RINGOFTRUTHEBOOK (1) Read online

  With that done, Jake took a quick shower, and checked his phone. He groaned. Only a few people knew his number, and he was hoping to avoid all of them.

  “Jake, this is Philip. Your payment is overdue. Again. I don’t want to evict you, but I need something.” The deep voice was kind, and that made Jake feel worse than if he’d yelled. Philip was a great guy and had been more than patient with him.

  Something needed to happen soon with his auditions, or Jake would have to get another job. He’d been told not to expect a raise at the pound for the first year, which he hadn’t really expected anyway. Jake made a sandwich and sat down on the old couch that had been left by the previous owners, and turned on the TV. The reception was terrible, but he couldn’t complain, because it was also free.

  He made a few phone calls to different agents, and then entered all the new audition dates into his phone. Tomorrow would be busy, but he hoped it would be worth it.

  The phone rang, and Jake answered it, grimacing. “Hey, Mom.”

  “You didn’t call at all this week. I was beginning to think you’d been mugged.” His mom shouted for Jake’s dad to come on the line.

  “I’m fine. Just busy.” Jake set his plate in the sink and turned on the faucet, waiting for the water to go clear before getting a drink.

  His mom sniffed. “Too busy to call your parents? After everything we’ve done—”

  “Enough, dear. How’s your job, son?” his dad asked.

  “Great. I sold a few dogs and returned a few runaway pets.” Erin’s face appeared in his mind. She was so beautiful with her long dark hair and green eyes—even if she was upset at the time.

  “How nice. And your acting? Found anything yet?”

  Jake sighed. “It’s … going. I have a few auditions tomorrow.”

  “Excellent. Well, honey,” his mom paused, and Jake could hear whispering. “We have some great news. We have a wedding to attend in New York City this weekend, so we’ll be coming to visit. They invited you as well. We made sure to add a plus one for you.”

  Jake looked around his empty apartment in alarm. “Uh sure. That would be great. I have some plans I might need to move around, but I can make it work.” Plans, like making his apartment look somewhat furnished.

  “Plans? Like … date plans?” His mom’s voice was excited.

  Jake shook his head. Typical . “Not all plans have to involve dating, Mom.”

  “So it is a girl. Oh, I’m so excited.” She squealed, making Jake roll his eyes. It’s not like he was all that old. Mid-twenties gave him plenty of time to find someone. “Although, that does ruin the second half of my exciting news.”

  “And what’s that?” Jake wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  There was a slight pause as his parents whispered back and forth. “Melody left what’s-his-name and will be in town, so we were hoping you two could go together. I got her number from her mom.”

  Jake cringed at her name. “Mom. No. Besides, you’re right. I have a date.”

  “Ah, well. I’ll have to break the news to her parents. They’ll be so disappointed. She would make such a wonderful wife.”

  “Look, I need to get to bed. I’ll see you when you get here.” Jake knew the conversation would go on for hours if he didn’t hang up now. And this was a conversation he never wanted to have.

  “Well see you on Friday. Our flight gets in at six o’clock, and our hotel isn’t too far from your place. Love you,” his dad said, clearly agreeing with Jake.

  “Love you too.” He hung up as he heard his mom still going off on how wonderful it was that he had a date.

  Jake grumbled at the phone and tossed it on the bed before going into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Now on top of work, he had to come up with a way to furnish his apartment, and find a date in two days.

  Chapter 3

  Erin met Carissa at the diner and gave her a hug before they slid into a booth. The smells of hamburgers and fries filled the air and brought her a sense of comfort.

  A waitress came by holding her notepad and pen. “You two want the usual?”

  “Yep. I could use a huge mug of hot chocolate about now.” Erin studied Carissa as she put in her order. While she looked a little pale, Carissa had finally put on some weight and looked better than she had in months. It had been touch and go for a while, but she’d been given the all clear a few weeks before.

  The two of them talked about work and Erin’s upcoming projects. Erin waved at a few of the regulars who came in and said hi. Maybe she should have changed out of her pajamas …

  “So how are you really doing?”

  “I’m fine, really. Having the money for the wedding would be great, but now I have more time to plan everything. This whole thing has dragged on forever and I just want to get married.”

  “But what about insurance?” Erin didn’t want to mention the possibility of a relapse, but it weighed heavily on her mind.

  “Mom and Dad stepped in and helped. I’ll pay them back somehow, but insurance didn’t really cover most of my bills anyway.” Carissa took a bite of a fry.

  Erin leaned forward. “I tried to get you hired on as my assistant, but I was told it wasn’t possible. I’m not letting it go, though. I need you.”

  Carissa smiled. “You don’t have to do that. Really. While I’d love to be your assistant, I’m actually fine with being let go. Matt’s job pays well enough that I don’t need to work once we’re married, and I was thinking of staying home to write anyway.”

  Erin looked at her in surprise. “Seriously? That’s great.”

  “You know I’ve always wanted to try to write a book, and this is as a good time as any.”

  “What would you write about?”

  Carissa ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. “Write what you know, right? I was going to try a memoir.”

  Erin grinned. “That would be awesome. Maybe we could do a trade. You could help me with the ads, and I could help you with whatever you need on the book since I was there through the whole thing.”

