“Boys!” his aunt Beatrice suddenly called up the stairs. “Dinner’s almost ready. Come down here before it gets cold or all eaten.”
Doug chuckled and shook his head. She’d been threatening such a thing for as long as he could remember, but the dinners she made never got cold or eaten ahead of time. “C’mon, champ. Let’s go down and grab dinner,” he said to Devon, carefully picking up his son before there could be any protest.
Thankfully, Devon was hungry so it wasn’t a problem. They went downstairs and he placed the kid in the designated chair beside the one Doug took. Rather than hiring a cook, his Aunt Bea took charge of the cooking ever since she’d joined forces at Stony Creek. “As long as I’m breathing, mine is the only food you need eat here,” she would say.
He often wondered if there wasn’t some amount of pity in both his aunt’s and his mother’s insistence on helping around the ranch. Even before it had transitioned into being a dude ranch, as soon as he was left a widower and a single father, the older women had come forth to assist him and make things run smoothly so he didn’t have to worry about anything like that.
It didn’t prevent him from worrying though. He still worried all the time, about Devon, about the ranch, about what his late wife and his late father would think about the things he was doing in his life now that they were both gone. He was never sure if he was doing enough, or making the right choices, but at least he knew his family – his remaining family – had his back.
Aunt Bea set out a grilled chicken dinner and everyone served themselves. The sides were mashed potatoes, peas, corn, and grits. Doug smiled, in awe of his aunt, as he served himself generous portions of each side along with his chicken breast and leg. “I don’t know anyone in Texas who would turn down your cooking, Aunt Bea. It really isn’t as if you have to force anyone to come eat.”
As nice as it had been to relax with his friends in NYC and take care of some exciting new business ventures, Doug was glad to be back home with his family on his own patch of land.
Chapter Two
Paige Lancaster set her yellow highlighter down on the desk, sighing as she glanced through the newspaper. She didn’t know how many people besides her even looked through the newspaper to find jobs nowadays, but she was trying any avenue she could think of. She was working as a freelance events coordinator, the sort of person who could be called upon to help out at weddings or parties without working full-time at any one place. She enjoyed the freedom to work at all sorts of different venues, for all sorts of different people, but at twenty-seven years old, she was also ready for a full-time commitment somewhere.
Not only was she ready for the stable schedule, but she was also ready for the stable pay. Paige had been working so hard and still struggling to make ends meet. As a result, she still lived at home with her parents. They were loving and supportive, but she could tell they were waiting for the day she informed them she was moving out. They deserve to go on a vacation or buy a yacht. Whatever it was that retired people liked to do. Heck, I’d like to go on a vacation and I can’t do that if I’m desperately looking for jobs at all times.
After scouring the newspaper’s job pages and highlighting everything applicable to her, Paige stood up from her desk and left her room, heading downstairs so she could be sociable and try and stop the worried humming in her brain.
“Hey,” her mom said to her with a smile, patting the couch cushion next to her as Paige approached. “How’s the job hunting going?”
“I’ve found a lot of places to send my résumé,” Paige replied, collapsing onto the couch as if highlighting was tiring work. “But who knows if it will just be like sending it off into the ether like usual?”
“Cheer up, honey,” her mom said, gently taking Paige’s chin into her hand and lifting it up a little for her, looking into her eyes. “At least you have a job. It looks better on your résumé to be doing something, anything. And you’re doing all the right things to get your name out there.”
Paige looked back at her mother and felt somewhat comforted. At least her mom wasn’t treating the matter like it was something she was doing wrong. “I’ve gained plenty of experience,” she agreed with her. “I just need to find a lasting gig somewhere that requires an events coordinator all the time.” Her first thought was always hotels, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to do something like that. Hotels took on a lot of conferences and that sort of thing wasn’t thrilling to her. But she knew she couldn’t be picky about whatever places might be interested in her.
“I believe in you,” her mom said to her sweetly. “Would you like to help me make dinner before your dad gets home?”
Paige nodded her head. She was feeling desperate for something to do. Whenever she didn’t have work to do in a day, she felt so aimless. “How long is he playing golf today?” she asked with a laugh. “He shouldn’t get too much sun.”
Her mom laughed softly. “Don’t worry, he wore a hat today and he brought sunscreen. Now, whether he remembered to put it on or not…”
Both women shook their heads, smiling fondly about the man as they made their way out into the kitchen to get started on dinner.
By the time Paige’s father arrived back home from his golf excursion, the house smelled like ham and buttered mashed potatoes. “Oh, nice of you to join us,” her mother said to him with a smile. They hugged and Paige watched them, amused. The Lancasters liked to feign disdain for each other’s hobbies, but they clearly loved each other, even if their interests weren’t always shared. Paige hadn’t ever seen her mom play golf before, for example. But that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t listen to her husband’s stories from the green.
After a pleasant dinner with her parents, Paige went back into her bedroom – the room she’d lived in her whole life, not including when she was off at college – and she got onto her laptop that she kept on her desk. Right away, she got a group message from her friends.
