Part 27: Lunch

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by swaywhore

by swaywhore

The five of us piled into Bryce's car, and by the sheer grace of God, I was completely relaxed. In less than twenty-four hours, everything that had been causing me disastrous anxiety had disappeared, and I was completely at ease.
"What are you thinking about over there?" Jaden asked, nudging me.
"I was, uh, I was just thinking about how truly lucky I am. Just a few days ago, I was crying in my car about being fired, and now, I have an amazing position and I'm just, I don't know, Jaden. I'm just happy," I explained.
Bryce had turned the radio down in the front, and I could see him glancing at me in the rearview mirror. "I'm glad that you're happy with us. We really like you," he added.
"That makes me even happier. I've had my fair share of clients who hated me. I mean, I got fired because Cynthia was my new client," I explained, chuckling softly.

Bryce gasped audibly. "Cynthia was one of your clients? How in the hell did that happen?" he asked.
"I, uh, I was one of the publicists that focused mainly on social media influencers. They always told me that I was one of the best, and I guess that when Cynthia came in, she told my boss that she wanted the best," I stated, pausing. "My boss and I were kind of close. She knew all about Quinton and I, and I figured that she would've done some background research on her before assigning her as my case."
"Wait. So she didn't do any background at the initial client intake?" Jaden interjected.
"Oh, you sound like a publicist yourself, Jay," I teased. "No, she didn't. I guess Cynthia's management team said that it was urgent, so Cynthia was waiting in my office for me when I got there."

We had pulled up to the restaurant, and Bryce was looking for a parking space. "Ooh, there!" Rafy exclaimed, pointing to one directly in front of us. He whipped in and turned to look at us when the car was in park.
"I want to hear more about Cynthia getting you fired."
We walked into the restaurant, and we were seated at a table near the door before I spoke. "Okay, so first things first, Cynthia didn't get me fired. I got myself fired. Cynthia was just the final nail in the coffin. I guess that I had been forming inappropriate relationships with my clients. I think that she was talking about me being friends with Jaden, but I'm not entirely sure. She didn't really elaborate before she told me to pack my shit up and leave."
"Oh, so it probably didn't help that I showed up right after you got fired to help you pack?" Jaden asked.
I nodded in agreement. "Probably not, but I didn't work for them anymore, so I wasn't really worried about inappropriate relationships. Enough about me. Someone else please say something. Anything."

"Um, so how long have you lived in LA?" Blake asked.
"I thought I said enough about me," I laughed. "I lived in San Francisco until I was fourteen, and then, my family moved here to LA. How long have all of you lived in LA?"
They spouted off their answers, and I was amazed at the variety of times. They all seemed like they had lived in LA for forever.
A comfortable silence fell over the table as we browsed over the menu. I was surprisingly comfortable with them, and I was amazed at how easily I had fallen into place.
"Another question," Rafy said, breaking the silence. "Why did you end up choosing public relations? I have a minor in public communications, and I'm always curious as to why other people choose the same path."

"Um, so I actually kind of stumbled upon it by accident. My first boss at the firm played golf with my dad. They needed someone to work in the mailroom, and my dad had decided that I needed a job. One day, the receptionist was out sick, and they needed someone to answer the phone. I had already been answering the phones down in the mailroom, so they pulled me upstairs," I began, always jumping at a chance of telling the story that no one ever really asked about.
"I love that!" Rafy replied. "It's like it was meant to be. What happened when you worked upstairs?"
"A client came in without an appointment, and they gave me a little bit of background information. My boss came up while I was giving them advice, and he suggested that I pursue it as a career. I took college courses while I was in high school, and I graduated two years after high school. I job shadowed with Amanda, who just fired me," I chuckled. "I fell in love with the job before I really even knew what the job was."

Jaden cleared his throat, bringing Rafy and me out of our conversation. "We're glad that you did. We're lucky to have you on our team, Izzie."
"He's right," Bryce agreed. "After everything that you did for Addison, I can guarantee that you're going to do big things for us."
Blake chimed in. "Amen. Sway only uses the best of the best."
I felt a blush creep over my cheeks. "Oh, stop it, you guys. I'm not even that good. I think that you guys give me to much hype."

The waitress brought our food, and the silence from earlier fell over the table as we ate. I paused, looking up at them. "You guys?"
"What's up?" Jaden asked, a worried look on his face.
I took a deep breath before I spoke. "I need to thank you guys."
"Don't be silly," Bryce disagreed.
"No. I do. I thought that it was going to be so much harder to find a job, and you guys gave me a job so willingly. I didn't just get a job. I got friends right along with it, and that means a lot to me. I don't think that I have any other friends that didn't work at Levy," I explained.
"Hey, the pleasure is all ours," Jaden replied, patting my hand.