Chapter Seven

It was only a random Wednesday night, but for some reason, I felt like celebrating. I grabbed the bottle of Cabernet that my mom had sent me a few weeks before and poured myself a glass. I sat down in my overstuffed couch, kicking my feet up onto the coffee table.

Things were really coming together for me. My job was going infinitely better than I could have ever hoped for. My apartment was finally decorated and unpacked. I had made a few friends at work. I had a lot to be grateful for.

“Here's to things working out,” I said to myself, holding my glass in the air.

Nobody was there to do the cheers with me, but I didn't care. I was far too happy to be brought down by that fact. I let out a long breath, letting myself sink deep into the cushions.

My phone rang in my pocket and I pulled it out to see an incoming call from my mom. It was her ritual to call me just about every day and I wondered if she'd ever let me grow up. I answered of course, though.

“Hey, Mom,” I said, loosely holding the phone against my ear.

“Hey, Janie,” she replied. “How have you been? You haven't answered your phone in a couple of days. I was worried about you.”

“I've been just fine. Just busy,” I assured her. “How are you?”

“Everything is the same in Iowa,” she said, with a sigh. “Your father is still working non-stop and I'm here at the house, bored out of my mind. How's your job, honey? You haven't told me anything about it.”

“Well, it's good. I'm working directly for the CEO. Remember?”

I'd been light on the details with my family. My job didn't feel real yet. The last thing I wanted was to tell my mother I'd gotten this amazing promotion only to have it all fall apart.

But, today, I felt solid. It felt real enough to tell her a little bit more.

“I thought that was just a short term thing,” Mom said. “It was so quick. You haven't been there long enough to work your way up.”

“No, it's real.” I grinned. “I'm really working for the CEO.”

“You don't find that a little strange?” Mom asked. “I mean, don't you think it's odd?”

I rolled my eyes. “Mom, can't you just be proud of me? I've worked my butt off to set up my own life out here in New York and now you're criticizing my success.”

“I'm sorry, Honey,” she said. “I am proud of you. Your father and I are both proud of you. I'm just surprised to hear that you've already been promoted. What is your current role working for the CEO? What kind of work?”

“Well,” I said, with a dramatic pause afterward. “You, and especially Dad, will be happy to hear that I'm reviewing some of the company's stocks. I basically look over all of the investments and make sure everything is congruent.”

“You're kidding me,” Mom said, now sounding excited instead of suspicious. “Your father is going to flip when he hears that. You know, I never told you this but your dad always talked about wishing you'd work in the stock market like he does. He was happy when you started working for the Winthrow firm as an accountant but I can't wait to see his face when I tell him about your new job.”

I smiled wide. I flashed back to the memories of watching my dad circle stocks in the newspaper every morning. Just thinking of it brought back a wave of nostalgia.

“I guess I owe some of my skill to him,” I said, with a chuckle. “I'm still learning, but so far, I've done pretty well I think. I've made the company quite a bit of money so far.”

“That's so great, baby,” Mom said. “How about your dad and I call you a little later tonight when he gets home? I think you should tell him yourself.”

“Sounds good,” I said, before taking another sip of my wine.

“Okay, Jane. I'll talk to you then. Love you,” she said.

“Love you too, Mom.”

After hanging up, my thoughts went immediately to the million dollars that Carter had shorted against the New York Solar Company's stock.

I shouldn't even look. I'm not at work. This is supposed to be my personal time. Damn if I'm not curious, though, I thought.

Using my cell phone, I logged into my work profile and found the stock that Carter. It was a good thing he'd taken my advice on it, too. As I had predicted, the value had already plummeted fifteen percent in after-hours trading. There wasn't a statement from the company yet, but I was sure that there would be one soon. Anybody who had stayed invested with them was surely upset right about now and would be demanding some explanations.

I smiled. I had to email Carter and tell him what I had just found out. It was the first time I had ever contacted him outside of work hours, but this seemed like a good reason to do so.

Hi, Carter. I hope I'm not bothering you, but I wanted to let you know that New York Solar Company's stock value is dropping hand over fist. Looks like shorting it was the right decision. I probably could have waited until tomorrow to tell you but I was just too excited not to share the news. -Jane.

With the email written, I went to send it, but hesitated. I wasn't sure if I was crossing a line by contacting him outside of work hours. It almost felt a little bit taboo for whatever reason. I wondered if any of his other employees ever did it.

“Screw it,” I whispered, pressing the send button and then tossing my phone to the couch cushion next to me. “He probably already thinks I'm weird anyway. What difference does it make if I email him at night?”

I finished my glass of wine and kicked my feet up on the coffee table. I grabbed the remote to my stereo and turned on some music. I had no intention of even looking at my cell phone again that night, but curiosity continued to get the best of me. I kept thinking I heard the message tone go off.

Did Carter write me back? I thought. I wonder if he's happy with the news.

It was too hard to ignore. I grabbed my phone and opened my email, hitting refresh. Sitting in my inbox was an email from Carter. It was a response to my email and my heart fluttered as I opened it up. It was a single sentence from him.

I knew you'd be good at this, Jane

It was a simple praise, but coming from Carter it made me feel incredible. I read the message and could practically hear it in his voice. Especially the part where he said my name. I loved when he said my name.