Page 47 of Ash (Dragon Riders MC 3)
I wanted to be able to make my own money and be proud of it.
Then, I stumbled upon a local dress shop that was looking for someone part-time. Not ideal, but it was something. The place was called “Dress Up Less Up,” whatever that meant. And when I picked up the phone to call, I took a long pull from my coffee.
Come on, you can nail this one.
“Dress Up Less Up, this is Brandy speaking.”
I put on my best smile. “Hi, Brandy! My name is Hannah. I was calling about the part-time position that is posted on Monster.com?”
“Oh my word, I just threw that up there a couple of hours ago. I didn’t realize it would work so quickly! How are you, Hannah?”
I paused. “So, the position hasn’t been filled?”
“Not at all. You’re my first phone call about it, actually.”
Perfect. “Well, hopefully I’ll be your last, too.”
She giggled. “One can only hope. It’s a pain in the butt to hire new employees and onboard them, only for them to leave after a couple of months.”
“Well, I can assure you that I won’t be leaving so soon after you give me the job. If you want to give it to me, that is.”
She snickered. “Tell me about yourself? Have you submitted your resume yet?”
I clicked a few buttons and started the uploading process.
“It’s being sent to you right now,” I said.
“Wonderful! Do you have any retail experience?”
“I do actually, yes. I know my resume is going to make me seem like I bounce around a lot, but that was more due to lack of income in higher-priced places than anything else.”
“I’ll take that into consideration. Where all have you worked?”
I drew in a deep breath. “Let’s see: I worked at a shoe place in California for about a year. I’ve got experience with working at Walmart for just shy of six months. I worked part-time in a jewelry store over on the East Coast for three or so months.”
She giggled. “So, you have quite a bit of retail experience.”
I nodded. “Yes ma’am, I do.”
“Bah, no need for ‘ma’ams’. May I ask why you bounced around so much?”
I paused. “To be honest? Nowhere ever felt like home. The glamour of a new city was nice for a few weeks, and then it would eventually wane. But this time it’s different.”
“How so?”
I smiled. “I have a reason to stay this time.”
“Ah, found yourself a man?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve found myself a home. That just happens to have a man in it, yes.”
She barked with laughter. “Well, congratulations. Oh! Your resume just came through. Let me pull it up and skim it really quickly.”
I sat on pins and needles as I sucked down the rest of my second cup of coffee.
“Well, it certainly is impressive. I’ll have to call around to your references just to make sure of some things. But as far as I’m concerned, you’re more than qualified for the job.”
I smiled brightly. “That makes me very happy to hear.”
“I know it’s only a part-time job right now, but it has the potential to turn into a full-time job if you stick around for the holidays. I’d hire you on full-time during Christmas and the summers. Those are our busiest times.”
“That’s just fine with me.”
“The job entails not just running a cash register and things like that, but also styling. There are some clients that will come in and pay for our stylist services, which is a premier service we offer. Think you can handle something like that?”
I tried not to jump out of my skin. “Let’s just say I’ve always had a passion for fashion, especially when it comes to bigger women. I’m definitely your gal for this one.”
“Oh, please tell me you’re a plus-sized woman. I know that seems so weird to ask, but we have so many women who come in here and make the complaint that they’re surrounded by women that don’t look like them.”
“Well, you’re in luck. Because I happen to be a plus-sized woman.”
“You’re hired!”
I threw my head back, laughing. “Who knew my fat would come in handy like this someday?”
“Oh, nonsense. Screw what your references say. You tick all the boxes, and you’re going to help make future customers much more comfortable coming into my store. That, in and of itself, is invaluable. When can you start?”
“There’s something you should know upfront before we talk about that?”
“Oh, boy. What is it?”
I cleared my throat. “I was in a car accident the day before yesterday.”
She gasped. “Oh, my goodness! Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Home from the hospital. On a bit of medication, but nothing that impedes my sensibilities. I do look a bit rough around the edges right now. I can start work as soon as you need me, but you might not want me in front of customers for at least another week.”
