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Chapter 24

"Congrats!" Bonnie slides the glass of mojito towards me across the full length of the table. Surprisingly, it doesn't tip over. But then again, the tips of her fingers never leave the bottom of the glass, and it's a really freaking tiny table. "To our new columnist!" she raises her glass in the air as a sign of victory.

I wrap my fingers around my own glass and raise it in the air as well. The liquid in it stirs, threatening to spill. "Here, here!" I make a cheerful noise.

This morning when we came into work Katherine had surprised us by an announcement that she's making me a columnist, which is something I've wanted since I started working here. Apparently, my articles improved our sales and broadened our public - offline, as well as online. We're getting reviewed ten times more than we did before, and people are leaving all these crazy, nice, inspiring comments.

I've been in her office the whole morning, working out the details about what I'm going to write about exactly. I understand that it's going to be a long process, until we see an eye to eye and actually agree on the title, writing style, and so on. Both of us agree on one thing, though, which is that Bonnie and I should continue working together. Katherine says we're a great team, which is something I have to agree with.

So we came to our usual bar to celebrate, during our lunch hours. We're trading food for mojitos, like some career driven women from a black and white noir film.

Bonnie slumps into her chair. She can act un-ladylike since we're the only ones here, no suitable boyfriend prospects in the bar at this hour.

"Oh, man," she says, tortured, "I can't believe she actually made you a columnist." Her eyes go wide once those words leave her mouth, as if she realized a fault in them before me. "Not that you don't deserve it, you totally do! But it's Katherine.."

"Yeah, I know." I was honestly a little shocked myself when she made an announcement.

"Well," she grins, "You finally got your dream job."

Yes, yes I did. I know I should be more ecstatic about it, I should seem happier, smile more, maybe even jump up and down a little, but I don't think the news sank into my brain entirely. It still seems so unreal, like I'm going to go upstairs in several minutes and find Ashton Kutcher sitting by my desk, yelling 'You just got punk'd'.

"Yeah," I smile, nodding my head. "Well, wherever I go, you're going with me, since Katherine agrees we're an amazing team," I wink at her.

She parts her lips slightly, trying to convey her surprise. "For real?" she asks, as if she hasn't seen it coming.

"Yup," I clap the palms of my hands, and my skin begins to vibrate. "Luxury suite in San Francisco? You're there with me, stuffing your face with crepes. Middle of nowhere in Texas? You're right next to me, breaking your spine sleeping in an extremely uncomfortable bed," I grin, teasing her. "Oh!" I exclaim, full of excitement, "We can take the smoothie maker with us wherever we go, so I can make us kale smoothies for breakfast each time!"

My words put a horrified expression on her face. "If you do that, I'll quit!" She says that like she actually means it, as if she's really ready to quit her job just so she can avoid my kale smoothies. "Kale is the worst thing mother nature invented, but kale in a smoothie is simply unholy," she says disgusted, as if she can still taste the liquid in her mouth from the last time I've made her try it. Well, she did say she's never going to forget the taste, and from that moment she's extra weary about the things I recommend her to try.

"Kale is good for you! Remember what the doctor told you?" I argue, cocking my eyebrow in her direction.

Bonnie went for her yearly checkup several months ago and her doctor told her that her cholesterol is higher than a 25 year old pizza delivery guy living in his parents basement.