Jane in New York Pt. 11

CHAPTER 11

When Veronica walked in, she laid her eyes on the woman she had known about for so long, but never thought she would meet. The blonde was just sitting at the table, going through her binder.

The confused woman noticed a chair was already pulled out for her. Her heart raced as she sat down across from me mysterious woman. What the fuck is she doing here? she wondered.

Suddenly, the blonde interrupted Veronica's thoughts. "Thank you for meeting with me," she said, with her eyes down, flipping through the binder.

Veronica couldn't stop from tapping her foot against the carpet. "What is this all about?"

This was Veronica's first time seeing her in real life, but everything about her presence was powerful. Her blonde hair, her piercing eyes, the business jacket she wore over a little white cami, the confident smirk she gave, and even the vanilla scented perfume she wore.

Finally, the blonde stopped flipping through the pages and looked up to make eye contact with the nervous woman. "Sorry, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Camilla, and I am here... to offer you a job."

Veronica furrowed her eyebrows, allowing several seconds to go by. "You're offering me... a job?"

"That's right," the woman replied, taking her jacket off before pulling out a packet. "Here is some information on my company, Sunshine Industries."

"I know about Sunshine Industries," Veronica quickly responded. "I just don't know why they would want me. I've never even applied there."

"Funny you ask; I am the newly appointed Hiring Coordinator for a branch that is opening soon. I was instructed by my supervisor to put together a good staff. After doing all the research I possibly could on you, I have decided that you are the perfect fit for our office."

Veronica shook her head, trying to snap herself out of the confusion. Things were happening way too fast. "But... why me? I don't think I'm even qualified to work there. And it's all the way in New York..."

"Yes, it's a difficult decision to move so far away," Camilla responded, as Veronica looked over the information. "Your future supervisor, if you decide to accept the job, had a difficult time with her decision to move to New York as well. Her name is on the second page, in the contact section. It might look familiar to you."

After scanning the paper, Veronica's entire life came to a halt when her eyes came across the familiar name. She could hear her heart pounding as she realized the true implications of the job she was being offered.

"I thought you might know her. Didn't she work somewhere around here?"

Veronica looked up at the blonde. Does she not know? She has to know, right?

Camilla looked around, looking ever so innocent. "Wait a second... She didn't work in this office, did she?"

"Yeah... she worked here," the skeptical woman finally answered. "You said she's a Branch Director now?"

"That's right," the blonde answered, nodding her head. "She had some doubts about moving to New York, but luckily one of her coworkers helped convince her. She showed up, worked really hard, brought a bunch of great ideas, and now... she's my supervisor. So, you can see the potential for upward movement if you come to our company."

Veronica's eyes lit up. She was visibly shaking from everything that was just revealed. She has to know about me! Maybe Jane was talking about me and that's why she found me.

"Veronicaaa~" Camilla playfully called out with the soft voice. "You're being awfully quiet."

"Yeah, sorry! This is just... a lot to take in."

"I know I've given you a lot to think about. Those numbers for the salary and compensations are pretty accurate, but they're not set in stone. Like I said, I just put this together when I got the position so take that into account. However, the address, the company, and the supervisor's name are all correct."

"It all looks great..." Veronica said, staring at the name on the paper. "But I don't know..."

"It would be ridiculous to expect you to make a decision right now. Why don't you just keep this packet and take some time to really think about it. My card is in there, so just give me a call or text if you need anything. I'll be in town for a little while."

Suddenly, Veronica couldn't hold herself back any longer. "Did Jane... send you here?"

An awkward silence filled the room as Camilla stared at the flustered woman. After a deep breath, the blonde responded, "She left me in charge of putting the new staff together. I'm the one who thinks you're the perfect fit."

All of Camilla's answers only left Veronica with more questions. However, what she did gather was that Jane was wildly successful without her, leaving her with cold feet. "I... can't..."

"I beg your pardon?" Camilla interrupted.

"I can't..." the nervous woman repeated. "I'm sorry. I appreciate the offer, but I think it's best I stay here."

Looking unfazed, Camilla began gathering her belongings. "I figured you'd say that. But like I said, take some time to think about it and give me a shout."

