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worried. I thought you would call earlier. I
left you that voicemail in the afternoon and it's already six o'clock."
    "Mom," I said
with exasperation. "It was my first day at work. I couldn't tell my boss
that I had to be excused because I had to go call my mother. It kind of hurts
my credibility as a professional."
    "I'm sure she
would have understood. Isn't she a mother?"
    I rolled my eyes. My
mother seemed to think that every woman in her thirties should be married with
children. "She doesn't have any children. And before you ask, no, she's
not married."
    Janet had alluded to
being married to her job earlier today and I hadn't seen any pictures of
children in her office.
    "Oh no!" my
mother said, sounding horrified. "That means she'll work you to death if
she doesn't have anything else in her life except her job. Is she a workaholic?
She must be a workaholic. Emma, don't become a workaholic!"
    I couldn't help
laughing at my mother's frantic tone. I knew she meant well. My mother just
wanted me to be happy and she was worried that I was running away from my
problems by moving to New York. She didn't seem to understand that I wasn't running from something, I was running to something.
    "Mom, I promise I
won't become a workaholic. My first day was actually really great. I really
like my boss and she seems to be willing to give me a chance to prove
myself."
    "I guess that's
good," she replied, not sounding convinced. Her voice brightened as she
changed the subject. "How's Claire? She sounds like a sweet girl from what
her mother's told me. Do you like the apartment?"
    "Claire's really
nice. I think she's kind of taken me under her wing, even though she's younger
than me. Since she's already lived in New York for a while, she's showing me
the ropes. And I love the apartment. It's exactly what I imagined it would
be." I glanced at the alarm clock on my bedside table. "Mom, I should
go now. Claire's waiting for me because we're going to order some food for
dinner. I promise to call you later this week with an update."
    "Okay," my
mother said, sounding reluctant to let me go. "But call me earlier if
anything happens."
    "I promise I
will."
    After hanging up with
my mother, I got up to join Claire in the living room when I heard my phone
beep, signaling that I had a text message. I excitedly opened Jackson's text
message.
    Come to the gym Wed after work. I'll wait for you. Don't think you can
weasel your way out of this! My reputation as a trainer is at stake.
    I grinned as I quickly
texted back.
    Okay, Wed but I can't guarantee what time I'll be there. Are you always
this pushy with your prospective clients?
    Jackson immediately
texted back.
    Only when I see potential. And I see vast potential in you.
    I giggled to myself
like a buffoon, feeling giddy by Jackson's text.
    My vast potential and I will see you Wednesday.
    I threw my phone on my
bed after the sending the last text. It would be too tempting to take my phone
with me and obsess about whether Jackson was going to text back.
    Claire jumped up from
the couch when I entered the living room, shoving a paper menu at me.
    "I'm getting the
Pad Thai. What do you want?"
    I looked over the menu,
my stomach grumbling in anticipation. "I definitely want the Pad Khee Mao
with beef. I'll call."
    I picked up the
apartment phone and called the restaurant, placing the order. Claire stretched
back onto the couch.
    "They said it
would take thirty minutes," I said as I hung up the phone. "I need to
stop thinking about food for thirty minutes or I'm going to keel over in
hunger."
    Claire laughed.
"Why don't you distract yourself by telling me about work today?"
    I joined her on the
couch. "My boss seems to have a lot of confidence in me. She said that
she's going to give me additional responsibilities besides just being an
assistant. More like the work I used to do back in D.C. but on a much larger
scale since Mass Communications is such a bigger company. I'm excited but
nervous at the same