Page 21 of Wasted On Us

“Dammit!” The desire to eat real food and pay at least one of my bills this week wins out over my fear of impending discomfort. “Fine. If I take this today, can I have something else tomorrow?”

“Yes. Survive today, get a new assignment tomorrow. But you have to prove yourself. That you can be reliable. Do this, and I’ll put you in the system for a transfer first thing in the morning. I know of a couple of things you’d be suitable for coming up.”

I grimace at one of the blouses. “I have tosurvive, too. Gah.”

The second I hang up, my phone vibrates against my face. It’s Ensley, wanting to know when I’m coming downstairs. I look at the time at the top of my screen and nearly scream. She’s ten minutes earlier than I asked her to be when I begged her last night for a ride. I had expected her to be early of course, but I certainly thought I’d be dressed by now. I send her a frantic text about not receiving my assignment until a few minutes ago, assuring her that I’ll be downstairs in five, which she knows really means ten. Staring at the pile of clothes on the bed, I play out how the day is going to go, and it makes my choice of wardrobe abundantly clear. I pick the blouse with the highest neckline and the khakis that I never wear. Hopefully, dressing a little frumpy today will make Mateo look at me less and earn less ire from Lucy. I swipe my hair back into a tight bun and put on just enough makeup to look alive and not a smidge more.

All I have to do is survive. Nine to five. Eight hours of answering phones and transferring calls. How hard can it be?

“Wow. Trying to look like a funeral director today, are we?” Eden quips as I climb into the car. “I have never seen you look so… drab.”

“Thank you so much. You really know how to make a gal feel good about herself.” I shake my head, trying not to cry, or laugh, or end up with some weird combination of the two. “Look, I just don’t like my assignment today. I’m resolved to grin and bear it, but I don’t have to look stunning doing it.”

“Where are we going?” she asks, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward the street. “Do they have you digging ditches or calling numbers at the DMV?”

I swallow hard before delivering the news. Even if I don’t tell her about Mateo, she’ll understand the awkwardness of my situation today. “Worse. García and Son Auto.”

Ensley almost swallows her gum, sputtering a cough. “As in Salvador García? You are absolutely kidding me. Dad will flip when he hears this.”

“Which is why he isn’t going to.” I give her my best withering glare, which morphs into puppy dog eyes when she looks at me for more than two seconds. It’s impossible to out-intimidate her. Maybe I can make her pity me instead. “Please. I just have to get through today. They’ve already promised to reassign me tomorrow.”

Fiddling with the air conditioning dial, she sighs. “I do not envy you in the slightest. I wish you luck, and may the next eight hours go by as quickly and uneventfully as they can.”

We arrive at the dealership faster than I would like. Part of me wishes that my sister would have just passed right by the entrance, so we could keep heading down the road, never to return. We could both run away from home. Except Ensley loves the life she’s created, and she’d never agree.

I have to remind myself that every minute that passes brings me that much closer to not having to be here at all. Keeping my head down, I quickly make my way to the receptionist area, trying not to make eye contact with any of the salespeople, just in case Lucy is on the prowl. There’s a woman there named Monica that the agency said I should report to. The nameplate on her desk makes her easy to find, and the warm smile on her face makes her even easier to approach.

“Eden, you’re an absolute lifesaver for stepping in on such short notice,” Monica says, guiding me to a desk next to hers. It’s neat, with an ergonomic chair and a computer at rest, waiting for the next user.

“Why the sudden vacancy?” I ask, glancing around the sales floor. It’s surprisingly quiet.

No sign of Lucy. No sign of Mateo. But I gird my loins because I know it’s only a matter of time before I have to confront both of them.

“Ah, you’ll never believe it,” Monica says, a smile spreading across her face. “Mandy, the girl who usually sits here, just had a baby yesterday. But it was a month early.”

“Really? That’s wonderful news.”

“Yeah, her little girl’s really cute,” Monica confirms, her smile softening into a more empathetic expression. “But it did give us quite the surprise. Now we’re scrambling to find someone to fill in for a month until the original replacement gets here. And Salvador is so fussy about these things. That man is a perfectionist, especially when it comes to his car dealership. After all, the receptionist is the face of the dealership, and he likes everyone who steps through the doors to feel like one of the family.”

“Is everyone... okay? I mean with me being here instead?” I ask, concern knitting my brows together. The last thing I want is to draw more attention to myself.

“Oh, absolutely,” Monica assures me, her smile returning. “I’m just so pleased you’re here, Eden. You’ve really saved us from a tight spot.”

I feel more than a little guilty listening to this knowing that I have zero intention of being here ever again after five o’clock tonight, but I don’t want to derail her explanation of the phone system and how they store keys. Even though she has already gone out of her way to outline the entire process in a series of clearly labeled, multi-color Post-It notes on every visible surface. Due to Monica’s attention to detail, today should be a piece of cake. As long as no one sees me, hears me, or speaks to me.

And by no one, I mean Mateo.

And maybe Lucy.

And maybe also Salvador.

Three people. Three people out of a dealership with dozens of employees and just as many customers over the course of a day. I like those odds.

I surprise myself with how easy it is. All I have to do is keep a massive grin plastered on my face, press and release the hold button, type a few things into spreadsheets, and hand out keys. Monica does most of the latter anyway, not wanting the temporary new girl to be responsible for any transactions over five hundred dollars or so. I get through the entire day without incident. Those ladies at Right Hire are going to be talking about me tomorrow, alright, and it’ll be nothing but praise. Finally, a win in the Eden column.

It’s not until ten minutes to five that my winning streak, meager as it is, comes to a halt.

“Hey! I saw you come in this morning, but you’ve been so busy all day that I didn’t want to interrupt.” Mateo flashes me a soft smile, practically batting his eyelashes at me. “How on Earth did you end up working at Mandy’s desk? Are you following me?”

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