  Carissa nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. I just hoped you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Of course not. I’d love it.” Erin looked at the clock on the wall. “I need to get going soon. Mom and Dad are coming into town for a wedding, and I’ve got to get some work done first.”

  “Dang. I was hoping you’d be able to look at dresses with me this weekend.” Carissa frowned.

  “I’ll be there. They can’t make me skip that for anything. Just text me the details and I’ll make it work.”

  “Great. Matt is the greatest guy ever, but I need you to make sure I actually look good.”

  “That’s what best friends are for.” She took another bite of her fry.

  “Okay, so I want to hear about this guy.”

  Erin shook her head. “There’s no guy. I don’t have time for that right now. New project, remember?”

  “Uh-uh. You’re not getting out of this. Who is he?” Carissa took a bite of her steak.

  Erin sighed. “Fine. Yes, it’s the guy from the pound. He’s … hot. But I was rude to him, so I’d rather not see him again.”

  “Hot? Details, woman.” Carissa was engaged and wanted nothing more than to have Erin get married off as well.

  “Blue eyes that can stare into your soul. Dimples, great smile. Lots and lots of muscles.” Erin ate another fry and moved on to her steak.

  “And you were rude to him, why?” Carissa set down her fork and leaned forward.

  Erin shrugged. “It was rainy, I was mad about your job, and I wanted my cat back.”

  “Ah. So just a few things. But you can make it better, right?”

  “Probably not. Even if he did run outside to bring me Coco’s collar when I left it in the store.” She rubbed her hand where it had brushed against Jake’s.

  They laughed as they left the diner. The temperature had dropped and Erin shivered in the cool breeze.

  “See you this weekend, if not before.” Caris
sa hugged Erin tightly before letting go to find her keys.

  “For sure. See you later.” Erin turned and headed for her apartment.

  “Good luck with your guy,” Carissa called, and then laughed.

  Erin just waved and kept going. She should have known Carissa wouldn’t let it go. She pushed Jake out of her mind and focused on what she needed to get done that weekend. She realized she hadn’t called her parents back, but it was too late by then. She’d just have to call and apologize in the morning.

  ***

  Erin had only slept for about three hours by the time her alarm went off the next morning. She’d stayed up rearranging a few of the ad layouts and making sure her presentation was just right. This job meant a promotion, and Erin was determined to make it happen.

  She climbed out of bed and took a quick shower, then changed into her blazer and pencil skirt. This was her lucky outfit, and she needed anything she could get. She’d won over her company, but now she had to win over the client. The jewelry campaign was solid, but that didn’t stop the butterflies. She pulled her hair up into a bun, and applied a little mascara and lip gloss.

  “Hey, Coco. You hungry?” Erin looked at her cat, who sat next to her food bowl when Erin walked into the kitchen for breakfast. She dumped food into the bowl. “There you go. You’re not going to run away today, are you?”

  Erin pulled out some bread to make some toast and then fried up an egg. The blender was still in the sink, so she skipped her smoothie and poured a glass of orange juice instead.

  “Okay, am I forgetting anything?” Erin made sure she had all the papers she’d need for the presentation, she shut her laptop bag and left her apartment. She double checked the locks so Coco couldn’t leave again—pushing away the idea of letting Coco go so she could go back to the pound to see Jake—and then headed outside to find a taxi. She flagged one down quickly and climbed in. It would take a while to get to work, so she pulled out her phone and sent a quick email to her parents. They wouldn’t be thrilled that she hadn’t called, but at least it was something.

  Her phone rang just as the taxi pulled up to her building. She paid the driver and answered the phone, groaning. “Hey, Mom.”

  “You don’t call me back, and you just expect me to be okay with an email?” Mom asked.

  “Sorry. The day got away from me.” Erin nodded to the man who’d opened the door for her and headed for the elevator. She stepped to the side so other people could get on. This call could take a while. “I just wanted make sure you heard from me. Sorry I didn’t call.”

  There was a pause on the other end. “So what kept you so busy?”

  Erin rolled her eyes. What her mom actually wanted to know was if there was a guy involved. “Work. I got the account I wanted.”

  “Oh, honey, that’s so great. You worked hard on it. Too hard, if you ask me.” There was another pause. “Listen, I need to leave for the salon, but I wanted to remind you that you have a plus one for the wedding. You do have a date, right?”

  Right. The wedding. She hadn’t seen her cousin, Emily, in years, but she was still expected to go. “Uh, not yet. But I’m working on it. Look, I’m at the office, and I have a huge meeting in ten minutes. I’ll call tonight, okay?”

  “Fine. But I hope you have a date by then. Otherwise, I have a few connections and we’ll find you one.” Her mom hung up.

  Erin punched the button for the elevator and waited for it to open. This conversation was the last thing she needed today. Debra stepped into the elevator right behind Erin.

  “Parent problems again?” Debra asked, amused.

  “You have no idea.” Erin clutched her briefcase tighter.

  “You’d be surprised.” Debra laughed. “Are you ready for the meeting?”

  Erin nodded. “I went over everything again this morning.”

