Page 20 of Is It Casual Now?

twenty

“Well, I’ve had a suck-tastic day. Can I come over and bring pizza and beer?” Jamie spoke into the phone the moment Jessie picked up.

“Oh hi, Jamie. So nice to hear from you. Yes, I’m doing well, how are you?” Jessie’s dry humor didn’t come out often, but it always amused Jamie to no end when it did.

“Fine.” She laughed and mimicked her sister’s chirpier tone. “Hi Jessie! I’m doing great. I’m looking forward to the frontal lobotomy later today, which will make the earlier part of my day seem like a bummer. How are you?”

“All right.” Jessie laughed, and the sound made Jamie’s shoulders relax as she headed toward her car. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“I called in sick,” Jamie muttered into the phone.

“What?” Jessie’s surprise might have made others think Jamie had just confessed to murder. But she supposed it was just as surprising. Maybe even more so.

“I called in sick,” Jamie repeated, especially because it was very obvious that she wasn’t sick.

“I’ll order the pizza now. Grab the beer and head on over. ”

“Thanks, Sis.” Jamie knew she could always count on Jessie. No matter what. Jessie was her rock.

They hung up, and Jamie refused to believe the saltwater that had spilled onto her cheeks was tears. Tears weren’t her thing. And besides, what did she actually have to cry over?

By the time she arrived on Jessie’s doorstep holding a six-pack of beer, all evidence of the emotional breakdown that had threatened earlier had been wiped away.

“Pizza is five minutes away,” Jessie said as she opened the door, holding up her phone to Jamie. The app showed the pixelated pizza, sized bigger than the houses on the map, was just a few blocks away.

“Thank you.” Jamie plonked down the beer on the counter in Jessie’s kitchen and turned to find her sister standing there with arms open wide.

“Nope, not ready for that.” Jamie waved her off, really trying hard to avoid any more displays of emotions she didn’t understand or want to feel.

Jessie pouted. “Just give me a hug. You need it.”

Jamie trudged forward. Her sister was right, of course. But she hated that she did need it. She hated that she ran off to her sister’s shoulder whenever life got too shitty. And of course, it was a shitty situation she had gotten herself into and really had no one else to blame. Siena had been damn right about that.

Sure, she didn’t know the article would blow up the way it did. The effect the entertainment managers had on her boss had definitely been unanticipated, but still, she had written and posted the damn thing knowing it was controversial and raw. That was the point, wasn’t it? Get attention, move the blog forward, which was what she really wanted to be doing, wasn’t it?

She hadn’t known this one would be the thing that started her blog getting as much attention as her byline often did. How could she? She’d thought other articles would get her this much attention and they hadn’t gone anywhere.

She relaxed into her sister’s arms until the threat of tears she refused to shed stung her eyes.

“I need bad food and alcohol.”

“Good. They’re almost here.” Jessie smiled, allowing Jamie to untangle herself from their embrace. “Go get set up in the living room, and I’ll wait at the door for the grease.”

Jamie didn’t need to be told twice. Although, it had been a while since they’d had a sister indulgence night, it came as easily to her as riding a bike. She grabbed two beers, putting the rest of the six-pack in the fridge and snagging the ranch dressing on her way out toward the living room. Jamie plonked herself down on the floor next to the couch and ignored Jessie’s eye roll when she came in holding the large box in her hands.

“Fine.” Jessie sat on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, sliding the pizza between them. “But really, not even plates?”

“I’m on KP duty. I’m making it easy for myself.” Jamie already had a slice of pizza pulled out of the box, the ranch squirted onto the cardboard, and her mouth around the end of the piece she’d dipped into the dressing. She bit off a tiny bit and quickly pulled the piece away, hissing from the burn on her tongue.

“Why are you always so surprised that it’s hot?”

“Because the assholes at mine wait half an hour before they bother bringing it to me.”

“And you don’t heat it up why?”

“Ew.” Jamie shook her head and tentatively nibbled at some more of the slice. “You’re a savage.”

“Yeah, but who’s going to believe you?” Jessie laughed as she folded her own piece in half and turned it around, taking a huge bite into the crust.

“You really are a heathen. ”

Jessie shrugged and smiled as best she could with a mouthful of pizza crust.

With just a few slices left in the box, Jamie closed the lid and lay back on the floor parallel to the coffee table. Jessie didn’t comment as she mirrored Jamie’s position on the other side.

“I ate too much,” Jessie moaned a few minutes later.

“The only way to eat pizza.”

“For you maybe.” Jessie laughed, and the quiet that settled over them was the comforting blanket of their relationship.

