Chapter 2

Four missed calls from Brian. No voicemails. She deleted them without listening and opened the notes app to draft a quick résumé. She had worked at a bookstore for a year, done phone sales one summer, and spent the last two years as a receptionist at a dental office. None of it felt impressive, but it was honest.

Carol was at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a plate of toast. “Morning, sweetie. Sleep okay?”

“Mostly.” Kira took a seat and reached for a slice. “Thanks for the interview lead. I think I can get it.”

“I know you can. They’re called Coastal Communicators. The address is on the refrigerator.”

Kira ate quickly, changed into her best outfit—a blue blouse and black slacks—and drove to the address. It was a low, beige building with a sign that read “Coastal Communicators – Telemarketing & Sales Solutions.” The parking lot held a dozen cars. She took a breath and walked in.

The lobby was small, with a counter and a potted fern. A young man with a friendly face sat behind the counter, flipping through a binder. He looked up and smiled. “You must be Kira Wade? I’m Josh. I handle the scheduling. Emily said you were coming in.”

“That’s me.” She shook his hand. His grip was warm and confident. “I’m a little nervous.”

“Everyone is at first. Come on, I’ll take you to the office.” He led her down a narrow hallway lined with cubicles. Headsets and phones filled every desk. A few people were already on calls, their voices a low murmur. “You’ll be interviewing with Emily, the manager. She’s fair, but she’s direct. Just be yourself.”

Emily was a woman in her fifties with graying hair and sharp eyes. She asked Kira about her experience, her availability, and why she wanted the job. Kira answered honestly: she had moved to Clearwater to start over, she needed work, and she was comfortable talking on the phone.

“That’s good enough for me,” Emily said. “We’re a commission-based company, but we provide training. You get a list of phone numbers, a script, and a quota. The calls are cold—you’re selling a premium subscription to our client’s home security system. Most people hang up. A few listen. You close a sale, you get a bonus. Simple.”

Kira nodded. “When do I start?”

“Today, if you want. We have a training session at two. That gives you time to fill out paperwork.”

She signed the forms, received a badge, and was assigned a cubicle near the back. Josh showed her how the phone system worked and gave her a script. “You’ll get the hang of it,” he said. “I started three months ago. It’s a grind, but the money’s decent if you’re persistent.”

“Thanks for the help.”

“Anytime. If you need a break, the break room has coffee. And try not to take the rejections personally.”

She smiled and settled into her chair. The training session covered tone, timing, and handling objections. By the end of the afternoon, her script felt familiar. She made a few practice calls under supervision, stumbling through the words but not freezing. Emily gave her a thumbs-up.

At five o’clock, the shift ended. Kira drove home with a sense of accomplishment. She had a job. She had a direction. For the first time in months, she felt like she was in control.

Carol had dinner ready—lasagna and a salad. They ate while watching the evening news. Kira told her mother about the day, about Josh and Emily, about the script she was still memorizing. Carol beamed. “I knew you’d do fine.”

After dinner, Kira went to the guest room and opened her laptop. She decided to review the script one more time. Tomorrow she would make real calls, on her own. The thought made her stomach flip, but it was a good kind of nervous.

Her phone buzzed. Brian again.

She silenced it and placed it face-down on the nightstand. She wasn’t going to let him ruin this. Not tonight.

The next morning, she arrived at Coastal Communicators early. Josh was already there, refilling the coffee machine. “Ready for your first real day?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

She sat at her cubicle, logged in, and loaded the first batch of numbers. The screen displayed a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers from the local area. She took a breath and dialed the first one.

It rang four times. No answer. She marked it and moved on.

The second call went to voicemail. She left a brief message, as the script instructed.

The third picked up on the second ring. A woman’s voice, tired. “Hello?”

“Good evening, ma’am. My name is Kira, and I’m calling from Coastal Communicators regarding our premium home security package. Have you ever considered upgrading your system?”

The woman sighed. “I’m not interested.”

“I understand. Thank you for your time.” Kira hung up and marked the call. It felt mechanical, but at least she had done it.

She worked through the list for the next hour, reaching machines and hang-ups and a few polite refusals. The initial nervousness faded into a rhythm. Then she dialed a new number.

The phone rang twice. A man answered, his voice calm and slightly crisp. “Hello?”

“Good evening, sir. My name is Kira from Coastal Communicators. I’m calling about our home security subscription. We’re offering a special rate for new customers in your area. Can I take a moment to tell you about it?”

There was a pause. Then the man spoke, his tone measured, almost amused. “You’re calling about security?”

“Yes, sir. We can help protect your home with a monitored system that connects directly to local authorities. Would you be open to hearing more?”

The man was silent for a few seconds. “You say your name is Kira?”

“Yes, sir. Kira Wade.”

“Kira Wade,” he repeated, as if tasting the name. “Well, Kira, I’m not interested in your security system. But I’m curious—how did you get this number?”

“It’s from a public directory, sir. We use standard databases for our cold calls.”

“I see.” Another pause. “Thank you for your time, Kira. You have a pleasant evening.”

He hung up.

Kira stared at the phone for a moment. Something about the man’s voice had unsettled her. It was too calm, too polite—like a door that closed without a sound. She shook off the feeling and dialed the next number.

But for the rest of the shift, she couldn’t quite forget the way he had said her name.