Page 5 of The October Arrangement

I wish I could say I was shocked, but I wasn’t. I knew this was coming. It was just the matter of when. We’d just been paid on Friday, and since it was the start of a new week, no more checks were coming.

I packed my things and headed home. When I stepped into my tiny apartment, I pulled up my bank account. $7,542 was my balance. There wasn’t any time to waste. I needed to find another job ASAP, or I’d be homeless in a month.

Chapter Three

Bella

Unemployment wasn’t enough to make ends meet. After paying the rent and utilities, I barely had anything left for food. If I didn’t find a job soon, I’d end up on the streets. Or worse. Back home with my mother.

I was in the middle of cleaning my bathroom toilet when my phone rang. Glancing at it on the counter, I didn’t recognize the number. But I’d sent out a ton of resumes, so maybe it was a potential job offer. I set the toilet brush down and answered the call.

“Hello.”

“Hello, my name is Geneva West with Ever & Oak. Is this Bella Castle?”

“Yes. This is she.”

“I wanted to let you know that I received your resume and samples of your work. I’m very impressed. You have a great talent.”

“Thank you.”

“Would you be interested in joining our team for our Fall line? The woman we had lined up had to back out at the last minute. The job is temporary and only for the fall season. If interested, we’ll need you to start within a few days.”

She rattled off the pay, and it was more than I made at my previous job.

“It’s only for the fall season?” I asked. “Your ad didn’t state that.”

“Oh, it didn’t? I’m so sorry about that. If we feel your work is beyond exceptional, there could be a permanent place for you.”

I already knew my work was exceptional. So, a permanent position was already in the bag.

“Okay. I’m very interested.”

“Excellent. We’ll send you the flight details.”

Instantly, my brows furrowed.

“Flight details? Your ad made it sound like it was a remote job.”

“Oh, it did? Gee, I’m going to have to review that ad again. Anyway, you’ll be filming fall in Manhattan.”

“As in New York?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No. Not at all.” What the hell was I saying? Yes, it was a problem.

“Excellent. You’ll need to find a temporary place to live. I’ll send you the links to the fully furnished apartments we generally use. As soon as you find one, I’ll need the address so we can send you some sample products of our fall line.”

“Okay. Thank you, Geneva.”

“No, thank you, Bella. We’ll chat soon.”

My phone pinged with a link. After clicking it, I started searching for a place to live. There was no way I could afford these apartments. Shit. I might as well call Geneva back and tell her I changed my mind. But the thought of being in New York during the fall season made me smile. I could consider it an adventure. A way to get out of Massachusetts for a short while and explore something different. But where would I live? Fuck. My head was starting to hurt. Then I had a thought.

I ran over to my laptop and opened it. I pulled up Facebook and searched for Daisy Campbell.

“There you are.” I smiled. I opened the Messenger tab and sent her a message.