Unexpected Phone Call

Marissa

 Unlike most, Denise didn’t nod in understanding and move on to the next topic. Her head tilted slightly to the side, her eyes locked on mine. “That’s it?”

I nodded. “That’s it.”

She didn’t look away. “Then why do I sense that there’s more to the story than that lame answer?”

Making sure Annie was out of earshot, I spotted her carefully maneuvering her way along the low crossbars. If she slipped, the ground was no more than an inch below her feet. Satisfied that she was both safe and couldn’t overhear us, I replied to Denise.

“Probably because there is more,” I told her honestly.

As much as I had always dodged the question before, I knew it was time I told Denise everything. She asked, and I wouldn’t lie to her outright. Telling her anything other than the truth now would be lying, and I didn’t want to do that to Denise. She didn’t deserve to be lied to, least of all by me.

I was about to tell her the rest of the story that she had correctly sensed there was, but before I could get a word out, my phone started buzzing in my pocket. After fishing out the phone, which was not an easy task with the thick gloves I was still getting used to wearing, I glanced down at the screen.

The number wasn’t one I recognized, and I sighed, hoping I wasn’t about to interrupt a fairly necessary conversation I had to have with my best friend for a spam call.

Some people I knew allowed numbers they didn’t know to ring until the call ended, or they simply denied the call. I couldn’t do either of those things. Curiosity or stupidity, I wasn’t sure which, was responsible for driving me to answer every call I got, but I preferred the third option.

On or off the clock, I was a dedicated employee, and even though my boss had passed away, I got a lot of work related calls from unknown numbers. Whatever was going on at the office, if anything this soon after the funeral, I wouldn’t make it worse by not answering the call.

If they needed me for anything, I would be there. Even if it wasn’t for much longer. With that in mind, I slid my finger across the screen and was grateful to have splurged on gloves designed with smartphones in mind.

“Hello?”

“Good morning.” A crisp, cultured voice I was pretty sure I’d never heard before said. “Is this Marissa Hughes speaking?”

“It is,” I answered, suddenly nervous. Why, I didn’t know. The voice was deep and smooth. It sent tingles I hadn’t felt for a long time down my spine. “Who is this?”

“This is Layton,” the man said. “I have a job offer for you, but I’d be more comfortable if you would agree to come in for an interview before I make it.”

My ears perked up, the nervousness intensifying. A random call about a job offer when I was so uncertain about my future now that my boss was gone was a gift I wasn’t expecting. But I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Besides, I couldn’t afford to. Annie and I would be screwed if I was without an income, as would Denise. It didn’t really matter at this point what the man’s job offer was. Short of anything unsavory, I would seriously consider it.

If he was calling me, he must have heard about me from somewhere. Heard that I might be without a job soon and was calling on someone’s recommendation. It was the only thing that made sense.

I wouldn’t accept the job until I knew what it was, provided he even made the offer after our interview, but I wasn’t stupid enough to turn him down without even going in for the interview. “Yes, I can make some time for an interview on Monday. Where and what time?”

Denise stared at me, stunned. She mouthed, “What?”

I shrugged. I still had no idea. Layton, whoever he was, gave me the address and told me to come by at noon. “We’ll see you then, Ms. Hughes.”

“Yes,” I said. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

After a brief pause, I could’ve sworn I heard a sigh. “We’ll speak on Monday.”

After saying goodbye, I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and wondered what I was getting myself into. A mysterious call with a job offer, while it was a gift, wasn’t something that just happened.

Too late, I realized I should have asked for details about the company. That way, I could’ve looked it up before I went, and be better prepared for the interview. 

Denise let out a little gasp. “An interview? What was that all about?”

“I have no idea,” I said honestly. “But if it goes well, I can stop worrying about my job. I think I might have just found a new one.”