Chapter 6

6:00 am on the dot and the alarm blasted into Pearl's ear, interrupting her dream. She hit snooze and opened her eyes, wiping away the sleep and the anxiety hit her, like every morning. Her real life is always a harsh wake up. It hasn't been the easiest year. At 35, she thought she'd be in a better place by now but after leaving a decade long horrible marriage and starting all over again, she knows being weak and hopeless isn't an option.

She got out of bed and went to the kitchen of her small apartment, moving boxes still lining the floor, unpacked. Drinking coffee and sitting in her reading chair, she scrolled her phone, checking her social media and emails. Nothing exciting. It's Friday and the upcoming weekend always makes her a little sad. Being alone during the week is easy with work and daily routine, but the weekend is when she feels the loneliness the most. The only light was having her friend John in her life that had also encouraged her to get back into music. Singing has always been her passion and getting the group of guys together to form a band again has been a wonderful thing for her. He and a few other guys were looking for a lead singer for the band they were starting. It was a bit terrifying but she decided to go for it. Any distraction was good, especially one with a creative outlet she loved so much.

After getting ready for work, she headed out to start the day. Hopefully her boss would be busy enough today to steer clear of her. Lately, his attention has been directed her way more than usual and it was starting to make her a bit uncomfortable. Arriving at 8 am on the dot, she walked into her office, turned on the light, hung her jacket on the hook and turned to see her boss, David Powers, at her door with a smile and coffee in his hand. He had to be roughly her age, tall, slender. Strawberry blonde hair that was cut in a way that was reminiscent to Robert Redford in Gatsby. She smiled back and offered a "Good morning, David". He may make her uncomfortable with the extra attention lately, but his eyes and smile were hard to look away from.