“Great,” I said under my breath. “I can hardly wait.”

Chapter 2

A feeling of warmth brushed my face as I stretched my arms to the ceiling. The sun’s rays projected into my room, making it appear as though I was in the center of heaven’s light. Mesmerized by it, I took in the beauty. Gazing toward the open shutters I had forgotten to close last night, I knew it was going to be a beautiful day. Yesterday had been dark and gloomy, but today the sun was showing who the boss was. It was like that in Los Angeles…even in the fall, sometimes if felt like it was spring.

The thought of the guy I’d seen at the restaurant the previous week had faded, and I couldn’t remember what he looked like anymore, only how he’d made me feel. In a way, I had forced him out of my mind, because the guilt from thinking of someone else while I was with Luke felt wrong. I wouldn’t want Luke to be thinking of someone else while he was with me, either.

Luke and I had met at a work meeting. His company became one of the clients I managed, so I spoke to him often on the phone. He was the owner of a fabric dying company, and our company bought fabric from companies like his, then sold the fabrics to clothing companies or designers. Basically, our company was the middleman, and I did all the negotiating on the prices and made sure everything happened in a timely manner.

Lately I had been bored with my job. I needed more of a challenge, more excitement, and more from my everyday routine life. It was time to move on if I wanted to grow in my areas of expertise…but exactly what did I need? I wasn’t sure, but I knew that if I stayed where I was, that’s what I would be doing for the rest of my life.

My boss understood. I was good at what I did and he knew it. My salary wasn’t great, just enough for me to pay the bills, and I was basically living from paycheck to paycheck. This was another reason why I needed to move on. Thinking about the interview I was excited to have, I continued to lie in bed, when suddenly….

“Aaaahhh,” I screamed, bolting out of my bed to look at my cell phone. It was seven in the morning, and my interview was at eight thirty…that day. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten to turn on my alarm. I didn’t have a clock per se, so my cell phone was my alarm. Strange…it was on, but I must have turned it off and gone back to bed.

Frustrated and mad at myself, I jumped into the shower. After dashing out, I brushed my teeth and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. With just enough makeup on, I got dressed—a dark gray pencil skirt, a white blouse, and a thick gray sweater to match the skirt.

Breakfast was out of the question as I walked out of my bedroom. I noted Becky had already left. She must have had an early meeting or gone to the gym. Surely she would have woken me. Clutching my leatherwork bag, I dashed out the door in world record time.

**

Just before I opened the double glass doors to enter, I tilted my head back to look up at the tall building in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Feelings of excitement and nervousness burst through me, giving me tickling tingles from my fingertips to my stomach. Breathe, I told myself as I walked in.

Stepping on to the shiny cream polished floor, I felt like I was stepping on gold. I didn’t like to compare, but my current place of employment was nothing like this. Gazing around, but continuing my rapid pace due to the time, I noted men dressed in suits and women dressed in pant or dress suits. I couldn’t help but wonder which company they were working for, since there were so many in one building. Seeing the elevator sign, that was where I headed.

There were six elevators, three on either side of me. Others were already waiting for the elevators to open. Noting that the button to go up was already pushed, I waited just like everyone else. When the “ding” sounded, I waited patiently until the ones who were waiting before me entered first. It was crowded inside the elevator, but I didn’t care. I was happy to be on it so I could get there just in time.

Looking at the buttons, I was surprised to see that there were fifty-four floors. I knew the building was tall, but I hadn’t realized there were that many floors. That thought alone made me feel queasy. It was bad enough that my stomach had dropped when the elevator soared. Since the button for my floor was already pushed, I closed my eyes and waited for my turn to exit.

On several occasions I had to step out so the person behind me could exit, but I was glad when I finally exited on the twenty-eighth floor. A lady about my age walked out at the same time I did, trailing behind me. She must have been the one to push the button to this floor. Perhaps she is my competition for the job.

The clear glass window caught my eye first. It covered the entire back wall, the sunlight beaming dimly through it. What a fantastic view of downtown LA! The receptionist, sitting behind a semi-circular desk, peered through her glasses and looked straight at me. She’d obviously heard the embarrassing clicking noise from my heels, which made me feel like an elephant. With her hair tied up, she looked sharp and business like.

“Good morning. How may I help you?”

“I have an 8:30 interview.”

“Your name?”

“My name is Jeanella Mefferd, but you can call me Jenna.”

She looked down the list. “Ah, yes…there you are.” Then she peered up with a smile. “Please have a seat. We are a little behind schedule.”

Smiling back, I took a deep breath and eased my shoulders, relaxing for the first time since I stepped inside the building. The fact that they were behind would allow me to give more thought to my answers to the questions I may be asked. “Thank you,” I said, turning my back to her and moving toward the empty chairs.