Chapter 2 : Chicago

Rose POV

The only place that I could go to was Chicago. It was where I was promised with an interview. The interview would be held at a job fair, which meant I would get a lot of exposure just being there.

I knew that it was risky, moving there before I even got the job, but I didn’t have any other alternative. I needed somewhere to live. And I had to be there for the interview in two weeks.

As soon as I was packed, I hailed a cab and headed straight to the airport. It was always a little more pricey buying tickets at the airport at the last minute. But I would have spent more money going to a hotel for a week.

And I didn’t want to get cold feet. I was brave now. I wanted to do everything now.

Someone touched my shoulder when I was heading to the counter, and I almost felt like I couldn’t breath when I saw William standing there, suited and smiling.

“Hi William, how are you doing? Or better yet, what are you doing here?” I asked him politely. We broke up two months ago, and we didn’t finish on good terms.

“Hey there peach,” he started and I already hated him for using that nickname again. “I came here because your father wanted to give you one last chance.”

I stared at him and I couldn’t believe it. My father really did it. He hired William and made him a lawyer of his firm, even after he knew that he cheated on me.

With all the willpower I could gather, I took a deep breath and locked my eyes on his. “It was unfortunate to see you again, but please excuse me, I can’t waste more time.”

I bought the ticket, then got on the plane. I kept my hands in fists remembering how William didn’t even seem apologetic or anything when he was sent to stop me. The nerve of him to just pretend I would follow him and do whatever he asked of me!

In less than three hours, I was in Chicago. Once I landed, I made sure that the first thing I did was get a place to stay. I had looked over a few places during the car drive to the airport, and I had one place singled out. I could sign on for a month, and if I liked it, then I could stay longer.

I messaged the landlord before the plane took off, and once I landed, I saw that she was willing to meet with me immediately. I hailed a cab and went straight to the place. The pictures had been nice, but even if it was run-down, I was going to take it.

I just needed somewhere to sleep for a month.

My phone pinged and I checked. The message was from William. ‘Now that was rude of you peach, I actually wanted to see you and maybe ask you out to talk.’

Without hesitation, I blocked him and focused on what was ahead of me. I was nervous and excited all at the same time, and it had been ages since I went through so much freedom. I kept my fingers crossed for a decent place to stay.

It turned out that I worried for nothing, and the place was perfect.

There were two bathrooms, as promised. One had a walk-in shower, and the other had a claw footed bath-tub. The bedroom was a little smaller than I was used to, but the ceiling was high. The kitchen was closed off, and the living room was bigger.

There was even a little balcony that overlooked the part of the city that we were in.

I couldn’t imagine something more idyllic.

“It’s far from the city-center,” the landlady told me, her voice sounding apologetic as she said it.

That was why the rent was something that I could actually afford.

“And it’s not as modern as people are looking for these days,” she said, also looking around. “But the place used to belong to my great-grandmother, and it got passed down to me. I couldn’t bear to change anything about it.”

I wouldn’t have wanted her to, in any case.

“It’s perfect,” I told her, smiling, and the smile that crossed her face could have lit the whole room.

“And lucky I held on to it, too,” she continued speaking. “After my husband kicked me out, it gave me a place to go.”

I winced. Yet another reason to never depend on a man. Or get married, for that matter. I didn’t say anything, she had learned her lesson about trusting men the hard way, I wouldn’t make that mistake.

I signed the contract immediately, and she handed me the keys.

Once she left, I closed the door behind her and breathed. I had never had a place of my own before. It had either been my dad’s or the university.

This was different. This was all me. This was the money that I had saved working all my weekend jobs, this was the strength it had taken for me to stand up to my dad, and this was the willpower that had seen me through leaving that office and making it all the way to here.

I was sure that I wasn’t going to live here forever, maybe not even longer than a month. But I was always going to remember this place.

This place symbolized my freedom, and a new start, so I touched the walls gently, reverently, and began making my way through the apartment.

The place was fully furnished, so I didn’t have to worry about anything other than my personal items. I quickly began unpacking. I hadn’t brought that many things with me, and I would need to go for a supply run soon. But I had enough to get me started. I packed the bathroom cupboard first, since that was quickest. And then I unpacked all of my clothing.

I didn’t want to be living out of my suitcase in all that time.

