on her desk, and smiled.Yeah, friends.Picking up the phone again, she sent a group text to her besties with a dancing GIF. She cracked up at their responses as they trickled in over the next several minutes. Each one had included its own emojis and GIFs expressing excitement. Serenity said they needed to celebrate. Natasha agreed but decided to just invite them over for a celebratory drink for tonight. They’d party once she actually got the job. It would also be a good time to talk to them about her dilemma.
Natasha sent a text to Antonio, telling him she needed to talk to him.
Thirty minutes later, he replied:Hey, babe. Late call tonight with Ced and Zo. If I get home early enough, I’ll call. Otherwise, I’ll walk down to your office tomorrow morning.
She sighed. Of all the people she told, he was the one she wanted to talk to most. He’d always been there to help her sort things out. Turning back to her desk, she finished all the tasks on her to-do list, said goodbye to her co-workers, and left.
When she got home, she changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. The early-June temperatures had soared to nearly ninety. At this rate, they would be in for a hot summer. Natasha got one of the bottles of Moscato she’d purchased after the wine tasting and stuck it in the refrigerator. She still had an hour or so before her girls arrived, so she sat and ate the rest of her chicken Caesar salad from lunch while sorting through her mail. Not seeing anything important, she tossed the pile aside and finished her dinner.
Natasha still had a few minutes and decided to call her mother. “Hey, Mom.”
