by Isabel Jolie
“That kind of day, huh? Here, you can have my wine. I’m not too crazy about it. I should have remembered to stick to beer.”
I understand what she’s saying. The wine selection at the White Horse, while typical for a pub, could be mistaken for a two-buck chuck on most days. Palatable, but it’s pretty much a guaranteed hangover in a glass.
I don’t care. I take her glass and drink.
The waitress makes her way over, and Delilah orders us two pale ales then turns her attention to me. “What’s going on? Bad day?”
“I don’t know if I’d say it was bad. A bit stressful, I guess? Peculiar. Remember that guy I told you about?”
“The guy who might have been Matthew McConaughey?”
I huff and finish off her wine. “The guy who was not Matthew McConaughey. It turns out he’s one of the founders of Esprit Transactions, where I have my internship.”
“No shit! Oh, that is so cool! You guys are going to get to do naughty, awesome intern-boss sex stuff,” she responds in loud rapid-fire while bouncing enough on the booth seat that the mass of hair on the top of her head wobbles back and forth.
I rest my forehead on my palm. I should probably order a bottle of wine. It doesn’t matter if it’s cheap crap. I’m gonna need it. “No, Delilah. No.” I shake my head, emphasizing my answer while trying to refocus on what I was saying. “Not at all. I was actually taken into some room by security and interrogated. It seems he was at Columbia too. They thought I was a risk! As in, dangerous.” The complete absurdity of the situation has me riled up. Yes, sometimes I’m mistaken for being ethnic, but come on, now.
“No shit. So, what happened?”
“This security dude pulled me into a room and asked me a lot of questions. I’m pretty sure he had a real gun in his holster. Which, is that normal?” I pound my fist on the table for effect. “Anyway, coffee shop guy came in and said I checked out.”
“Did you get to talk to him?”
“Who?”
“Matthew McConaughey!”
“For the last time. He. Was. Not. Matthew McConaughey. His name’s Sam Duke. Shook my hand and left. I was so flustered and angry by the time he walked in. I was, like, this close to quitting.” I put my thumb and index finger together with little space between to be sure she got the point. “What kind of company treats its employees like that?” I toy with the empty wine glass while searching for the beer that has yet to arrive. “Do you think I’m overreacting?”
“Nope. Not at all. That’s weird. Nothing about you says ‘danger.’”
“Right?”
“Well, forget about today. It’s Friday. And you are a grad student. An internship should not be getting you down, my friend. I do have a surprise for tonight.” She flashes a row of pearly whites with her eager smile, bouncing a little as if she’s trying to contain her excitement.
The waitress delivers our beers, and we pause our conversation until she’s moved along to another table. “Let’s hear it. What are we doing?”
“Scores!” she shouts and shoots her arms out into the air like a cheerleader.
I take a large gulp of my pale ale. A strip club? She cannot be serious.
“Got you.” She points at me, laughing, sending her blonde bun jiggling all around the top of her head.
“Funny. Very funny.”
“Nah, Anna and Jackson are joining us. That’s my news. I don’t have anything more exciting than that.”
“Oh, well, that’s cool. It’ll be good to see them. I haven’t seen them since that day we helped them move into their apartment.” We’d spent the day up on their rooftop terrace, the only space Anna decorated since they’d had the place painted after closing. Anna, always a happy sort, radiated joy on moving day. Jackson and Anna moved the day after I returned from Prague. And the next day, Delilah helped me with my suitcases and got me settled into their old apartment, a.k.a. my pre-Prague apartment, vacated just in time. Kismet.
“Yeah. I’m stoked they live in Chelsea now. They’re practically my neighbors.”
“It might be time for me to look for a new apartment. Living on the east side isn’t ideal when school and work are on the west side.”
“You could move in with me. My place has plenty of room.”
I play with the top of my drink. My girl is not lying. Blondie has an enormous, gorgeous apartment. There’s no way she’s not relying on parentals for that spacious pad. “While I do love your place, I think I’ve hit the stage where I want to live alone.”
Her luminescent teeth shine under the overhead light. “Oh, I know. I love living by myself.”