“What happened?” Jessie asked.

“I need to start looking for a new job.”

“Oh shit.” Jessie sat up, twisting around to stare at Jamie. “They fired you? I should have known. For you to take a sick day.”

“They didn’t fire me.” Jamie stopped Jessie before she could continue any more with the rant. “Yet.”

“Yet?” Jessie stared at Jamie, eyes bugged. “What makes you think they’re going to fire you?”

“Because I’m never going to get this interview. And my boss told me that if I didn’t get it, he’d fire me.”

“The one with Bunny and Piper?” Jessie looked confused, and Jamie sat up and faced her sister.

“Yes.” She gave Jessie a quick rundown on what happened and then lay back down.

“Why don’t you think she’s going to follow through with the dates?”

“Because it’s what she’s been doing for like two months now.” Jamie opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Even the popcorn plaster mocked her. Her own ceiling at home was stained with spiderweb cracks. But Jessie’s was pristine, and Jamie could have even put money on the fact it had been repainted recently.

“What she’s been doing? ”

“Yep.” Jamie didn’t move. She couldn’t be bothered. “She puts on more and more conditions. She wants one meeting and then another meeting. She even mentioned that soon they’d be too busy for an interview. I read they were doing a Christmas charity event, but they haven’t even announced dates for concerts next year. But she makes it seem like there aren’t going to be any viable times, and I know it’ll go back and forth until whoops it’s now too late. And as soon as my boss finds out I don’t have the interview, I’m going to be gone.”

“Is that really such a bad thing?”

“Well, despite what you might think, I like having a roof over my head and food to eat. Beer is also a definite necessity.” Jamie pointed at the empty bottles on the coffee table. Another one didn’t sound like a half-bad idea either.

“Sure, I get that. But there are other places you could work.”

From the corner of her eye, Jamie saw Jessie’s head turn toward her. She didn’t turn her own, she didn’t need to, and she wasn’t sure she could meet her sister’s eyes with the thoughts in her head and the words that wanted to escape.

“Yeah, I know technically I could. But everywhere I would want to work wouldn’t hire me. Not after everything that’s happening with the goddamn manager mafia. And even the not as sought-after places know I’m not worth employing.” Jamie knew she was being mopey and unhelpful when all Jessie was trying to do was help.

But the afternoon had left her deflated. Everything about Siena had been so different, so off from the woman she had gotten to know since the tapas bar. And it had thrown Jamie, despite how much she had to tried to hide that from Siena.

“And you really think that because she no longer wants to get all freaky with you that she won’t send potential interview times?”

“I don’t think she ever intended to set up the interview with them. I know she hasn’t told them about the opportunity. And now that she’s gone all frosty on me since the other day? No, I really don’t think she’ll allow it to happen. She’s too fucking controlling.”

“That’s bullshit, James. I’m sorry.” Jessie yawned, and her eyes turned away from boring holes into the side of Jamie’s head.

“Thanks.” Jamie closed her eyes again, the beer and pizza helping relax her body. Sleep pulled at her, and the comfort of her sister being close did nothing to dissuade.

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Jessie interrupted the perfect near sleep with her question.

“How do you sound so awake again when two seconds ago you were yawning?” Jamie snorted. “I want a sleepover, by the way. Your apartment is so much better than mine.”

“It’s problem-solving time.”

“Oh fuck off.” Jamie groaned as Jessie jumped to her feet and rounded the coffee table to stand at the end of Jamie’s body.

“Come on.”

Jamie stared at the hands Jessie offered out in front of her.

“There’s not going to be any stopping you, is there?”

“Nope.” Jessie pulled Jamie to her feet and bounded off the moment Jamie was balanced on her own.

“I don’t know what to do, Jessie.” Jamie called out in the now empty room. She hadn’t paid attention to which direction Jessie had fled. The kitchen or the bedroom?

“Yes, you do. You’ve known for ages.” Jessie returned from the bedroom holding a pencil case large enough for Jamie’s head to fit inside, and a lined notepad.

“Oh shit. We’ve entered teacher mode.”

“Don’t you be giving my teacher mode a hard time. How many times has it saved your butt?” Jessie sat crossed legged on the couch, the note pad in her lap and the pencil case on top. She pulled out a red pen and ruler and started lining up columns Jamie wasn’t brave enough yet to look at.

Jamie rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut.

Jessie wasn’t wrong about Jamie being rescued more times than she cared to admit. But the way Jessie attacked everything with clean lines and logical steps made Jamie’s skin itch as though she had brushed up against poison ivy.

