Never Say Sorry

CHAPTER ONE-1

CHAPTER ONE

“I did it, Meghan. I got the assignment!” an exuberant Trixie Benning crowed into the phone. “The staffing agency just called me. I start on Monday.”

“That’s great! And knowing you and your skill set, you’ll be full-time in no time,” her best friend assured her.

“Here’s hoping,” she said as she kicked off her heels and wiggled her toes to restore the blood flow to her feet. “But right now, I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity. Alexander Limited is a huge company. And extremely stable, with plenty of space to advance later.”

And boy, I am so ready for stability in my life again.

She blew out a sigh once she’d ended the call with Meghan.

Trixie had been one of the last employees laid off when her former company had unexpectedly been sold to a capital investment firm, who in turn gutted it to its core. Seven years of her professional life, of forming deep bonds with great people, had vanished, trashed in a matter of weeks.

Except, of course, for her bond with Meghan, her best friend, college roommate, and the company’s marketing genius at the time they’d been acquired. No longer working together wouldn’t even put a dent in what Meghan always referred as to their lifelong ‘wonder twins’ relationship.

Now Meghan was unabashedly following her true passion – being an artist – and already, she’d made some sales of her sculptures. And Trixie was a strong enough person to admit that she was both proud of and a little envious of her best friend.

Wish I could be that brave. I’ve always wanted to work with animals. Then again, I’m the only financial support I have, so, it’s not like I can just dive off into a huge career change whenever I want. At least being an accountant keeps the bills paid.

Her stomach rumbling broke her train of thought.

“Dinner, dinner. What to do for dinner,” she thought aloud as she rummaged through her pantry and found very little to work with.

That’s what I forgot to do this week. Make a*****e run. I knew there was something I missed....

She looked at the amazingly painful-to-wear high heels taunting her from her own living room carpet and sighed.

I so do not want to put those back on....

“Change, then store,” she announced, and marched to her bedroom to strip out of the boring charcoal grey business suit she’d worn to yet another interview with yet another accounting firm in town.

She’d been going full tilt with sending out resumes and filling out job applications. The process had consumed her days for the better part of the last three months. With the extreme lack of luck in landing full-time employment on her own, she’d finally signed up with the temporary agency as a last-ditch effort to try to get income rolling again before her unemployment claim ran out.

I have some of my severance pay, still...

Trixie snorted at that thought.

“Not like it was much to begin with, just my unused vacation time and an extra five hundred dollars. And they’re required by law to pay out vacation, so...” she admonished the hangers in her closet as she hung up her suit and reached for a sweatshirt and her favorite jeans.

Her phone rang while she had one leg in her jeans. She hurriedly finished putting them on, nearly toppling over in the process, then raced into the living room to answer her phone.

By the time she reached it she’d missed the call. But she noticed a new voicemail from Grant, her boyfriend of six months.

She played it back and frowned.

Hey babe. My trip got extended another week. I won’t be back now until next Sunday. Hope you can still pick me up the airport. Love you. Talk to you later.

“That figures,” she muttered. “I’m sure glad someone’s career is going well.”

She stalked back to her bedroom to grab her socks and tennis shoes.

***