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“Read it.” He gestured to the paper still clutched in my hands. “If you’re not interested, I’ll find someone else. It’s no bother.”
A big part of me wanted to tell him, “No, I’m not interested.” Me, working for him, after how he had treated me? He could forget it. But the remaining shred of me was more sensible. I should at least read it, weigh up the pros and cons, and make an informed decision. I could be tossing a major opportunity away if I didn’t.
I lowered my head to read the pages in front of me. Neil watched on as I did so. The job description was thorough and included everything from event planning to calendar management, taking meeting notes, organising gifts for clients, making travel arrangements, filtering emails and phone calls, and keeping everything in his office neat and organised. A lot of these things I didn’t have any experience in doing, however, pretty much all of it sounded manageable and even piqued my interest.
Would it really be so bad working for Neil? Christine was okay with it, and she seemed very respectable. Winston liked Neil too… Then again, there were other companies I was still waiting to hear from, and I’d rather take any of those jobs over working for Neil. Even being a cleaner was preferable if I could get more clients.
“What do you think?” Neil asked when I had turned over the last leaf.
“I think I could do this.”
“Naturally. I wouldn’t have offered it to you otherwise.”
“But there are other jobs I’ve applied for, so I’m not one hundred per cent sure.”
“I need you to be sure, Amelia. Someone else can fill the role.” He reached for the document.
“Wait—” I tightened my grip and pulled the papers to my chest. “I just need a little more information. It says salary negotiable. How much were you thinking?”
He scratched his chin. “For you, I’d like to offer a starting package of eighty-five, plus benefits including health insurance, phone contract?—”
I was still stuck on the eighty-five, so I didn’t absorb the rest.
“Eighty-five thousand?”
“Is that not satisfactory?”
It was more than satisfactory. I had never contemplated making so much money at my age and with my level of experience. Eighty-five thousand dollars. That was a good chunk more than I had ever made before.
“No, no. That sounds good,” I said.
“So, do you accept?”
This was too much pressure. The money was tempting… But I’d have to work for Neil, be at his beck and call. Could I handle that?
“Can I please have some time to decide?” I asked.
Neil appeared to consider my request, then he nodded his head. “Twenty-four hours. No more than that. Then I expect a firm yes or no.”
“Thank you, Neil. I’ll let you know.”
Twenty-four hours. The countdown was on.
Chapter Fourteen
“Thanks for your time. Bye.”
The words tasted like ash in my mouth as I ended the call.
Another rejection.
That was my last chance. I had followed up on every single one of my outstanding job applications to no avail.
With a sigh, I tossed the phone onto the coffee table and stared up at the ceiling, willing myself not to cry. What was the point? Tears wouldn’t change anything.
I had no more job leads and no more cleaning clients. Neil’s offer was all I had left. The thought of working for him still made my stomach turn, but what other choice did I have? I’d be a fool to turn down a salary like that, especially when my savings were dwindling faster than I cared to admit.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. If I could just tough it out until I paid off my debts and saved up enough money to move overseas, I could finally join Hannah and the others and leave all this behind.