“Do you want to get together tomorrow?” Emily asked.
“I’m down,” Iris replied. “It’s been a long time.”
“LOL only because it’s been a long time,” Kat teased.
Paige smiled as she read these messages. It really had been a long time since they’d been together in person. They normally chatted through online messages or texts, since they’d both gone off to start their own lives after school. She figured a lot of people spent most of their time chatting over the internet instead of in person nowadays. Had social media actually made them less social?
“Yes please,” she messaged her friends. “I’m kinda having an existential crisis and could use some fun.”
“That’s what friends are for. :)” Iris wrote.
“Tomorrow at seven? Let’s get dinner,” Emily said.
The friends confirmed things with each other and Paige was excited to finally have a plan to do something fun with her friends. Her parents were nice and everything, but there was something to be said for spending time with people her own age. She had a feeling they needed to be brought up to speed about her job and what she wanted out of life. Of course, she didn’t plan to just talk about herself; she was eager to learn what they were up to as well.
She applied for a few jobs before getting dressed in her pajamas so she could read a while before bed. Paige hoped seeing her friends might give her a boost. It’s also possible they might be able to network with me, she thought. It seemed like it helped to know people at places where she wanted to work, and so far she didn’t think she knew anyone anywhere. She was definitely ready to get out of the funk she was in.
The following day, Paige got out of bed early and went downstairs to eat breakfast. She ate a bowl full of sugary, faux fruit cereal before heading into the shower. The rest of her friends had agreed on meeting up at seven p.m., meanwhile she had nothing to do in the time leading up to it. She went back into her room after her shower and sat at her desk, working on plumping up her résumé a bit. She sent off a few more applications online and made sure to sen
d her résumé in the mail to a few of the jobs she’d seen in the newspaper. There was nothing wrong with having finding a new job as her job… as long as it didn’t last for too long. She was antsy to find something lasting, something that would give her a way out of her parents’ house and into living as her own, independent person.
Paige managed to fill out a few promising applications before she got into her mom’s car and drove to the restaurant where she had planned to meet her friends. Zza was basically a fast-food pizza place, though they did have pasta and sandwiches, and nice booths for diners to sit in if they weren’t in a rush. Paige couldn’t remember the last time she’d been there and hadn’t been in a rush. It was more her pick-up place of choice than her favorite restaurant, but who was she to argue with her crew of friends?
Paige parked in the lot out front and strolled inside, easily finding her friends at their usual booth near both the window and the counter where they placed their orders. Instead of getting food, she noticed they’d waited for her to arrive first. She smiled at them and set her purse down on the vacant chair. “Hey,” she said, feeling an odd sense of relief just at seeing her friends again. “How’s it going?”
“Not bad,” Iris said, smiling back at her and getting up from her seat.
“It’s funny,” Emily said with a sly grin as she rose from her chair. “The one with the loosest schedule is the one who showed up last.”
“Don’t make fun of me,” Paige said, laughing as they all made their way over to order their food. “I had a long day of filling out applications. That still counts as work.”
Kat gave her a funny look. “I thought you had a job, though. What happened?”
Paige shook her head. “It’ll be better for me to explain once there’s pizza and soda in front of us. I’d love some caffeine and carbs right about now.”
The friends all laughed. “I hear that,” Emily said in agreement.
As soon as they’d each placed their order, they met back up at their table, waiting there for the staff to come and deliver their food and drinks. Paige’s stomach growled, but thankfully she didn’t think it was audible, especially not over the chatter in the place. “You guys look like you’ve been doing well,” she commented with no small amount of happy envy for each of them.
Kat nodded. “I like to think I’m doing well.”
“Work is literally kicking my butt lately,” Emily complained lightly, “which is why I wanted to get together so quickly.”
Iris looked thoughtful. “Really, we should do this more often. Not necessarily this. Too much pizza can go a long way. But we should get together more often.”
A team of three waiters brought over their pizza slices and drinks soon after, so the friends focused on their meals for a while and didn’t talk. Paige made sure to savor her mushroom and sausage slices.
“So,” Emily finally cut in after a while of them just sitting there happily feasting. She overdramatically wiped at her mouth and hands with a tan paper napkin. “Now will you please tell us about your work woes?”
When she put it like that, Paige felt like she might not fully be able to deliver. After all, was she really experiencing woe, or was it just boredom and fear of stagnation? She was making money, she just expected to be doing better by now…
“I don’t really have woes,” she told her friends. “Everything is okay. I’m just stuck in a rut because trying to find a full-time job isn’t easy. I’ve got the skills and tenacity, but a lot of places don’t want to hire a full-time event coordinator. They don’t see it as necessary.”
Her friends gave her sympathetic looks. “It’s hard all around out there,” Iris pointed out. “Everything’s so automated now. Even interviews.” She would know, because she worked in HR for an insurance company.
Paige nodded and took a sip of her Dr. Pepper. “I don’t want to lower the mood, though. At least I do have a job. It could be worse.”
