Chapter 3

It had been a week since Erin sent her application to Dreams. She still hadn’t gotten a response, and for some reason, she didn’t put all her hopes on it. Jasmine also managed to convince her to come to live with her, so now, she was lying on the huge, king-size bed in Jasmine’s guest bedroom.

She stared blankly at her laptop, which was open in front of her. Her head was reeling as she tried to gather her thoughts and somehow search for another company to send her CV to. A phone pinged with the incoming notification.

She stretched her hand in search of it, and when she found it underneath her pillow, she sighed. She opened the device, and her lips parted to form an “O” at the notification on her screen. It was an email from Dreams.

Hurriedly, she logged into her mailer with her laptop and skimmed through the information. Her heart palpitated in disbelief as she read through the words. Suddenly, a loud squeal escaped her lips.

“Yes! Damn! Yes. My goodness!” She exclaimed. She shut her laptop, got down from the bed, and bolted down the stairs toward the living room.

Jasmine was seated on the couch, a glass of fruit juice in her right hand and her phone in her left. She quietly scrolled through her phone. When she heard Erin’s footsteps, her head turned in the direction, and her eyes squinted in a questioning manner at the bright smile plastered on Erin’s lips.

“Did you win the lottery?”

“I got invited for an interview,” Erin said. She got down the last stair, pushed her hair to the back of her ear, and sighed deeply, then in a high-pitched voice, which showed her excitement, she yelled, “I got called up for the interview, Jasmine. Yes.”

Jasmine dropped the glass of juice on the table and rose from the couch. She wrapped her arms around Erin’s neck, pulled her into herself, and ruffled her hair.

“I knew you would. Girl, I believe so much in you.”

Erin nodded in appreciation for the lack of words. Her heart swelled at the thought of having Jasmine in her corner. It was a heartwarming feeling, knowing that the blonde had her back anytime.

“When is the interview?” Jasmine asked, breaking from the hug.

“Monday,” she responded quietly. Then, as if realizing the magnitude, she squeaked in panic, “Monday! God, I have nothing fitting of Dreams’ status to wear. What do I do?”

“Really?”

“Really, Jas. All my clothes are worn out and old-fashioned. How didn’t I think of that all this time?”

“You worry too much, Erin. We can go shopping.”

“No!” She retorted. “You won’t do that for me. You’ve done so much.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion. Besides, it’s not my money. Jeremy sent some money,” Jasmine said with a shrug.

Erin fell quiet. She didn’t have the right words to state her reasons for refusing. Jasmine did a lot of things for her, including being there when she couldn’t be there for herself. It made Jasmine the best friend she could ever ask for.

“You don’t have to think too much, Erin. I’m doing this because I want to. Please, agree to it.”

That did it. Erin nodded in agreement, and twenty minutes later, they were both dressed and out of the house. They spent the entire day moving from store to store in search of the perfect clothes for Erin. They had done intensive research to enable them to know the quality of dresses employees at Dreams wore.

Erin was gobsmacked at the prices, but she succumbed after being convinced by none other than her best friend. After shopping, they went into a restaurant to get some food before going home.

Erin walked straight to her room and dumped the bags on the bed before making her way to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, placed her head on the tiled wall, and relaxed her shoulders as the warm water pelted her skin. She spent close to fifteen minutes in the bathroom and only left after her skin began feeling dry.

She wrapped a towel around her body and walked out of the bathroom. She dropped the towel on the bed and proceeded to apply moisturizer to her skin. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and scrunched her nose in disgust. Her eyes had become sunken from crying and lack of sleep. Her once-clear skin was beginning to have patches of red on some parts. She rolled her eyes at the red patches and continued moisturizing her body.

She stopped at her round, shapely bum and admired it. It was another part of her body that she absolutely loved and admired. It gave her all the confidence the other parts of her body did not. When she was done, she straightened her curly hair and packed it up into a bun. She threw a T-shirt on before making her way out of the room.

She descended the stairs and went directly to the kitchen. Her growling stomach reminded her of how hungry she was. She dished out a plate of lasagna and made her over to the couch. Jasmine was texting rapidly on her phone so she had no idea when Erin walked in.

“Why are you texting so quickly?” She asked, shoving a forkful of lasagna into her mouth.

“Jeremy is traveling. Can you believe that? He is just informing me.”

“It was probably an emergency,” Erin said in a bid to make her feel better.

“No, it wasn’t. He said it skipped his mind. Can you even believe that? Skipped his mind? I am his girlfriend!” She said angrily.

“Just calm down, please. And stop texting,” Erin said, irritated. Jasmine threw her phone to the ground angrily and placed her head in her hands. Erin made to say something, but her phone came on with a notification, distracting her.