Jamie enjoyed organization, but in her own way. And it was nothing like the boxed in idea of how things were supposed to be worked out and followed. The way Jessie did it, which of course was the way her parents had taught both them and their older brother, was so foreign that Jamie had never fully understood it.

“All right, time for a plan to get Jamie into a workplace that has moved forward from the 1970s.”

Jamie burst out laughing and sat next to her sister, leaning in and resigning herself to letting Jessie create a plan that she may or may not follow. In the next few days, or at all.

Turned out it was only five days later when Jamie pulled the ridiculously clean and crisp plan out of her bag and laid it on the desk in front of her. The nine-to-fivers had left about fifteen minutes ago, and the other late shifters had gotten their next caffeine hits.

Jamie would be left alone for at least the next hour, all things willing.

With a resigned but determined sigh, Jamie opened the paper and began with step one on Jessie’s plan. Forty-five minutes later, Jessie called Jamie’s cell, causing Jamie to jump and curse aloud.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Just checking in to see how things are going. ”

“Well…” Jamie debated whether or not to keep the information to herself, but really, there would be no point. Jessie knew just about everything in her life. “I’ve started step one of your master plan.”

“Damn it.” Jamie was certain Jessie pursed her lips on the other end of the phone line.

“Damn it? I thought you wanted me to follow your precious little step-by-step list of ways to box my life in.”

“Hey!” Jessie replied, but Jamie knew she wasn’t truly offended, just like Jamie had only half meant what she had said. “And yeah, I did. But seeing as you are only on step one and it’s been almost a week, I’m guessing something else happened to push you over the edge?”

Jamie shrugged even knowing Jessie couldn’t see it, because she floundered for words to express how she felt about the entire thing. “Yeah. I guess you could say that.”

“What happened?”

“I messaged Siena when I still hadn’t heard from her and asked about the dates.” Jamie continued to scroll through emails, sorting them into the ones she’d attack tonight and the ones that could easily wait a few more days to deal with.

“And no answer?”

“Oh no.” Jamie laughed humorlessly as she leaned back in her desk chair. “The answer was the problem.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yep. She hasn’t been able to find a time that works for Piper and Bunny yet, but will let me know as soon as she blah blah blah . In other words, good luck, I’ve now wasted as much of your time as I feel like you’ve wasted of mine whenever you dare to print anything even nearing the truth about my clients .”

“I doubt that’s what she’s doing,” Jessie said softly.

“I love you, Jessie, but you have no idea what this industry is like. It’s riddled with the worst people you could imagine. ”

“Well, no wonder you’re so desperate to get work and recognition in the area.”

“Oh shut up.” But Jamie laughed. It wasn’t like Jamie hadn’t questioned her own sanity on the matter time and time again over the years. “Besides, I didn’t just roll over and say okay. I offered her some suggestions on times that’ll work for me, and thought perhaps it might make it easier for her.”

“Look, I get it.” The smile in Jessie’s voice was something Jamie needed more and more lately. Whenever her life tilted and left her scrambling for her footing, the more she needed the safe harbor of her sister’s calm gentleness.

“But?” Jamie preempted what obviously rested on the tip of her sister’s tongue.

“While I might not know the in-depth details of the industry you’re so fascinated and addicted with, I’ve come to know Siena a little. And I don’t think she’s that vindictive.”

Jamie was about to agree. She’d never seen Siena as the vindictive type. Even when the managers had started hounding her boss. Her phone lit up and she looked at the screen.

A one-line text from Siena.

None of these dates are viable. My clients are very busy.

“No offense, Sis, but I don’t think either of us truly know Siena half as much as we might like to think we do.” Jamie fought to hold back the true venom she wished to unleash. It wasn’t Jessie’s fault.

“Uh-oh. Another message?”

“None of the dates work. Her clients are very busy. As though I’m nothing but a lazy idiot.”

“Stop reading into what’s not there, JJ. ”

“I will,” Jamie said, “once people actually tell the truth and don’t try to hide it between the lines.”

“All right.” Jessie sighed on the other end.

The different way they saw the world was an old argument, thankfully one neither was willing to get into again tonight.

“Thanks for checking in.”

Jessie got the not-at-all-subtle hint, and they said their goodbyes. Jamie picked up her phone, and after a few colleagues had come and gotten their next hit of caffeine, she looked at Jessie’s checklist again and moved on to step number two. If only she could stop herself from messaging Siena with another list of potential interview times, knowing these would be rejected just as readily as the first.