“Can I have a piece?” that woman from the kitchen asked, pushing into the circle behind me.
I moved out of the way so she could take my place. When we both had a slice, we moved to the edge of the yard, chatting about how we knew Millie. The woman ditched her own coffee mug and was carrying a wine glass instead. Neither hand was free, so she couldn’t do anything more than smile when I said I was Millie’s twin.
“I thought you looked familiar,” she said. “I’m Petra. I was here with Colleen, but I don’t see her anymore.”
“She ditched you?” I chuckled.
“Apparently.”
“Do you work at the university?”
“No, I’m actually a baker. I own a bakery.”
“Wow.” I felt my eyes grow wide. This chick was next level intelligent. I had nothing but respect for small businesspeople. It was a cutthroat world, and just operating one location had so many moving parts I couldn’t imagine being able to do it myself. “How did you…did you go to school for that?”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Culinary arts and business.”
I shook my head. “You’ve got a lot on your plate.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Are you hiring?” I joked.
She gave me a quizzical look as if she couldn’t tell if I was joking or not.
“I’m kidding,” I rescued her. “Sort of. I’m really tired of my job, and at this point, I’m looking for anything.”
It was true. While I was dutifully going into work for all of my scheduled shifts, I was spending an inordinate amount of time researching other careers. I didn’t have the money to pay for a trade school, so I was looking at entry level positions that didn’t require degrees. There weren’t very many of them.
“Excuse me, I couldn’t help overhearing.” A short, muscular man paused beside us on his way to the pig.
He wore a polo shirt that stretched tight over his chest. The expensive fabric highlighted his corded neck, drawing attention to his athletic build. I was surprised but not concerned. I considered everyone at the party to be a friend until they proved different.
“Hey,” I said, toasting him with an imaginary glass.
Petra hid a smile behind a bite of pork.
“Kent.” He held out a hand.
I gestured with my right hand, indicating that it wasn’t fit to touch. “I need to find a napkin or a sink.”
“Getting dirty isn’t the worst thing,” Kent replied, taking my hand anyway.
I licked my lips, tasting the salt of the meat. I wasn’t prepared to meet anyone out here in the yard, even though hooking up at parties was kind of my thing. It was just the grease from the pig and Kent’s insistence on shaking anyway that took me by surprise. I smiled guiltily. He had me at a disadvantage, and I was determined to rectify it.
“Meara,” I introduced myself. “I’m Millie’s twin sister, and Millie is Warren’s girlfriend.”
“And Vlad’s girlfriend,” Kent added.
“So, you’re up to speed,” I guessed.
“Completely,” he replied, studying me carefully. He seemed mesmerized for a moment, as if I wasn’t what he had expected. Then he shook it off and got to the point. “I overheard you saying you were interested in starting a new career. My firm is hiring paid interns. You should apply.”
“Just like that?” I wondered.
“Just like that,” he confirmed.
“What do you do?”