Don’t Fall for the Doctor by Lacey Bolt
Chapter 32
Ashley hung up her phone and turned on the living room light. The sun sank below the horizon twenty minutes ago, and she had no job leads. No hospitals were hiring cleaners.
It was time to start calling hotels. She pulled up the search engine on her phone and searched for local hotels. There were a lot in the city. One of them must be hiring.
She tapped on the phone number for the first hotel that appeared on her screen. An automated message greeted her. She listened closely to the menu options.
To book a room, press one. To speak with the front desk, press two.
What she needed was an option for getting your life out of the dumpster.
She pressed two and waited until she heard a bored voice answer.
“Hotel By the Bay, this is Brennon.”
She swallowed hard. “Hi, are you hiring cleaners?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is there a manager around who can help?”
“He left for the night. You can call again tomorrow.”
“Oh. Ok.” She squeezed her eyes closed. “Do you know of any place that’s hiring cleaners?”
“Is that the only thing you can do?” Brennon’s voice became slightly less bored.
“What do you mean?”
“You called here. Hotel By the Bay.”
“Yes, because I’m looking for a job. Cleaning.”
“Right.” Even over the phone, sarcasm dripped from his voice. “You called the Hotel By the Bay for a cleaning job. How old are you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Something in the tone of Brennon’s voice made Ashley’s stomach churn.
“Do I have to spell it out for you?”
“Yes.”
Brennon waited a minute before he responded. “Forget it. Call back tomorrow if you are actually interested in working here.”
Ashley pulled the phone back from her ear and looked at the screen. He’d hung up on her. The search engine results for local hotels lit up her screen. She lifted a finger, then pressed the link for the hotel’s website.
A picture appeared of a two-story motel with grey cinderblock walls and a parking lot filled with potholes. A second building stood next to the hotel. Ashley squinted her eyes and pulled the screen closer to her face.
The hotel stood next to a strip club.
She shuddered and moved her fingers quickly, closing the tab for that hotel.
Lesson learned. Look at the website before calling somewhere for a job.
She took a deep breath in. She didn’t have to find a new job today. She could sign up for unemployment wages and use her savings to get by until she got a new job. In the meantime, she would look for an apartment.
She called the property management for the apartment she looked at the other day—the tiny, disgusting apartment with the smallest kitchen she’d seen.
“Hello?” The same lady who’d shown her the apartment answered the phone.
“I’m calling about the apartment I saw a few days ago. The one on Mill Street.”
“What about it?” She sounded as annoyed today as she sounded a few days ago.
“I want to rent it.” Ashley gritted her teeth and forced the words out.
“Fine. Stop by my office tomorrow with proof of employment, your last two months of pay stubs to verify income, and be ready to pay the deposit. I require the first month, last month, and security deposit paid upfront.”
Ashley’s throat constricted. “I don’t have proof of employment. But I’m looking for a job. And you said you only required a one month payment upfront.”
“Don’t waste my time. I’m not renting to someone who doesn’t have a job.” The woman’s voice changed. Instead of annoyed, she sounded royally upset.
“I’ll have one soon. I promise.”
“Call me if that happens. And be ready to pay three months rent and security deposit when you sign the lease.”
Ashley’s jaw hung open. Could she even do that? She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the churning feeling in her stomach. “That’s not what you said the other day.”
“It’s what I’m saying now. Goodbye.”
For the second time that evening, Ashley stared at her phone in disbelief.
She needed a break. And a job.
Ashley walked to her kitchen and opened the cupboard door. She had about a cup of flour, half a bag of sugar, and a nearly empty box of baking powder. She didn’t have to look in the fridge to know that she was out of milk, butter, and eggs. Not enough of any ingredient to bake anything.
She grabbed her tea kettle. Tea always helped her feel better.
She heard a tap on her front door followed by the sound of her door creaking open and Emily’s voice. “Hey Ashley, I’m coming in!”
Ashley turned around and took a few steps until she was back in the living room and could see Emily walking in, holding a large box. “I came here as soon as I could. Well, first I cleared out your locker for you. Also, Rachel and Amy said that they are going to miss you. I could just about kill Theresa and Gwen. They are the worst! I also brought ice cream. Mint chocolate chip and fudge swirl. I didn’t know what you’d be in the mood for.” Emily paused and looked around for a place to put down the box.
Ashley’s stomach churned again uneasily at the thought of eating anything. She glanced at her cousin before turning around to go back to the kitchen. “I’m making tea. Do you want some too? We can dig into the ice cream later.”
“Yes, tea would be great.” Emily placed the box on the living room floor next to her coffee table. “What’s this list?”
Ashley turned around. Emily was holding the list where she’d written and crossed off each hospital, hotel, and store that she’d called to ask about a job.
“Job hunting. No one is hiring.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
“Oh, Ash . . .” Emily walked over and wrapped her in a hug. “Go relax on the couch and let me make your tea.”
Ashley hesitated but then walked back to the living room and collapsed on the sofa. The list was back on the coffee table, mocking her. She closed her eyes until Emily came back into the room, two mugs of tea in her hands.
“I called all those places, and no one wants me. I don’t know what to do. I need a job.” She took the mug of tea from Emily and inhaled deeply. Chamomile.
“It’s only the first day. You have time before you get a new job.”
“I can’t rent an apartment without proof of income.”
“It will happen. You’ll find a job. I’ll help.”
Ashley shrugged. It was hard to remain optimistic.
Emily blew on her tea and took a tentative sip. She kept the mug close to her mouth as she spoke quietly. “Have you looked for any restaurant positions? Or called any catering companies to see if they need cooks?”
Ashley gritted her teeth. She should have known this was coming. “No.”
“If no one else is hiring, maybe you should give it a try. Or even start your own business as a personal chef.”
“No.”
“Ashley, don’t you think enough time has—?”
“No.”
“Won’t you consider—?”
“No. I will not consider it.”
Emily frowned and put her mug of tea on the coffee table. She turned and looked directly at Ashley. “Look, don’t you think your parents want you to be happy? Haven’t you punished yourself enough? You aren’t going to change what happened by just ignoring your talent. Do you really think they want you to work in a job that you hate so you can go to school to train for a job you don’t want?”
“I want to be a social worker.” She wasn’t going to back down.
“You don’t even like the work.” Emily narrowed her eyes at Ashley.
“I might like it.”
“You hated your internship last year.”
“Anyone would have hated working with Susan as their supervisor.”
Emily shrugged. “True. But I knew your parents too, remember? They were my aunt and uncle. They always just wanted you to be happy.”
“They weren’t happy with me the night that they died.” She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat.
“Look, everyone fights from time to time. Even if they weren’t thrilled that you wanted to go to culinary school, they still loved you. They wouldn’t want you to be miserable.”
Ashley put her tea down and rubbed her forehead. “I can’t talk about this now. My head hurts again. Thanks for stopping by, but I think I need to be alone. Maybe I’ll go to bed early.”
Emily frowned but got up. “Ok. I’ll check in on you again tomorrow.” She hesitated briefly. “Remember, you can always move in with me until you find a job and an apartment. My place isn’t big, but I have a couch that you can use. You’ll get through this.”
Warmth spread through Ashley’s cheeks. “Thanks, Emily. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
She watched Emily let herself out and then closed her eyes.