Page 8 of The Rebel

“I understand. I’ll do my best. Are you open to relocating?”

I sighed. “I’d love to stay here, but obviously I’d move for a good job.”

“Noted. I’ll look everywhere. I see you’re from North Dakota. Would that be an option too?”

Her question threw me a bit. I’d never thought about moving back home, but it would be nice to be closer to my parents.

“Sure, why not. Do you have anything at all starting right away?” At this point, I just needed some income.

I had a nest egg, but I kept it for very dark days. I didn’t want to dig into it to pay rent and other living essentials. Dad always told me to save it and pretend I didn’t have any money set aside. That way, I wouldn’t be tempted to dive into it.

“Nothing that fits your profile.”

“Look, I can do something else until we find a job in marketing. I’ve never been afraid to work.” There were so many small shops downtown. Maybe I could get a job in one of those. Hell, McDonald’s might be hiring.

I didn’t like to be idle and really could not afford to do so right now.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“How flexible are you?”

I perked up. “Why? Do you have something?”

“I’m recruiting for various companies at the moment, but nothing that fits yourexactrequirements.”

“I’m up for anything that’s marketing related. Actually, you know what? Just surprise me with whatever you have.” I could do something else for a few months until this company started hiring again in the new year. I was sure whatever Samantha came up with would be way better than the hourly jobs I could find online.

“All right, I’ll forward you something in a few hours.”

Later that evening, she sent me three job offers. None of them were in marketing.

I called her after reading through all of them to discuss the options.

“Look, I know this isn’t what you were hoping for,” she said instead of hello.

I pressed my lips together. She was doing her job the best she could, but she’d sent me listings in logistics and accounting. I had zero experience in those fields. The last offer was an assistant job for the CEO of The Orleans Conglomerate.

“Actually, I’ve heard of The Orleans Conglomerate,” I said.

“Who hasn’t? They’re huge.”

“And they don’t have any marketing positions open?” I asked, tongue-in-cheek.

“Not at the moment.” She sighed. “Honestly, I was hesitating whether to even include that option.”

That piqued my interest. “How come?” I took my laptop and moved out onto the balcony. It was my favorite spot in this apartment.

“Because I’ve been told it’s for one of the most difficult CEOs of the company.”

“There are multiple CEOs of the same company?”

“Yes. They have several divisions, and each has its own Chief Executive Officer.”

“Interesting. So, why is this particular one difficult?”

“Because in the past year, he’s had six assistants.”