Page 22 of Boss of Me

“Sure.” Quinn follows me toward the kitchen and sits at the breakfast bar. “It sucks not having you there, Marlowe. It doesn’t feel the same.”

“I know. I’m gonna miss our coffee breaks.” I open the refrigerator and grab two low-carb beers as Sansa comes prowling over to rub against Quinn’s leg.

“Well, hello there, beautiful.” Quinn bends down and strokes Sansa’s head while cooing at her. The calico purrs in satisfaction and swishes her floofy tail.

I sigh forlornly. “She’s going to run off with you when I have to start feeding her generic cat food.”

Quinn laughs as I bring her a beer and take the stool beside her. She hitches her chin at my laptop on the counter.

“How’s the job hunting going so far?”

“Not great,” I admit. “I’ve only seen a few jobs that I qualify for. I registered with an employment agency, but they warned me that hiring slows down during the summer and it’s not the best time to apply for jobs.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Quinn says. “Hopefully something will come through. In the meantime, you should file for unemployment.”

“I know.” With another sigh, I scoop Sansa up and settle her warm bulk in my lap. She purrs contentedly, her emerald eyes closing as I scratch behind her ears.

Quinn regards me sympathetically. “Have you told your sister?”

“No,” I mumble. “I’m putting it off as long as possible.”

“Why?”

“Because I already know what she’s going to say. She’s going to tell me it’s a sign that I should come back home. And when my mom finds out, it’ll just reinforce her opinion that I’m a perennial failure. I mean,I’mthe daughter who took five years to graduate college.I’mthe daughter who refused to go to law school to pursue a lucrative career.I’mthe daughter who picked up and moved halfway across the country without a job.I’mthe fuckup who’s now unemployed, whose only prospect is working as a housekeeper for a rich douchebag.”

Quinn’s expression softens. “I’m really sorry your mom isn’t more supportive.”

I shrug off her sympathy. “I’m used to it.”

“That doesn’t make it right.” Quinn puts her hand on my shoulder. “No matter what she thinks, you’renota failure. Moving someplace new takes guts and determination. If yourmom can’t see that, you’re better off living far away from her judgy ass.”

I give her a grateful smile. “Thanks, babe.”

She squeezes my shoulder, then picks up her bottle and takes a swig of beer. “So what’s this about you working for a rich douchebag?”

I hesitate, suddenly wishing I hadn’t brought it up. “I interviewed for a live-in housekeeper job this morning. The employer turned out to be Gunner Ransom.”

Quinn almost chokes on her next swallow of beer. “What?” she croaks, staring at me. “Did you sayGunner Ransom?”

I nod sullenly.

“The CEO of Pantheon?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes.”

“Oh, my God!” she exclaims incredulously. “He offered you a job as his housekeeper?”

“Not him directly,” I grumble, “but yes, I was offered the job.”

Quinn lets out an excited squeal. Startled, Sansa darts off my lap and runs for cover.

“Holy shit, Marlowe! That’s amazing! I mean, it would’ve been even awesomer if you got a job at his company, butstill!”

I throw her a surly look. “Before you break out the champagne, I turned the job down.”

“What?” She stares at me in disbelief. “Why the hell would you do that?”

I scowl. “It’s a long story.”