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I wanted to run after Luke, but I’d hesitated too long. The elevator doors closed and Luke was gone. But I wondered if my mother hadn’t called me, would I have run after him? I wanted to say yes, but my tired mind and body betrayed me.
23
Grace
It was Friday and I still hadn’t spoken to Luke. Every time I thought of calling him, my righteous anger would protest, remind me I’d lost a promotion because I was so distracted by him, and I would put the phone down. I asked James to call Crawford Corporation and speak to Luke and see if the company had questions about the audit. I’d planned to casually ask James if Luke sounded okay. But the receptionist had told James that Luke no longer worked at Crawford Corporation. I wondered what happened. Did Luke quit? Did Colton fire him? What was Luke doing now? So many questions whirled around in my head, but the one that kept me up at night was always the same. Was it over?
Not ready to answer that question, I kept busy with work as I always did. I finished the last audit in only four days. And scheduled a personal day today. I didn’t tell anyone, not even Omar, but I was heading to an interview with Charters, another accounting firm. The company was small but growing and it recently acquired some big clients, so its prospects looked good.
I pulled open the brown aluminum handle of the front door and walked inside. There was a brown carpet on the floor and the reception desk was dark wood. At least I suspected it was wood at first until I felt the film at the edges of the desk.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked. He wore a blue blazer with a light blue shirt and khaki pants.
“Yes, I’m here for the eleven o’clock interview.”
“Ms. Sweeney?” His voice was soothing.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Perfect. Right this way.”
I followed him down a narrow, carpeted hallway. Not the same dark brown carpet as the one in the hallway. This one was a lighter.
As we turned the corner, I spotted five people, three men, and two women, seated at a large boardroom desk. The brown high-gloss desk reminded me of something I’d seen in a movie from the eighties.
“Ms. Sweeney, thank you for meeting with us.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.”
Sitting in a bulky black leather chair, I pulled myself to the table and clasped my hands together.
“Your resume is very impressive. You’ve only been at Delmar & Tuch for five years and you’ve completed an impressive amount of audits. How did you accomplish that?”
I explained my method and the system I put into place for all my audits, and they all nodded and took notes. I bit down on a smile that tugged on my lips.
After a few more questions that resulted in more nodding and note-taking, one of the men asked, “Do you have a salary expectation?”
I remember someone telling me not to answer this question, to leave it open-ended, but I wasn’t here to be coy. I needed the money and I wouldn’t leave my current employment without it or the title that I’d lost at Delmar & Tuch.
“This is a list of the average salaries for senior audit managers. With my experience and reputation with clients, I believe this number right here is what I’d be looking for.” I circled one of the higher salaries and passed the paper to the man who’d asked the question. He shared it with his colleagues, and they nodded once more.
After answering a few more questions, a woman in a black suit said, “I think that was the last one. Do you have any questions for us?”
I asked about the hours and the company culture and the type of insurance they offered. It sounded similar to the one I had now and worried I still wouldn’t be able to claim my mother as a dependent. But with the raise, that shouldn’t be a problem.
The same woman walked me to the reception desk and shook my hand. “Thank you for coming today, Ms. Sweeney. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you. You as well.” Before I left, I turned to ask her one more question. “When do you think you’ll make a decision?”
She checked her notebook. “We have a few more people to interview today and next week. We hope to have our final decision in a couple of weeks or so.”
“Thanks again,” I said and shook her hand.
It wasn’t a far drive back to my apartment, another thing I liked about this company. The people seemed nice and even the humble office was more to my liking than the intimidating and cold boardrooms at Delmar & Tuch.
I was feeling better for the first time since my argument with Luke. What did my mom always say? Don’t worry so much, honey. Things always have a way of working out in the end. Maybe she was right.
I stopped by a bakery before heading home and picked up an apple pie, my mom’s favorite. I would celebrate the small wins for a change.
