Page 18 of The Worst Vacation Crush

“What was that crashing noise?” Allie asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just my hopes and dreams, that’s all.”

“Girl, you need to stay in your lane. Drama is my department. Take a deep breath. They’ll call you back.”

“Sure, I’ll keep breathing. I’m certainly not going to hold my breath. The owner hardly looked at me the entire interview.”

“What were you wearing?”

“Allie! I didn’t want that kind of attention from the CEO of the company.” Though I wouldn’t mind it all that much if it came from Kai. Wait! I hadn’t said that out loud, had I?

Allie laughed into the phone. “You know I’m only joking. But seriously, it couldn’t have been as bad as you’re making it out to be.”

“Oh, it was bad. Mr. Peters talked to Kai the entire time. Asked him a million questions about Hawaii. It’s obvious he wants someone for the job with experience in the region.”

“Peters must have asked you something! It was your interview too after all.”

It didn’t even feel right to call it my interview. “Nope, I was the invisible woman. Whatever comic book storytelling genius thought being invisible was a superpower needs to have their head examined.”

“Oh, come on. He had to ask you something.”

“Well, he did ask me if I was taking notes on what Kai was saying.” So much for the fierce, take-charge, glass-ceiling-shattering woman I was trying to be.

“There you go!” Allie said. “He was involving you.”

“Yeah, as a secretary! I wasn’t interviewing for a secretary position. All he’d say to me was ‘We could market that. Are you getting all this, Beth?’”

“If he mentioned marketing, that had to be a good sign for you, right? You are a marketing guru, after all.”

I snorted out a sarcastic laugh and jerked down the grass skirt decorating my closet door. “I’m good, but I don’t know if I’d call myself a guru just yet.”

“Don’t sell yourself short! Look, I’ve got to run. I’m teaching a spin class in half an hour.”

“All right Professor Spandex. Try not to give anyone an asthma attack on those stationary bikes today.”

Allie laughed into the phone. “I promise, but only if you promise to let me know when you hear back from Blue Pacific. I need to know when to start packing.”

“What? You were serious about moving to Hawaii if I got the job?”

“Absolutely. You’re not getting rid of me that easy. Besides, no fitness instructor in their right mind would pass up the chance to teach beach yoga in Hawaii. Please and thank you.”

“I gotta say, it wouldn’t be horrible not to have to go best-friend shopping while learning a new job,” I teased.

“As if you could ever replace me. Ha! But seriously, I’ve got to run.”

We ended the call, and I stepped into the bathroom to peel an entire box of pineapple wall decals off the tile. In no time at all, I had a pile of crumpled stickers lying on the floor at my feet.

I wandered back into my bedroom, wadded-up stickers in hand and stuffed them into the garbage bag. I rolled my eyes at the amount of junk I still had to pick up. This was definitely going to be a two-bag job.

An incoming text chimed on my phone. I picked it up, expecting to see a text from Allie—conversations were never really over with her.

My heart skipped a beat, and I almost dropped my phone into a bowl of seashells when I read the words on the screen.

“Congratulations, Beth. I’d like to bring you on board. Meet me in O’ahu on Friday and we’ll get started. Contact Rachel for details. Chuck.”

I tossed the phone on my bed and backed up with both hands clamped over my mouth to hold back my screams. I bumped into my dresser and turned around. There was my vision board, still lying face down. I picked it up and hugged it to my chest. “I will never doubt you again, my friend.”

I was on my way to Hawaii—O’ahu, to be exact.

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