Page 4 of Fate and Fortune

And they didn’t even have a cat.

Face it. I am a mess.

Alli’s hair was pulled into a scraggly bun that drooped behind one ear, with several auburn curls escaping the confines. She wore leggings and a sweater that had seen far better days, and her skin looked pale enough that she might just qualify for a job as an extra in a zombie film. To top it all off, she had dark circles under her eyes that gave her that hungry Victorian orphan look that was all the rage these days.

Thirty years old, unemployed, and now camping out in her brother’s spare room. It was a look.

“My blue skirt and blazer, and yes, I plan to shower, do my hair and makeup. I’m not interviewing for a bag lady position.”

“You look fine. I was just asking. You want eggs with that?”

“I’m fine. I’m not super hungry.”

“You need protein,” he said, shaking his head. “Build muscle.”

Okay, she probably did need to work out more, but one problem at a time…

“What I need is a job,” she replied with a groan. “I can’t live in your spare room forever.”

“You most certainly can. Tara adores you, and more importantly, Daisy loves you. Besides, you’ll get one. There are a ton of places hiring. And you’ve got interviews lined up already.”

Daisy, the poodle, might love Alli, but once the canine smelled eggs in the kitchen, it was all over. She’d trade Alli, Tara, and the treat-giving mailman for eggs. It wasn’t even a question.

She glanced down at her resume again, tapping her pen on the spot where her last job ended.

“You mean the payroll thing?”

“The payroll thing pays pretty well, but you’re overqualified.” He slipped a plate of toast next to her bowl of yogurt. “Eat. You’ll feel better.”

Allison forced herself to take a bite. Brian was only trying to be upbeat and helpful.

“This isn’t what I thought my life would look like at thirty,” she said finally. “Did you ever think you’d be back here in Winslow Heights?”

They’d lived in this town about twenty-five years ago. They hadn’t stayed long, maybe eighteen months or two years. She had good memories of it, although she’d been quite young. Brian had been older, and he’d liked it a great deal. So much so that he’d found a job here and moved back after college.

The fact was, they hadn’t lived anywhere long when they were growing up. Their parents were always moving around, looking for something that they never seemed to find. Some sort of freedom, maybe? Either way, there had never been enough to keep her parents in one place for very long. The next town, the new place, always held more sway than putting down any sort of roots.

“No. I thought I’d be traveling around with nothing but a backpack. No strings, no responsibilities. Thank heavens, I was wrong.”

Their parents were still doing that, albeit in a beat-up van. As far as she knew, and she didn’t speak to her mom and dad all that often, they were currently in Texas. Or maybe it was Florida. It was hard to keep track, to be honest. They didn’t like the snow, so they followed the warm weather.

Brian had tried that sort of life for a couple of years, but he hadn’t been happy. Eventually, he’d met Tara, and they’d decided to settle down right away in Brian’s favorite town from childhood. They both seemed happy and deliriously in love.

Alli had a sneaking suspicion that they were planning to turn the room she was sleeping in into a nursery as soon as possible.

Another reason she needed a job. She was their third wheel, so to speak.

“I have that interview at two. And I sent in the application for the Winslow Financial spot. But let’s face it, they probably have two hundred applicants. I’m just one more.”

He gave her a look, eyebrows lifted.

“You’re the only one with a Syracuse degree, I bet.”

“In journalism,” she reminded him. “I majored in journalism. What was I even thinking? Everyone warned me. You warned me. Did I listen? No. I thought I knew better.”

“You did know better,” Brian replied, his tone indignant. “You got that job as an on-air reporter for that cable news station. That was pretty decent, right?”

“And then got promptly fired when my ex fell in love with a prettier reporter with bigger boobs. I clearly remember the station manager pulling me aside on my last day and telling me I needed to pivot in my career. He said that I’d thank him later. The asshole had already packed up my desk while I was out reporting on a ten-car pileup. What a jerk. I guess that makes me the loser, doesn’t it? He has a job, Mike has a job, and oh, she does, too.”