Chapter 2: Finding a Job
Nora paced, looking out the window of her little cottage. Her laptop was open again, but this time the words, "chapter one", were nowhere to be seen. Instead a blank document titled "Resume" mocked her in its place. It was ingrained in her not to lie on her resume, but she couldn't list any of her accomplishments without revealing her identity. She couldn't put her own companies down or someone might make the connection. Who would she even use as a reference?! Tara definitely didn't warn her that this part would be so difficult! She thought about calling her again but quickly brushed the thought aside.
As Nora racked her brain she pulled a pad and paper out of the drawer. At the top she put pros and cons with a t-chart. In pros she started listing the reasons she'd like to have a job; sense of community, less time to think, looks less suspicious. Under cons she listed; used to running my own company, constantly tired, unable to list relevant skills, may act above status and give myself away, restarting your entire work history at 26 is terrifying.
"That last one is a little too honest," she thought aloud. She crumpled the paper and flopped back on the couch. The town was extremely small, so work opportunities would be limited to begin with. Of course there were the national chains, but they mostly hired the younger kids coming out of high school. She definitely didn't want to work at the bottom of the food chain in retail, and if she worked her way up she risked exposure. She then considered the little cafe that she loved, and immediately decided that would not do at all. If she started working there it would no longer be her happy place as it would become her professional environment. No, no, that would never work.
Since she's starting new, maybe she should really start over. There were a few business ideas she'd been fiddling with at her old company, but she'd never had the time to pursue them. Nora closed the resume document and instead opened her web browser to do some research on Maine and what the culture was like. She wrote down a list of previous ideas she'd come up with, and on a separate page she took down a list of new ideas she'd had since she started her new life. She then started to cross reference each of her ideas with the local business in Maine. The less competition she had the better she would be able to provide top notch service.
She methodically crossed ideas off until she had her top three prospects and started to flesh each of them out individually. Starting her own fashion line would make sense. That's what she had done back in England and she could always reinvent her clothing line under a different name. She also had an interest in gardening and thought of bringing together exotic plants and starting a high end greenhouse. The last idea was her favorite one though. She had always wanted to run a bookstore with a little coffee and tea shop added in. Thinking further she realized she wouldn't be able to contact any of the people she'd previously done business with either. Though they weren't considered friends, or family, they would definitely recognize her, so going back into the fashion industry was out. Thank goodness she'd kept a low profile and never modeled or she'd be recognizable everywhere! Unfortunately that meant she couldn't start the greenhouse either. The exotic plant industry was niche, and the amount of suppliers was incredibly small. Considering she'd bought from them before for her personal gardens she wouldn't be able to face them without being recognized either.
She was surprised to realize that she'd been secretly hoping a bookstore would be the only option. She started looking at real estate in town, browsing for suppliers, and searching best practices for small businesses, setting her mind to work. There was, after all, no reason she should limit herself. As she researched she realized that other than the small local library and large chains like Wally World there were no bookshops in her new little town. She smiled at her fortune and started sketching a layout. Once she had a layout she would be able to find a retail location that fit her vision. Most people would do it the other way around, but Nora stubbornly believed that if she kept to her expectations fate would rise to meet them.
As she brainstormed she took no notice of the little lights starting to float around her until there were so many the room started to brighten. She looked around frantically, then realized she was alone in her house and dismissed them with a wave of her hand. It had been a long time since that happened unwillingly.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
BriPK95
BriPK95 Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know. I'm still new, and this is my first try, so all feedback is appreciated!