As she stood up, she had one final message for Jane's former love. "We all make mistakes in life. Sometimes we don't even consider them mistakes because they were made with good intentions. I would just hope if life gives us an opportunity to resolve a big mistake, we wouldn't just let it slip by."

Veronica's eyes got big as she looked up at the mysterious woman. "What do you mean by that? What are you talking about, exactly?"

Camilla just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't know. I think I heard that on a TED Talk. Just thought it might help sway you for some reason."

Though the message was cryptic, Camilla's words started to resonate with Veronica. As the blonde put her hand on the door handle to leave, the black-haired Latina stopped her one last time. "So, how long are you going to be in town?"

"Hmmm... I don't know."

Veronica did a double take. "What do you mean... you don't know?"

"I'm pretty flexible right now," Camilla explained as she opened the door. "Just text me and we can meet up again. Whenever you want... wherever you want."

"Okay..."

With a little smirk, the blonde continued, "It was great to finally meet you," before walking out and leaving Veronica with too many questions and not enough answers.

As Camilla walked out, she noticed Carmen and Ashley staring at her silently. "I'm done now," she said to the young assistant. "You can lead me out."

"Right!" Carmen responded. However, as she started walking, she realized the blonde had stopped behind her.

Ashley was sitting in her chair, which was several feet from her desk. Much to her confusion, she noticed the strong presence of Camilla standing in front of her, smiling.

"Yes?" the brown-haired Latina asked, feeling a bit nervous.

Camilla looked down at her and then looked at the path to the exit. Ashley looked around confused, before realizing she was in the woman's direct path. "Oh, sorry!" she said, before moving out of the way.

The blonde woman just smiled before proceeding past her. Then, as she got to the door, she handed her jacket to Carmen.

The young woman looked at the blonde with a confused face. "But... this is your jacket..."

Camilla let out a slight chuckle. "Do you not have any manners?"

The cute little assistant became even more confused. "Umm... Sorry... This is your jacket, Ma'am."

"I know this is my jacket, silly! I want you to help me put it on before I leave."

"Oh!" Carmen held the jacket up as Camilla slid her arms into the sleeves. She didn't know why she felt so nervous around the mysterious woman.

Then out of nowhere, Camilla placed her hands on the assistant's shoulders and fixed her posture. "Here, like this. Shoulders back and chest out, okay? It makes you look more confident."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Carmen responded, trying to hold her pose.

As the intense woman made her exit, Carmen and Ashley were left in silence, staring at each other. Finally, at the same time, they both exclaimed, "What the fuck just happened?!"

They quickly ran into the conference room where Veronica was still sitting in complete silence. She was looking down as if she were deliberating something in her head.

"What the hell was all that about?" Ashley asked.

"I... I'm not exactly sure what just happened," Veronica said, shaking in disbelief.

"Well, what did she say?" Carmen asked.

Veronica grabbed the stack of papers and handed them to her coworkers. "She said she was here to offer me a job."

"Sunshine Industries?!" Ashley exclaimed, flipping through the packet.

"Uhhh... Yeah... And Jane would be my supervisor."

Ashley quickly flipped to the contacts page. "Jane is the Branch Director?!"

"Yeah..." Veronica answered with a blank stare.

Carmen's face immediately lit up. "I didn't know Jane was in charge over there!"

"Yeah... I didn't know either..."

Suddenly realizing the high stakes, Ashley carefully approached her best friend. "So... what did you tell her?"

The black-haired Latina just shook her head, keeping her eyes on the floor. "I rejected the offer..."

Ashley took a deep breath, understanding it was time to be the strong person Veronica needed. With a firm tone, she asked, "Why did you reject her offer?"

"Jane is doing so well over there without me. She's better off without me in her life. Besides, I can't just uproot and move to New York."

Ashley looked over at Carmen. "Can you excuse us for a minute?"

The cute assistant quickly left the room, understanding the two best friends had serious matters to discuss.

Ashley then sat right next to Veronica, looking her straight in the eyes. "Let me get this right; You miss Jane like crazy and wish she was still in your life. Then someone comes along and throws you a lifeline to get back in her life... and you reject it?"

Veronica looked up at her best friend and cringed. "I don't trust that woman!" she said, furrowing her eyebrows again.

