Enjoy an excerpt from the first chapter:
Thea Ahern twisted her hands in her lap as she sat in front of the huge polished desk of LetSlip’s CEO. The receptionist in the notorious gossip magazine’s human resources office took one look at Thea and sent her directly to this office, which seemed odd. Still, this interview was the first one she’d managed to get, and while LetSlip’s reputation might be unsavory, it was a job—and she needed money.
As the petite CEO studied Thea’s portfolio, Thea glanced at the huge, abstract painting covering the wall on her left. She clamped her jaw together in an effort to prevent displaying any trace of emotion. Her mother created that work of art ten years ago or so. Sorrow pierced Thea as she remembered her mother’s joy in splashing the canvas with the vivid colors. It spanned the entire wall, brightening up the otherwise drab office.
“I’m impressed with your work.” The woman stated from across the other side of the massive desk.
“Thank you, Ms. Capello.” Thea gave a tentative smile as a sense of relief flowed through her.
“Please, call me Salbatora. We use first names only at LetSlip. We’re all family here.” The woman shoved aside Thea’s portfolio. “You haven’t lived in Brooklyn for long. I can tell by your accent. Where did you grow up?”
“In south Jersey,” Thea answered.
“Down the shore?” The woman tapped her well- manicured fingers on the shiny desk.
“Sort of, actually in the Pine Barrens.”
“I’ve never been there.” The woman turned her head to stare at the painting on the wall.
A strange chill slid up Thea’s spine.
The woman returned her attention to Thea. “How do you like New York?”
Thea faltered. It’s too noisy—especially at night. “It’s lively.”
A flash of humor crossed Salbatora’s face. “Yes, that it is.” The CEO folded her hands on the desk, her eyes seemed suddenly remote. “Can you tell me about a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills?”
Thea’s heart pounded. When it came to dealing with stress and managing to cope, Thea considered herself the reigning champion. She believed she deserved a trophy. But she must not tell her problems to Salbatora. Not now. Not ever.
A minute ticked by. Thea stared at her hands as perspiration beaded on her brow. She needed to say something. She closed her eyes and remembered...a scary incident. Thank you, Lord.
“When I went to college, pets weren’t allowed in the dorm, but one of the guys kept a lizard in his room, using a heat lamp for warmth. Word went out about a room inspection, and the lizard owner threw a blanket over the terrarium before he went to eat dinner.”
“I see...” The words were a bare whisper.
Thea drew in a breath and continued the story. “The blanket caught on fire and smoke filled the hallway. The sprinklers went on, but the situation was chaotic for several minutes. Some of the students became hysterical about leaving their stuff, but I stayed calm and led them out of the building.”
“The lizard?”
“He passed away, but none of the students were injured.” Thea did not consider herself a heroine, but the event remained a traumatic memory. No doubt, it wasn’t the sort of stress workers withstood putting together a gossip magazine. “At any rate, the campus police arrived quickly. Still, most things in the dorm were ruined by water damage.”
“What did you lose?”
“My laptop, books, clothes, and bedding—like everyone else in the building.” Thea shrugged. “But folks in my hometown helped me out afterward.”
“How fortunate for you.”
“Yes. The people in the town where I grew up are the best.” Thea sighed. She missed her home.
“What town is that?”
“Woods End. It’s very small. Out in the Pine Barrens, as I said.”
“I guess that’s why I never heard of it.” Salbatora stood.
Thea swallowed hard and rose. Was she being dismissed? Did she fail the interview? Maybe the example she gave didn’t measure up to the CEO’s standards.
Salbatora pressed a button on her phone. “Liz, please come in and show Thea where she’ll be working.”
“Right away.” Came a reply.
Thea swayed and held onto the edge of the desk. I got the job?
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy working at LetSlip. You’ll be assigned a mentor for a few weeks.”
Thea nodded. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. And don’t ever hesitate to come to me with any questions.”
A knock came at the door and Liz entered with a clipboard. “Follow me, Thea. I’ll get you situated right away.”
Thea reached for her portfolio. “Bye.” She waved to Salbatora, but the CEO of LetSlip stood next to the painting on the wall and stared at it in utter fascination with a bemused smile lighting up her face.
An icy shiver slid down Thea’s spine, but she ignored it attributing the sensation to the Arctic temperature of the room.
~*~
Thea sat in the small cubicle Liz assigned to her and ran a shaky hand over the cover of the brand-new laptop on the desk. Taking a deep breath, she opened the laptop, turned it on, and began the process of signing in.
Seeing her mother’s painting in the office of the CEO continued to disturb her. The gallery who sold her mother’s work catered to corporate offices because those buyers paid well, so it made perfect sense for the artwork to be on that wall. Yet, it seemed a rather odd twist of fate that this is where Thea landed a job.
She checked inside the drawers of the desk as the computer took its time devouring her information. Working at a publication famous for gossip wasn’t exactly what she had in mind when she graduated. Publishing articles about celebrity gossip didn’t sit right with her conscience either, but LetSlip’s salary turned out to be more generous than she expected. At the moment, money was what mattered the most. Besides, no other company seemed interested in her. Other businesses wanted someone with more experience.
Unease wound through her. Once, her mother had been a famous screen actress, but she gave up her career to raise Thea in the anonymity of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. No one ever suspected Althea Ahern was the famous, Oscar-winning Paris Hulette.
Over the years, her mother’s royalties dwindled to a sad pittance, but Mom’s paintings sold on a regular basis and all was well until the awful time when Mom stopped painting. A lump welled up in Thea’s throat. She pressed her lips together to keep the emotion at bay. This job at LetSlip was a blessing. Since she prayed fervently for help, LetSlip must be the answer to her prayers.
6 comments:
The entire scene is intriguing, but I'm especially interested in the history of the painting.
Welcome to Snippet Sunday. Agree, intriguing snippet. I enjoyed the read.
Hi Ornery Owl,
Thanks for reading. Salbatora figures out more about the painting after she understands where Thea grew up. 😊
Iris,
I’m glad you enjoyed the read. Thanks.
All kinds of eerie subtext going on here. I have a feeling she'll regret going to work there! An interesting excerpt...
Veronica,
Thanks for stopping by and reading the excerpt. Yes, she will have her regrets accepting that job.
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