"Goodbye friends." She pulls her small hand to her mouth as she giggles.
My heart aches when I see it. It's what my beautiful Jessica does. We both watch in silence as Jenna walks away, holding tightly to her father's hand.
***
"I didn't make partner."
"That's fucked." She drops her purse on the small table by the door. "Who made that decision?"
"The other partners," I say before I down the rest of the bourbon I poured for myself when I got home an hour ago.
"They're fucking morons." She drops to her ass next to me.
I laugh at her words. They're actually my words. They're the very same words I've used countless times when talking about the people I work with. It's obvious that Jessica pays way more attention to what I'm complaining about than I give her credit for.
"What are you going to do now?" She asks, her hand trailing a path over my knee.
"I don't fucking know." I answer in all honesty. I wanted to act like a fucking child and pitch a fit when I got the news. If I'm being honest part of me is grateful that I wasn't chosen. It would have meant more time at the office. I would have seen even less of Jessica.
"You could wait tables at Axel," she offers. "I heard today that a few people quit so there are some openings."
"Really?" I could use the distraction of some work place gossip right now. "Why did they quit?"
"No one tells me anything." She shrugs her shoulders as she unbuttons her chef jacket. "I just heard that they are short staffed. The owner is flying in to deal with it."
"Hunter?" I question. Hunter Reynolds is the friend of a friend. I've never met the guy but I've heard a lot about him. Apparently, he's a whiz kid in the restaurant business. I may have to go down there and introduce myself once he's in town. "I should probably meet him at some point."
"You haven't met Hunter?" She tilts her head to the side.
"Not yet."
"That seems odd to me." Her lips purse together.
"Why is that odd?" I stare at my empty glass. I should get up and pour myself another. I don't have the energy for it right now.
"You know a lot of the same people he knows."
"I guess I do," I say under my breath as I watch her slide the jacket from her body revealing a pl
ain white t-shirt. "You're not wearing a bra, Jessica."
"I know." She takes the glass from my hand and jumps to her feet. "I'll get you another. You look like you could use it."
"Why aren't you wearing a bra?"
"Sometimes it's uncomfortable when I'm working."
I take the now full glass from her hand. "You should wear a bra."
"You should lighten up." She bites on the edge of her fingernail. "Let's talk about Hunter more."
"Why?"
"I heard something else at work today." She's playful. She's hiding something from me. I recognize it in the sound of her voice. She's been sullen and withdrawn since we saw Jenna at the museum last week. I've given her the room she's needed to process that. I've let her let go in her own way and at her own pace.
"What was it?" I wish I wasn't as down as I feel. Rejection isn't a regular part of my life. Even if I wasn't completely sold on the idea of being partner, I didn't want them to reject me. This would feel a hell of a lot better if I was the one telling them that I didn't want the job.
"They're looking for a junior chef." The slight grin on her face is all the encouragement I need to snap out of my funk.