  “Perfect. There’s a reason I chose you. And look, about Carissa …” Debra started. “I’m trying to get her rehired.”

  Erin looked at her in surprise. “I thought you couldn’t.”

  “Well, I was thinking about how much of an asset she is to the company. I’m going to do my best to get her back to work. Although, it might just be part-time.”

  “That would actually be perfect. Thank you.” Erin hoped it would work. It would be nice for both of them to have Carissa back.

  The elevator reached their floor and they walked into the conference room. Debra pulled out her copies of the ad campaign while Erin looked over her notes. This would be her first time with a jeweler, but it meant big bucks for her company, so she wanted to do well.

  Debra’s secretary poked her head into the room. “Excuse me, but your nine o’clock is here.”

  “Send them in please.”

  Mr. Smith, the owner of the jewelry store, along with four of his top executives, entered the room. They were all in sharp suits, and carried briefcases or notebooks that they set on the table in front of them. Their smiles were friendly as they sat and turned their attention toward Debra and Erin.

  Erin took a deep breath. She could do this.

  Debra stood. “Welcome. We’re so glad you picked Silver Script Ad Agency. You will find that Erin is wonderful to work with and has great ideas.”

  Erin stood and smiled at each of the executives. “Thank you for coming today, and thank you, Debra, for the opportunity I have to work on this campaign. As you know, sales have been down for the jewelry industry, but I have ways to build them back up.”

  Debra turned on the projector for the presentation Erin had put together. Erin picked up her pointer and directed their attention to the first slide.

  “Television is still the best advertising medium for jewelry, but with all the digital media that is available, we want to find a way to advertise on those as well. A diamond is still a woman’s best friend, and we want to make sure that her boyfriend or husband still remembers that in the middle of their college football game.”

  The group laughed, and Erin sent a mental “thank you” to Carissa. That had been her idea. Erin continued on with sales numbers and threw in a few more jokes for good measure. By the time it was done, everyone had smiles on their faces as they came up to shake Erin’s hand.

  “Excellent work. We’ll want to start as soon as possible. I’m thinking Monday, if that works,” Mr. Smith said.

  “Monday is fine. I will get working on more of the concepts before then.” It was everything Erin could do not to start dancing. The meeting couldn’t have gone better if she’d tried.

  Mr. Smith shook Erin’s hand and then Debra’s before leaving. He met up with the rest of the group and they headed toward the elevator. Once they were out of sight, Debra turned to Erin.

  “You did a fantastic job. I knew you were good, but you blew them out of the water. I better watch out, or you’ll have my job.” Debra smiled and headed for her office.

  Erin dropped into the chair in relief. She pulled out her phone and texted Carissa to let her know how it had gone.

  Her phone beeped with a message.

  Let’s do lunch and you can tell me all about it. Meet you at the cafe across the street .

  Erin typed a quick message back.

  Got it. See you there.

  ***

  The rest of the morning was spent researching other ads and costs to place their commercials during football games. It wouldn’t be cheap, but she would do her best to make it work. She checked her email and deleted all the dating emails that her mom had signed her up for before closing down her computer and heading out for lunch. She could have unsubscribed, but she knew her mom would just sign her up again. The things the woman would do for a grandchild.

  Erin hurried out of the building and across the street. The cafe wasn’t quite the same as the diner near her apartment, but it was close, and it was cheap. Carissa stood inside and smiled when she saw Erin walk in.

  They ordered their food and found a spot to sit, then talked over what Erin had found while doing her research. Erin wa
s tempted to tell her what Debra had said, but it was still up in the air, and she didn’t want to get Carissa’s hopes up.

  “Hey, sweetie.” Matt sat down next to Carissa and kissed her on the cheek.

  “You’re early.” Carissa looked over at Erin. “I hope you don’t mind. He’s working just up the street for now and asked if I could have lunch with him.”

  Erin smiled and shrugged. “That just means he’ll have to listen to a lot of girl talk.”

  Matt started saying something, but Erin didn’t catch it, because just then Jake walked in and ordered a drink. He turned and caught her eye, seeming just as surprised as she was. This diner was several blocks away from the pound. Why was he here?

  “Earth to Erin.” Carissa laughed.

  Erin jumped. “Oh, sorry. What were you saying?”

  “We were saying that we'd have to do dessert later.” Carissa turned and looked behind her. “Who is that guy?”

  “That’s Jake.” Erin couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

  “You mean the over-charging-to-get-your-cat-back Jake? You didn’t tell me he was that hot,” she whispered.

  “Hey!” Matt stuck out his bottom lip.

  Carissa kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry, you’re cuter.” She peeked behind her. “He’s coming this way.”

  Erin looked up and panicked when she saw him coming over to sit by her. She checked her hair, and wiped her face, even though she hadn’t eaten anything yet.

  “Hey.” Jake smiled down at Erin.

  “Hey.” Erin was mortified. The last time they met, she’d been so rude to him.

  “How’s your cat?” he asked.

  “Um, she’s fine.” Erin tried to force herself to say something else, but she couldn’t.

  Carissa cleared her throat and gestured to the seat in front of Erin. “You can sit here.”