“Well, then, why did you ask?” I reach across the table and tap her arm to tease. “What if I had said yes?”
“Oh, I’d deal. I don’t even know how much longer I’m going to be in New York, you know?”
“No! I didn’t know this.” I reach out and tap her elbow again to scold her.
“Yeah, my parents. And, well, my entire family, which consists of a boatload of people, expect me to move back to New Orleans. My mom keeps reminding me that my move to New York was about me spreading my wings.” She air quotes the words.
Before I can respond, Anna surfaces through the crowded pub, wrapping her arms around Delilah from behind. “Hey, you guys!”
I move my beer and empty wine glass over beside Delilah so we can let the couple sit together. I was away when Anna found Jackson, so thinking of her as a couple is new to me, but it’s a wonderful thing. Jackson slides in the booth across from me, while Anna and Delilah sit across from each other to chat about a campaign at Evolve, the ad agency where they work together.
Jackson absentmindedly rubs Anna’s back and plays with her hair. He and I don’t know each other well. “How’s b-school treating you?”
“It’s good so far. We’re still in the first few weeks with kind of an overview focus. But after next week, our regular classes start, and I think I’ll like it a lot. It’s interesting. Good people. A lot of the professors have real-world experience, which I like.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. My favorite law professors were the ones who had actually practiced law. Are you doing an internship?”
I give him a dramatic sigh as thoughts of my afternoon in an interrogation room return. Delilah leans over with a wide smile. “Yeah, she is. Tell him what happened today.” She nudges my arm as if she’s trying to push me forward.
I roll my eyes. I doubt Jackson wants to hear all about my day. I shrug, and Jackson leans back, waiting for one of us to explain. “It’s nothing, really. I didn’t get great vibes from my internship today. We had orientation this afternoon. Paperwork, plus some general HR videos.”
Delilah breaks in again. “They thought she was dangerous and pulled her into an interrogation room.”
Now she has Anna’s attention. “What?” Anna asks, eyes wide with disbelief.
I focus on Delilah, hoping to silently convey to her to stop talking about this, as I answer, “Yeah. It was just a strange coincidence. I ran into someone several times that day, and the security team seemed to read into it. It was odd but fine.”
The waitress comes over to take our order, perfectly timed to transition the conversation. I’d have no issue sharing everything with Anna, but I don’t really know Jackson. And I don’t want Delilah relaying the story in a way that makes me look like some adolescent. She can be harebrained. In the last few weeks, I’ve grown to love her, but I don’t trust her to be super aware of what might be embarrassing to her friends. Like mentioning my coffee shop fantasy.
After the waitress leaves, Jackson takes a sip of his beer. With an arm still behind Anna’s back, he continues the conversation. “I wish I’d known you were looking for an internship. I could use an intern for the mergers and acquisitions consultancy group I’m heading up at my law firm. I’m kind of behind the eight ball on reaching out to the business schools.”
“Why are you looking at business schools? Wouldn’t you want interns from law s
chools?”
“Well, we have a full intern program for law students. But I’d like to get a business school student in who understands some of the business aspects of an M&A deal. A lot of what I need is someone to do research and complete reports.”
Anna beams at Jackson. “This is a group Jackson’s starting up on his own. He sees it as a business opportunity for the firm to offer more than just legal expertise.”
I twist in my seat, a new interest in Jackson forming. I’ve been debating between business and law to some degree. And I’ve been wanting to do M&A and VC work. I catch Jackson’s eye, aiming to address him the way I’d address a business colleague, not my old roommate’s boyfriend. “First, I don’t think you are too late to recruit interns. I do know some students are still searching for a good internship opportunity. But, if you’d consider me, I’d be very interested. I could email you my resume and come in to interview with anyone you’d like.”
Jackson rubs his chin like he’s thinking. “It’s my group. There’s no one you’d need to interview with. Do you think you could come in on Monday? You can bring your resume, and I can introduce you and take you through some of the work I’ll need done. Then you can decide for sure.”
“My classes are over by two p.m. Monday. I could head to your office right after that.”