"Yeah, blame her for not doing everything you can to be with Jane."

"Shut up, Ashley! You don't understand. "

"I understand more than anyone!" her best friend argued. "I was there when you went through your depression. I was there when you rejected her the first time. And I was there to help you recover both times when you didn't tell Jane what you should have!"

Looking into her best friend's eyes, Veronica could see Ashley was hurting just as much as she was. She took a moment to take it in and realized how much she was cared for.

"You're right..." Veronica finally replied. "I should never doubt that you have anything but my best interest in mind. It's just... this is so crazy, and I don't trust that woman. What if she's sabotaging me?"

Ashley placed her hand on Veronica's hand. "I know you don't like her but if she's giving you an opportunity to reunite with Jane, you should at least hear her out."

"What if she is with Jane and she just wants to hurt me? I know that sounds silly, but I have to be skeptical. I mean, why would she show up all the way from New York just to offer me a job that I never showed interest in?"

"It does sound a little sketchy," Ashley admitted. "But we can come up with a plan. Maybe if you meet with her at the Sushi bar, Vicky can be your server. That way, you have a friend there to secretly give you advice."

"That's a good idea!" Veronica responded, letting a little smile slip out. "Vicky gives great advice and Camilla doesn't know I'm friends with her. It'll be two-on-one, and she won't even know it."

The coworkers high-fived and laughed with a sudden excitement. Though Veronica didn't know what she was doing, she was ready to explore the possibility of reuniting with her former lover.

Carmen and Veronica gossiped together as Ashley called Vicky to explain the situation. Of course, the noble waitress was more than happy to help Veronica in her time of need.

"I don't trust her either!" Vicky responded over speaker, for all the girls to hear. "Don't worry, Veronica. I'll take care of you and make sure she doesn't try to screw you over!"

Veronica smiled from ear to ear, feeling support from all her friends. "We'll take her down together if we have to."

Remembering her brief but intense encounter with the mysterious woman, Carmen gave her friends a warning. "Keep your guard up. I don't know what it is about that woman, but she is intense!"

"She wasn't that intense," Ashley said, rolling her eyes. "She tried to act all tough but I scared her off."

"You did?" Vicky responded in a high pitch.

"That's not the way I saw it!" Carmen interrupted. "You looked so scared of her!"

"I was not!" Ashley refuted.

"She made you move out of the way without even saying a word!"

Ashley began stumbling over her words, trying to come up with an excuse. "That was... No, she didn't... It wasn't like that! My chair got stuck and I was moving, anyway!"

Veronica started to laugh, impressed the young assistant was actually willing to call Ashley out. However, her laughing came to a halt as she thought about of Carmen's warning. She's right... Camilla is pretty intense. It's a good thing I won't be alone.

Unfortunately, Vicky was just as worried. "Even Ashley is afraid of her? You know this woman is scary! Hopefully, I can be strong for Veronica!"

"I wasn't scared of her!" Ashley yelled.

--

Text Conversation

"Hello. This is Veronica."

"I've been waiting for you to reach out."

"I would like to learn more about the job. Are you free tomorrow?"

"Yes, I am."

"What time works best for you?"

"Anytime. Just let me know when and where."

"I'll reserve a table at this sushi restaurant I like. 7:00 PM tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

"Send me the address and I'll be there."

--

I hope I look fierce enough, Veronica thought to herself. She wore a royal blue blazer with a black skirt and long black boots. I don't want her thinking she can just intimidate me.

She took a deep breath before parking the car and going inside. This is it. Be confident Veronica.

As she got inside, she immediately found Vicky but could not find Camilla anywhere. Where is she? She should be easy to spot with that blonde hair.

"Veronica!" Vicky yelled, running up to the Latina.

"Did she not show up?" Veronica asked. "And where's our table? Everything looks full."

Feeling embarrassed, Vicky twiddled her fingers and looked down. "About that..."

"She didn't show up, did she? I knew I shouldn't have trusted her!"

"No, she's here. But..."

"Well, where is she?" Veronica asked, with a confused look.

The cute little assistant became visibly frustrated. "I had a table reserved for you guys but she insisted on sitting outside."

"Outside? Why would she sit outside?"