I definitely had no groceries or anything to eat but I was hungry, and I made a mental note to buy things that would help me survive the next couple of days.

After I was done, I headed to a place where I could find the best reviews for deep-dish pizza.

I had been to Chicago before, and I knew that the pizza lived up to the hype.

It felt exhilarating, going about town on my own. And not long after I sat down, my phone began buzzing. Each of my siblings messaging me varying forms of congratulations, some for completing my degree, and some for leaving home.

It was a great day. It was easily one of the best days of my life so far.

And then the waiter brought my pizza, and it only got better. Who needs an arranged husband when you can walk around without worries and eat your heart out without judgment?

After my dinner for one, I headed back to my apartment, and I began getting settled in. My interview was only in one week’s time, and I was determined to make that week count.

Even though I was in a new city, the time still flew by. I managed to set up a few more interviews, and all looked even better than the one that I had originally came here for. I got my work wardrobe sorted, and I got used to the city and how to get around it.

I got a routine in mind for going for my food. Even though I loved the deep-dish pizza, I just wasn’t in a place to be able to afford it every night. So I had to stick with making my own food for now. I found a local greengrocer that was both organic and cheaper than the supermarket, and a local butcher, too.

I found a store that stocked all the hygiene products I was used to, and I even got myself a few more pieces of clothing for my interviews.

I was going to make this work. I had to. There was just no other way.

After the first two days of me just settling into my new apartment, the job fair finally began. I sat in the waiting room completely calm and confident. It was a conference of sorts, there were so many law firms that had come in attendance, and it was important that all new attendees received a welcome into the room.

It was a very exclusive event. I had been added to the guest list because one of my professors had recommended me.

“Miss Kinkaid,” one of the aid’s called out to me, and I made my way towards her. “This is your pass for the event,” she handed me a card. “It gives you unlimited access to each section of the hotel for the event. You can go in, now.”

I thanked the woman and held my head high as I headed into the greater part of the hotel.

I walked in through the frosted glass doors that she had instructed me to go through, and I felt like turning around immediately.

There weren’t as many people as I had been expecting, and this didn’t look like any fair that I had ever been to, or any convention, for that matter. It looked more like an upscale exclusive party. I swallowed hard. I wasn’t dressed appropriately, and I was not prepared for this.

“If you’re spooked now,” a voice spoke to the left of me. “You should just turn tail and run.”

I turned to the man that had spoken and found myself staring at the most intense color of blue that I had ever seen. He had dark brown hair that looked like it was lightning in some places.

He was older than I was, that much was pretty obvious. He had to be one of the professors here, or one of the law firm partners. But there was no way that he was a guest like me.

He came towards me then, his crisp suit wrapping around his figure, he looked like he was either a managing partner or at the very least, a named partner of something. For a moment. I couldn’t move.

I was transfixed, looking at him.

“I am honestly considering it,” I told him sincerely.

His expression changed then. One that was serious and soft all at once.

“Don’t do that,” he told me gently, his eyes seeming to linger on my face as he spoke. “You will regret it for the rest of your life. Walking through that door was the hard part, and you’re over it already. Just stay the course, and you’ll see: doors will open for you in places you never even imagined.”

I blinked, unable to respond. He had said in one sentence what my father couldn’t say in twenty-one years. He had given me more encouragement than the man that was supposed to be raising me.

I knew that he was right, too. No matter how much I wanted to run now, I would regret it. It seemed strange that he could know me, and know what I was thinking, all without ever having met me before.

But then I realized maybe it wasn’t so much that he knew me. Maybe he had been in this same position years ago. Maybe even decades ago.

He then reached into his top pocket and handed something to me.

I took it gently and saw that it was a business card. I looked up to ask him what I was supposed to do with it, but when I lifted my head back up, he was already gone. I hadn’t even seen the direction that he had gone in, so there was no chance of me following him.

Wait, I caught myself, why would I want to follow him? I shook my head; he knew how to leave an impression, that was for sure. I hadn’t even gotten his name.

But he had given me hope, and a reason to stay. Or the courage to, at least.

I smiled softly to myself and glanced down at the card that he had given me.

CC Attorneys. That name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Either way, I held on to it tightly.

Maybe I might just need it someday.