Jackson resumes playing with Anna’s hair, but his brow wrinkles a bit. “So, would you do both internships? How much time could you give me?”
I sip my beer as I consider his question. I’m not feeling particularly loyal to Esprit Corp. “I’d drop the other internship. I hadn’t actually started. They haven’t even assigned me to a group yet. Today was an HR intro session for all new interns, and next week I’m supposed to find out what I’d be doing. It’s a financial services company. I’m interested in M&A, so what you’re considering doing is actually much more in line with my goals.”
Anna leans in, putting her arm around Jackson and eliminating any space between the two of them. I can’t stop myself from grinning at seeing her so happy. She kisses him on the cheek then says, “Okay, guys. Enough business. No more shop talk. It’s Friday night.”
“Hey, I’m done. No more shop talk. I just got myself a highly qualified and experienced intern, so I’m good.” He raises an eyebrow and points at me. “But Monday, when you come in, we do need to talk about compensation.”
“Yeah, no worries. I’m sure whatever you generally pay interns will work. It’s the experience, not the money I’m after.” My company paid for my apartment when I was abroad, and I had minimal living expenses, so I have a sizeable savings stockpiled now. My grandmother has a fund to pay for all her grandchildren’s tuition expenses, so I’m not at all worried about my internship income. It’s the experience I need if I’m going to pivot to another career.
Jackson bites his lower lip as he smirks. “You may need to work on your negotiating skills.”
Anna softly punches his arm. “Hey, enough. What are you two doing tomorrow night? It’s supposed to be a nice night, and we were thinking we’d grill out. Would you guys like to come over? Chase is gonna come.”
I sip my beer. “Sounds good to me. I’m in.”
Delilah shakes her head. “Sorry. I’ve actually got a date.”
I turn to her in surprise. “With who?”
She shrugs nonchalantly. “A guy I met in the gym. No big deal.”
Anna tilts her head and studies her for a moment. “Wait. This is, like, the third date with the guy from the gym.”
“Oh, no. Third guy from the gym. All different guys. No third date.” Delilah plays with the square drink coaster as she answers Anna.
Now it’s my turn to continue asking questions. “You’ve had three different guys from the gym ask you out? What do you wear to the gym?”
Delilah scans the room, looking away from me, as if she’s bored with the conversation. “Normal gym clothes. No make-up.” She turns back to me, as if something just occurred to her. “What gym do you go to? Are the gyms in the upper east side filled with married guys? Why aren’t you meeting guys at the gym?”
“I go to yoga. There aren’t that many men in yoga,” I answer. Everyone at our table is studying me. “What? I’m not looking for guys when I’m working out.”
Delilah drones on, not willing to drop it. “Where do you lift weights?”
“I don’t lift weights,” I answer, annoyed.
“You really need to lift weights. It’s important. You should do that at least three times a week,” Delilah says as she holds up three fingers for extra clarification.
“I’m thinking about taking up kickboxing.” There’s a new place that opened two blocks from me.
Delilah wrinkles her nose. “That could work. You’re still in your twenties. Hey, I know. I’ll ask my date tomorrow night if he has any friends. Then we can double date. That would be fun.”
I shake my head. “No. No, Delilah. I’m good. No blind dates needed. Trust me.”
“Oh, no.” She taps the side of her head. “I’m on it. You are beautiful. Stunning, in this striking what-tropical-island-is-she-from kind of way. I’m gonna find a guy for you.”
I catch Anna’s eye, and we both start laughing. “Fabulous.” It’s my olive skin. I’ve grown up standing out from my fair-skinned family. Throwback genes, my mom says. Or she had an affair. In my family, anything is possible.
Anna sits back and runs her finger up and down her pint, smearing the condensation. “You know, I don’t think you have to worry about Olivia. Back when I lived with her, she had dates all the time.”
“Come on. Not all the time. You’re making me sound bad.”
“No, really. Do you not remember? Pretty much every weekend. You also had several boyfriends.”
“Several? Like, two or three,” I bite back.
Anna grins, and everyone around the table sits back like they’re at a comedy show, about to hear the big joke. Anna starts to count on her fingers. “Julian.”
