“How about we steal your daughter from Mom so she can have some cool Uncle Mitch time?” I suggested, getting to my feet.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “You’re changing the subject. I know you and you don’t want to talk about Gracie. Which means something juicy happened.”
“Dude, I’m going to hang out with my niece. She doesn’t grill me about things that are none of her business,” I said pointedly.
“I’ll get it out of you eventually. Remember the broken window? I got to the truth of that too,” Charlotte teased and I gave her a playful shove.
“Charlotte, I was ten. You threatened to eat all of the Oreos. I was weak. I think I can withstand whatever you want to dish out.”
Charlotte put her arm around my shoulders. “We’ll see, Mitchie.”
“Gracie, I just finished reading your latest piece,” my editor, Kate Powers, said over the phone.
I was in the middle of taking a drink of my tea but my hand stopped in mid-air, teacup poised in front of my mouth.
“Oh. You did?” I asked a little breathlessly. I had barely scrapped my article together. After the flat tire debacle and the crazy weekend in Norfolk I had been late in getting the piece to her. I figured this was the customary ass chewing phone call for not meeting my deadline.
I could hear Kate clicking her pen over and over again. I mostly worked remotely so I had only met Kate a handful of times. She was a little on the stessy side with mismatched earrings and chronic bed head. But she was tough and expected the best from her staff.
“How the hell you made that falling down estate sound interesting is beyond me. I’m more than a little impressed,” she said, still clicking her pen.
I put my teacup down and gripped the phone tightly in my hand. Wait…so she wasn’t chewing me out? “It was interesting? Really?” I squeaked.
“Well, as interesting as hedges and topiaries can be, but yes. I really liked how you interwove the owner’s personal history as a Vietnam nurse into the story. It really gave it a unique touch. I’ve decided to make it the cover story for next month.”
I leaned heavily against the counter. “Are you serious?”
Kate chuckled. “Oh, I’m very serious. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about possibly coming on fulltime. You’ve been freelancing with us for over a year and your articles are some of the best in the magazine. We’re going to be expanding our online offerings and I’m opening up a rec for a fulltime staff writer. Would you be interested?”
I almost choked. “Are you serious?” I repeated.
“Yes. I promise you, I’m serious,” Kate replied shortly. “So, we’ve established that I’m very, very serious. What do you think? That would mean you’d be expected to work from the office as opposed to remotely. Do you think that would be a problem?”
I was having a hard time formulating sentences. My mouth opened and closed soundlessly. Sure, Southern Gardens magazine wasn’t a hard-hitting publication covering current events but it was a step in the right direction. I would be writing. And making money doing it. That was all I wanted.
“Gracie? Are you still there?” Kate asked, sounding slightly annoyed. Shit. I needed to give her an answer.
“No, Kate, that won’t be a problem. And yes! I’m interested! Thank you! Thank you so much!” I let out in a rush.
“You’re welcome. I wouldn’t have offered it if you didn’t deserve it. You’re a talented writer, Gracie.”
“Thank you, that means a lot to hear you say that,” I told her sincerely, hardly able to believe what was happening.
“Okay, well come into the office on Monday and we’ll get you sorted. I’m glad to have you on board fulltime. I think it will be a good fit for everyone,” Kate concluded.
“I do too. I’ll see you Monday,” I said and then hung up. I put down my phone and started jumping up and down in the middle of the kitchen.
“Woohoo! I’m so awesome!” I sang, waving my hands in the air.
“What’s with the dance party?” Cole asked, padding into the room with socked feet and no shirt. And no pants. Yep, except for the socks, he was naked. What else was new? I averted my eyes and stared at the chipped paint above the refrigerator. Viv and I were going to have to have a serious talk about her boyfriend’s aversion to clothing.
“I just got offered a fulltime job at Southern Gardens magazine,” I said excitedly, making the mistake of looking at him and then covering my eyes. “Dude, can you put something on? I don’t want to see your schlong when I really want to scream and jump around about my new fulltime job.”
Cole chuckled. “Okay, your eyes are safe.”
I peeked between my fingers and saw that he was now wearing boxers. Where the hell had he been hiding those? Up his ass crack?
Cole filled the coffee maker with water and turned it on. “That’s great, G. Congratulations,” he said, his words punctuated by a yawn and a scratch to his now hidden junk.
I could overlook his exhibitionist tendencies just this once. I grabbed his hands and started shaking them up and down. “Come on, jump around with me, Cole!” I commanded, wiggling his arms.
He lifted a fist into the air and gave me a limp fist pump. “Woohoo! Go Gracie!”
“Why are you woohooing Gracie?” Vivian asked, slapping her boyfriend’s ass as she breezed into the kitchen looking like she had just gotten back from a photo shoot as opposed to rolling out of bed. I knew that she had just been frantically applying makeup and styling her hair after Cole had left the room. My roommate didn’t believe in messy hair and morning breath. It was against her religion.
“G got a job,” Cole explained as he handed her a cup of coffee.
Vivian’s eyes widened and she shrieked loudly. “Oh my god! You did? What job? Tell me!”
Cole covered his ears with his hands. “You guys are so loud in the morning,” he moaned as he trudged back to Vivian’s bedroom.
“Come on, Gracie, don’t leave me hanging!” Vivian prompted.
“Kate, my editor at Southern Gardens magazine, was impressed with my latest article and asked if I wanted the fulltime position she just opened up. I am now officially a fulltime journalist,” I told her. She screamed dramatically and started shaking her hips in a dance and I wiggled along with her.
When we finally settle down, Vivian squeezed my hands. “This calls for a celebration! We need to go out!”
“Viv, it’s not even lunchtime,” I pointed out.
“So! I’m calling Maysie and we’re having an impromptu lunch date at Barton’s! My treat.” She pulled out her phone and typed out a text to Maysie. “Now go put on something cute,” she instructed. She walked down the hallway back towards her room. “Cole! Get dressed! We’re taking Gracie to lunch!” she yelled before slamming her bedroom door.
I picked up my phone and wondered who else I could call to share my good news with.
I thought briefly about calling my parents but I didn’t want their negativity to put a damper on my good mood.
Mitch…
That was out of the question.
So I put my phone back down and went and got dressed, wondering when he’d stop being my first thought.
And my last one.
“Okay, this calls for a toast. Everyone raise your glasses,” Maysie shouted over the loud conversation at our table.
We were all crowded into a long booth at the back of Barton’s. Maysie, Jordan, Vivian, Cole, and myself were gorging on mozzarella sticks and potato skins as we waited for our lunch orders to show up. Everyone was excited for me and I was reminded again why I had the best friends in the world.
“To Gracie! Who is on her way to conquering the world!” Maysie toasted, giving me a wide smile.
“Yep, conquering the world one overgrown garden at a time,” I snarked.
Vivian kissed my cheek loudly and I was pretty sure she left a lipstick smear behind. “To Gracie!” she saluted.