She picked it up and stared at it for some time before throwing it on the couch.

“Just got another email from the rental agency. I’ve been asked to come to take my stuff out.”

“You’ll have to tell them to give you some more time, Erin. I’m sure you’ll get the job.”

“But…”

“Just do it,” Jasmine cut in angrily. Resignedly, Erin sent a reply to the rental company. She wasn’t convinced that she would be paid anything that month, but there was no harm in trying.

Monday came quicker than Erin expected. It was probably due to how excited she was. She woke up three hours earlier than when she had to leave the house. She walked into the shower and spent an entire hour having her shower and cleaning herself up.

She spent the next thirty minutes after that picking a dress from the option of clothes Jasmine got for her. She settled for a turquoise-colored gown, which stopped right above her knee, paired with silver high-heeled shoes. She straightened the curls in her hair and packed it into a bun. She finished up with a silver clutch.

When she was done, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling pleased with how she looked. Her confidence level immediately increased, and she silently thanked Jasmine. She hurriedly walked out of the house and stopped right across the road where she waited for a taxi.

***

“Miss Erin Curry, you are up next,” the black-haired woman, who Erin placed as the secretary, said. She had a Mexican accent and full lips, which made her face look exquisite. Erin was led through a corridor and into an office. The secretary pushed the door open and ushered Erin in.

“You can have a seat. He will be out in a minute. Best of luck,” she wished before walking out of the office. Erin instantly felt a wave of nervousness wash through her. She was rightly dressed for the occasion, yet she felt anxious. Perhaps, the reputation of the place and the obvious authority were the cause of her anxiety. She chewed on her bottom lip and looked around the office. The walls were painted white, and the furniture was brown. The aesthetic wallpaper on the right-hand side of the wall drew her in.

It looked like the painting of a human, but on closer inspection, one would see it was just a plant. The branches of the plant were entwined in a way, which made it difficult for people to figure out that it was a plant at first glance. She heard the door open, causing her to sit upright. She adjusted in her seat and sat straighter.

Her mouth fell open in shock when her interviewer appeared in her line of vision. She was in the presence of the one and only Uriah Greenwood, the hottest and sexiest man in America. She could not believe her eyes. She had discovered that he was the owner of the company, but she never thought he would be the one to conduct the interview.

“Miss Erin Curry, am I correct?” Uriah asked, looking at the file in front of him and back at her. She continued staring at him without blinking her eyes. Uriah’s eyebrows furrowed, and he snapped his fingers in front of her to bring her back to Earth. She blinked rapidly, and a blush crept up her face.

“Gosh! I am so sorry.”

“Do you always get this lost in thoughts? Is that how you intend to do a good job?” Uriah asked, clearly unimpressed. She shook her head in denial.

“That is not correct, sir. I just… I am sorry,” she apologized.

“Do you want this job?”

“I do.”

“Okay. What are your qualifications?” He asked, closing her file. She chewed on her bottom lip in thought. Her CV was in front of him so she could not understand why he chose to ask her about something she already sent to him.

“I have knowledge in business. I graduated from Harvard Business School, and I worked under a supervisor in a business company,” she answered.

“Why do you want this job?”

“I admire your company and the really good things you do. Your designs are amazing too, and it will be a privilege to work with such an amazing company,” she said. Uriah looked at her for some seconds, processing her answers in his head. He placed his back on the backrest and twisted his ballpoint pen between his fingers.

“You can go, Miss Erin. We will get back to you,” he said in a dismissive tone. His dismissal made her feel distraught. She wanted to say something more, perhaps it would help her get the job, but the impatient look on Uriah’s face made her stand up and walk out of the office.

She brought out her phone from her handbag when she was out on the street and immediately placed a call to Jasmine.

“I messed up, Jas,” she said as soon as Jasmine picked up the phone. Detecting her tone, Jasmine dropped the spoon she was holding and rose from her seat. She walked over to the window and stared out into the street with her phone placed in her ear.

“What happened?”

“I got nervous when I found out that the owner of the company is Uriah Greenwood. I fumbled with my words, and my palms became clammy. It was a mess, Jas. I don’t think I will get the job,” she said, voicing her worry.

“You should think positive, Erin. It was only an interview. I know I would get wet if I happened to be in the presence of Uriah Greenwood so I don’t blame you. However, you should not worry yourself so much. How about you get yourself back to the house?” Jasmine said, making Erin laugh.

“Thank you,” she said gratefully before hanging up the phone. She flagged down a taxi and paid with what was left from what Jasmine handed her earlier that day.