"I tried to tell her that nobody really uses our patio but she wouldn't take no for an answer!" The cute waitress stomped her feet. "You guys were right; She is intense!"

"Okay..." the Latina responded, still confused. "Just take me to her and I'll try to convince her to sit in your section."

Much to Veronica's surprise, when she and Vicky got outside, she immediately realized why Camilla insisted on sitting in the patio.

"Hello, Veronica..."

"Camilla... You smoke?"

"You caught me red-handed," the blonde said with a smirk on her face.

"I already told you," Vicky said with a flustered voice. "This isn't a smoking section!"

"Oh?" Camilla reacted with an innocent face. "Then why does every table have an ashtray?"

The cute little waitress stomped her feet. "Those aren't ashtrays! Those are soy sauce dishes!"

The blonde gave her a confused stare. "Why would your restaurant use soy sauce bowls as ashtrays? Seems a little unsanitary in my opinion."

Vicky groaned to herself before turning towards Veronica and whispering, "She got here before my shift even started. She's been out here drinking and smoking since four!"

A smirk came to Camilla's face as she noticed the little waitress whispering into the Latina's ear. I see what's going on here, she thought.

As Veronica finally took her seat, she looked down at all the empty glasses. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Not enough," Camilla joked. "If only I had a waitress to fill my order." She then looked over at Vicky and said, "Sweetie, can you go find my server, please?"

"Ugh, I am your server!"

"Oh... Then how come you barely come to my table?"

"I already told you, my section is inside so it takes me awhile to get out here!"

With a big smirk, Camilla asked, "So, your section is inside, but you're serving me too? Why don't you have any other tables out here?"

Vicky became noticeably flustered. The blonde woman was just as intimidating as everyone had warned her. The cute little Asian realized she was caught in a lie and didn't know what to say. "I uhh.... It's hard to explain! But I'll take your order now.... And I am your server!"

"I'd like a strong whiskey, please. Don't bother with any soda or ice."

As Vicky hurried back to her section, Veronica took a seat with me mysterious woman. "I don't know if this is going to sound offensive or not but I didn't take you for a smoker."

"I usually don't," Camilla said with a big puff. "But I've been really... stressed... I hope you don't mind."

A puzzled expression came over Veronica's face. "What are you so stressed about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," the blonde said with a chuckle. "But we can talk about that some other time. I wouldn't want to bore you."

"Have you really been here since four?"

Camilla nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "I literally have nothing else to do. I just thought I'd get here early and enjoy a drink before you showed up." Then, staring at her empty glasses still on the table, she said, "I guess one drink turned into six, and one cigarette turned into a pack."

Veronica was left staring down at her own lap, not knowing how to respond. I know I'm supposed to dislike her but what the hell am I dealing with here? she asked herself.

"So, let's talk business," Camilla prompted. However, before she could continue, Vicky came back, bringing the whiskey to the table.

The mysterious woman noticed the waitress hanging around the table, looking as if she wasn't in a rush to get back to her section. A smirk came over Camilla's face as she thought to herself, Time to have some fun.

Much to Vicky and Veronica's surprise, Camilla continued the conversation, only speaking in Spanish. Vicky looked visibly frustrated, knowing she couldn't understand anything being said.

There was a noticeable panic in Veronica's eyes as she looked over at her friend. She decided to help Vicky by responding in English, hoping the waitress could figure out the questions if she heard the answers.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the blonde suddenly responded, looking ever so innocent. "Do you not speak Spanish?"

"I do..." Veronica answered as her foot bounced. "I just... feel more comfortable speaking English."

Camilla gasped as she placed a hand over her own mouth. "I am so sorry! I could have sworn you were a native Spanish speaker. I think some of your big projects were entirely in Spanish. Oh, and one of your resumes that I found online said Spanish is your first language. I guess there must have been a mix-up."

Caught in her lie, Veronica's eyes became even bigger. "Yeah... It's my first language. I guess there's no need for either of us to speak English..."

As Vicky stomped her way out of the patio, Camilla chuckled and leaned in towards Veronica. "I have a feeling she's eavesdropping on our conversation. But now that she's gone, we can go back to speaking English."

The black-haired Latina let out a nervous laugh. "What makes you think she was eavesdropping?"