2. Daisy
DAISY
Oh, New Orleans, I love you .
I stood on the balcony of my newly rented apartment, taking in the view.
I took a sip from my glass of champagne, sighing.
How did I get so lucky? My dream job was starting in two weeks.
I was the senior marketing manager for a well-known brand of whiskey at the young age of twenty-seven.
How cool was that? I’d worked my ass off to get here, and it had paid off.
I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of the street below me.
I’d initially wanted to live in the French Quarter, but I wasn’t a fan of the properties there. They looked much better on the outside than on the inside, and the prices were sky-high. So, I’d chosen the Marigny neighborhood instead.
I never thought I’d move to the South. I was originally from North Dakota. My parents still lived there, running the farm where I grew up.
Even though I didn’t visit often, we chatted on the phone all the time.
I felt a bit guilty about that, though I spoiled them in every other way possible.
I sent them on vacation to Miami each year, and I was currently trying to convince them to let me buy them a second vacation in the winter months.
I’d almost won over Mom, but Dad was more difficult to persuade.
After graduating from Cornell, I’d worked in Chicago.
I loved the Windy City, but it was time for a change.
Especially after a mishap in my love life.
I’d started dating my next-door neighbor, and it seemed like things were going well.
Or so I thought. Turned out I was the only one who believed that, because he was also dating our first-floor neighbor in apartment B.
I ventured to New Orleans because I wanted a change of scenery, and I took a summer course at Loyola. Then I got this amazing job.
Four days later, I moved into this apartment.
Since I’d always had good-paying jobs, I splurged on my accommodations. I wasn’t a big fan of shopping or anything else, so most of my disposable income went toward rent. I enjoyed having my space.
After finishing my glass of bubbly, I got up from my chair and looked in the kitchen, trying to decide what to eat. I needed dinner first before I poured myself another glass, and I wasn’t in the mood to go out. I wanted to stay in my cozy new apartment and take everything in.
I grabbed my phone, intending to open the delivery app, when I noticed a message from my recruiter.
Samantha: Call me when you get this.
I swallowed hard. Oh no. Why was she messaging me on a Sunday? Maybe the company wanted me to start earlier. Or they finally had the contract for me to sign. I still had an uneasy feeling about not having all the paperwork put to bed yet. I called her right away.
“Hi, Samantha,” I said.
“Hello, Daisy. Sorry about bothering you on Sunday, but I have news.”
My stomach sank as I leaned against the kitchen counter. It wasn’t that her voice sounded sad, but after things had happened so quickly, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I glanced at the pink sofa that had completely sold me on this place, hoping I’d still be able to live here.
“Did something bad happen?”
“Well, unexpected, for sure. I got a call from the company this morning.”
I closed my eyes, bracing myself. I’d been in the corporate world long enough to know that Sunday calls meant a shit show was coming.
“HR informed me that the CFO decided on a hiring freeze.”
I gasped, feeling a bit dizzy. “What? Starting when?”
“Starting immediately.”
Oh. My. God. This could not be happening.
“But surely I’m already hired,” I stated. “I mean, I need this job.”
She cleared her throat. “Not exactly. But don’t worry.”
“It’s because the contract isn’t signed, isn’t it? That’s ridiculous. They gave me their word. I mean, I have emails from them indicating I’m an employee.” Yes, I was panicking.
“I know. But even if the contract had been signed, either party can still pull out within fourteen days. That would’ve made no difference.”
I swallowed hard. “How can they decide from one day to another on a hiring freeze?” That was a stupid question, and I knew it. Budget freezes were announced exactly like that. In my career, I mostly dealt with budget cuts regarding promos, but I knew hiring freezes were a thing.
“I’m truly sorry. This has only happened twice in my entire twenty-year career.”
“That’s no consolation,” I told her, my frustration evident in my tone.
“No, of course not. I understand that this is inconvenient for you. ”
“It’s more than inconvenient!” I decided to lay my cards on the table. “I signed a lease for an apartment last week.” An expensive apartment at that. Hell, I moved here for this job!
“That’s unfortunate,” she said. “Can you get out of it? Maybe sublet it?”
I sighed. “I’ll look into it, but honestly, I’d rather just have a job.”
“Of course. You’re an excellent candidate, so I’m sure I’ll have something for you soon. Although, companies usually don’t hire in the last quarter. But I have no worries that I’ll have something for you starting in January.”
“Samantha,” I said calmly, “I can’t wait four months.”
“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 your exact requirements.”
“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.”
I whistled. “Damn. That’s unusual.”
“I agree.”
I glanced at the list of requirements. “The job doesn’t look that challenging,” I murmured. It pretty much required the assistant to shadow the CEO and attend certain events. “But the pay isn’t listed.”
“It’s quite generous for an assistant position.”
“How much is it?” I asked. My eyes bulged when she gave me the number. “Hey, that’s actually not bad. That’s what I used to get as a junior brand manager.”
“Exactly.”
I swallowed hard. “You know what? I want to interview for this.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. And if it works out, maybe later on I could transition to their marketing department.”
The most important thing was that I wouldn’t have to dig into my savings.
“I can get you an interview tomorrow at nine. I’ll double-check with HR and confirm it within the hour.”
“Perfect.”
“The headquarters is above LeBlanc-Broussard.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“It’s their flagship restaurant on Royal Street.”
I quickly checked my GPS and saw it wasn’t too far away. “All right. When would the job start?”
“Honestly, ASAP.”
I felt like I could finally breathe properly. When Samantha first told me that there was a hiring freeze, I’d really sent myself into a full-blown panic .
“I suggest you read up a bit on The Orleans Conglomerate to prepare,” she continued. “Your boss might be a bit… persnickety.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I will. In fact, I’m going to kick ass in that interview and get the job, just you wait.”