“Do you want us to ask around for you?” Kat asked. “We could do some networking on your behalf, if that would help. At least I know I could. I know a few people…”
“Me too,” Emily added with a nod and a reassuring smile. “It might not be exactly what you’re looking to do, but it could be better?”
Paige smiled appreciatively at her friends. “Thank you, guys. I appreciate any help you can offer me. Just don’t sign me up for anything crazy.”
Her friends laughed a bit, conjuring up ideas about crazy jobs for her to apply for. Even though she was still stressed about finding something lasting in her field, it was good to sit with her friends and plan the future together instead of feeling so lost and alone.
Paige was sad to see their time together come to an end, but she knew they all had work the next day – including her – so she didn’t want to force them to stay out too late. “Thank you for planning this little get-together,” she said to Emily. “I do think we should do it more often.”
“Weekly,” Iris chimed in. “I can schedule it, if you want.”
The friends all laughed. How silly would it be, to have a scheduled meet-up every week, like it was a part of their full work calendars. It might just be the easiest way to ensure we actually do it, though, Paige thought.
“Friday evenings are typically good for me,” she said. “But we can plan further through texting.”
They each got into their cars and drove off in slightly different directions. Paige was grateful her friends still lived around town. A lot of people left Texas as soon as they got the chance, but not her gang of four. She smiled to herself as she drove along the road back to her parents’ house. At least they all still had each other.
As soon as she arrived back at home, she settled into her bed, reading up on a few potential jobs on her phone. She knew she was obsessed, but she thought it was something worthy of being obsessed about. She was having a tough time landing a full-time job, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I just have to keep applying and putting myself out there and surely something great will come along.
At least the following day, she had work to do for an educational function at a town hall. Whenever she could focus on working an event, it took her mind off of things and allowed her to prove herself. She was the point of contact for people, which she thought could be a great networking tool; the trouble was that Paige often felt too shy to ask for things such as business cards and more information about the companies she worked under. She was a people person, but she was also self-conscious and afraid of coming across the wrong way. She didn’t think it was a good idea to be pestering people for a job while she was working a job. Often, this made her wonder if she was really the go-getter she liked to think she was.
I think I’m my own worst enemy, she thought.
It wasn’t long before her friends were messaging with her again about the next time they could see each other. She was glad to see they wanted to get together as much as she did. Paige had no problem networking with her friends, because she knew them well enough to know they weren’t going to find it annoying or uncouth. They’d even offered to help her, which also put her at ease.
Instead of meeting up at the pizza restaurant again, they met up at a local library. As soon as Paige arrived, she stopped at the corkboard near the seating area so she could browse the job opportunities there. She then sat down in a cushy chair facing the front and waited for the others to appear. This time, she was the early one.
“Hey hey hey,” Kat said with a grin as she walked into the library, pushing her dark sunglasses up onto her head. “Have you been here long?” She sat in a chair next to Paige.
Before long, Emily and Iris appeared as well. Now they could get started… with whatever it was they were going to do. Paige didn’t know what they might get up to this time, since dinner wasn’t involved.
“I’ve got a few leads for you,” Emily said once she sat down, cross-legged on the carpeted floor instead of in a chair. “Now, you might not like all of them because not all of them are strictly in
event planning or whatever, but at least they’re full-time jobs, right?”
She outlined a few of the roles for Paige, who listened attentively but felt some trepidation about completely switching gigs. Do I really have what it takes for this? I’m more passionate about what I’ve been doing…
She was grateful to her friend and she didn’t want to be dismissive, but she was nervous about completely changing all of her goals just to align with an open position. And this didn’t stop, because of course Iris also came with jobs for her to apply for, as did Kat. By the time they’d all stopped their spiels about their friends and companies that they each personally recommended, Paige could practically create a book out of the business cards she’d been handed.
“Is this why you all wanted to meet in a library?” she asked them with a laugh. “Do you expect me to get on one of the computers and apply now?”
Her friends chuckled. “No, no,” Iris said. “There’s no need for that. We just thought a library was a good place to meet because it’s quiet.”
“Who doesn’t like being surrounded by books?” Emily asked.
She had a good point there.
“I’m sorry if I seem obsessed,” Paige said, safely storing the cards away in a pocket of her purse. “I’m not trying to be so one-note about this. It’s just so overwhelming to go from being excited about a career to realizing it isn’t exactly going to cut it for me.” She sighed wistfully. “I think my mom’s about ready to have me work in retail just to get me out of the house every day.”
“It’s understandable to feel both worried and disappointed,” Emily said. “If I were you, I would be very annoyed.”
“Not just annoyed,” Iris countered. “I’d feel disheartened. So more power to you for continuing to do your good work and look for ways to do it as a career.”
Paige smiled and nodded a bit. “It feels good to talk about it. You have no idea. My parents are understanding and I know they care about me, but I don’t think they really know what it’s like. Everything’s so different from when they were younger.”
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