“No.” I shake my head, resolute. “He doesn’t count. We were never serious. Never exclusive.” I emphasize exclusive to illustrate my point.
“Will. Damien.” Ah, Damien. There’s the rub. Yeah, I used to date guys every now and then. Before Damien.
I search the restaurant for our waitress. Shouldn’t our food be here now?
Jackson, empty pint in hand, also scans for our absentee waitress. “That’s three. Maybe we shouldn’t put Olivia in the spotlight, guys? What do you say?”
Delilah tilts her head like she’s studying me. It feels like she’s about to embrace me or comfort me. What kind of vibes am I sending out? “Don’t worry, darling. We’ll get you back in the game.”
Back in the game? Yeah, I haven’t been dating, but I’ve been a frequent business traveler for the better part of the last two years. Nonbusiness travelers have romantic visions of business trips. Yes, I’ve visited major cities all over Europe. But the trips eventually become a blur of hotels, conference rooms, and airports.
Anna taps me. “What’s that smirk on your face for?”
I laugh. “I was just thinking about the last time a guy asked me out.”
“Tell. Tell,” Delilah chants, looking a bit like an excitable sorority girl eager to bond on a girls’ night.
The memory has me rolling my eyes. Looking around the table, I grin, knowing this story will entertain. “Well, I was at this bar in London. I was about thirty minutes early before a business dinner, and so it’s not like it was even late at night.” Everyone is nodding, waiting for it. “This guy comes up, offers to buy me another drink, which I decline, but we talk. We do the small talk, you know.” Everyone nods. They know how it goes. “I live in Prague. Yada, yada. Leaving soon for business school.”
Delilah has a huge grin on her face and says, “Yeah,” to prod the story on.
I sit back and take another swig of my beer. This is a good one. “He says he’s an MBA too. So, I say, ‘Yeah?’ You know, being nice?” Everyone nods bec
ause, of course, what else would you say? “And then he grins and says, ‘Married but available.’”
Delilah pulls back so far she’s at risk of falling off the edge of the booth. “No.”
I laugh at her dramatic reaction. “Yes. He goes on to tell me he’s happy to meet up with me after my business dinner. In my hotel room.”
At this point, everyone is shaking their heads.
“And, yes, my friends,” I pause and pound the table for a drum roll effect, “that’s been my dating life abroad.”
Anna turns to Delilah. “Okay. We’re both working on introducing her to some decent guys. It’s time she gets back in the saddle stateside.”
Back in the saddle, huh? Do I want to go through that again? I think I’d rather daydream.
Chapter 4
Olivia
On Monday morning, I find myself sitting at Manhattanville Coffee staring at my phone. The first item on my to-do list is to call Esprit and resign from my internship. Friday night, my decision came easily. Then my conscience had to wake up and weigh in.
On one hand, I’m completely within my rights to resign. I’m certain they can replace me without issue. The conference room had been packed with interns. I haven’t even been assigned to a group, nor have I met anyone I’d be working with. Zero investment on anyone’s part outside HR.
On the other hand, I committed to a semester internship. Quitting kind of goes against everything that’s been ingrained into me since fifth grade. That year, I wanted to sign up for basketball, and after joining the team, I discovered my balls only met air. I spent every game seated, humiliated, on the bench. I begged to quit but was told “you made a commitment.”
All weekend, I weighed the pros and cons. And it came down to it’s just an internship. A low paying, menial job designed to let subservient peons get a glimpse into a company or industry. All the while doing grunt work no one else wants to do at minimum wage or for free.
Esprit seemed to think I looked like a psycho criminal. Yes, Sam Duke was lust-worthy, but the intern-boss thing never really happens in real life. And no matter how great it ends up in romance novels, there’s no respect for colleagues who cross the line. It’s a situation I’d be smart to not put myself into. Not that Sam Duke was interested in me. But if I worked there, wondering if I’d run into him in the halls and then did once in a while? I’d lose my dignity and flip into a giggly, starry-eyed schoolgirl. No, thank you. I’ve already traveled that path.