Putting her feet up on her desk, Jessica played with the pink slip that she had found on her desk when she first walked in. She stared at it with fearful eyes, completely shocked by just how terrible a piece of paper could make someone feel. Even in her wildest dreams, she never thought she would get fired. However, Jessica wasn't the type to brood over something like this; she looked at it like a new opportunity to move onto greener pastures. It was a time to pursue something different. This job had clearly made her realize that she wasn't passionate with office work which is why she got fired in the first place. She had to re-evaluate her situation.

Briefly she weighed her options and decided to be pro-active by browsing various job postings online. She felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Jess what are you looking at?"

The blonde turned to see a gorgeous smile on Tiffany's face.

"Just browsing through job sites. I really need some résumé boosters. There are some pretty interesting positions available, but I'm not sure if I’m qualified for any of them. "

"How about you forget about all that, and we go out for lunch - my treat."

Now it was Jessica turn to beam at Tiffany with a happy grin.

The two had been best friends for years, and had walked down similar paths in life. They went to the same high school, got into the same college, and even graduated from the same program. They even ended up working together at the same office. However, Jessica was now being forcefully separated from Tiffany, having to head down her own path now.

Putting her feet off the table she got up to grab her jacket from a nearby coat hanger. "Let's get out of this dingy place."

The two strutted out of the office with laughter as they talked about happier things, passing Gus, who gazed at Jessica with immense jealousy. It was a dream of his to have a private lunch with Tiffany.

The co-workers greeted the cold winter air of the downtown business district as they left the building. They were hit with the mouth-watering smell of hot dog stands and food trucks that littered the busy streets. Tiffany cutely offered her arm, which Jessica accepted, as they now walked side-by-side, arm-in-arm, to their favourite restaurant for lunch.

After a few minutes they had finally arrived outside the authentic pizzeria which welcomed them in with the intoxicating smells of mozzarella, garlic, herbs, and baked meat and a warm heat provided by the stone oven in the shop. Jessica felt a familiar rumble in her stomach.

The usual Italian hostess greeted them at the door. Tiffany did the talking.

"Table for two please."

"Right this way."

Acquainted with the two, she took them to their usual spot deep in the corner of the pizzeria, placing two of their rectangular menus on the small table in front of them. Tiffany pulled out Jessica's chair for her like a true gentlemen, which cause the girl to let out a giggle. Sitting down they were both in a much better mood.

"So should we get what we always get?"

"Yeah!"

The blonde was excited for food, but a little sad that this might be one of their last business lunches together.

A pretty but short blonde waitress came up to them to take their order. She was a new face that they had never seen before.

"What can I get for you two lovely ladies?"

Tiffany ordered their usual.

"We'll have a regular Pizza Margherita that we'll share. Also add a Garden salad with Balsamic vinaigrette, no cucumbers and olives please. And two cups of ice water."

"Is that all for today?"

"That's all for now."

The waitress nodded, and went on her way. Jessica couldn't help but watch her as she went to serve another table.

"Maybe I should try a job like that. It seems simple enough and you don't have to worry about deadlines or team projects. Maybe I should become a waitress here. It'd be a lot easier than working for Gus and I'd still get to see you once in a while."

Tiffany frowned; she knew Jessica could do better. Also the idea of her serving people seemed a little odd.

"I can't believe this is actually your last week," Tiffany said, ignoring the whole waitress talk.

"Me too."

"What do you have planned? Any particular positions that you're looking into?"

Jessica scratched her head. "Finding work, I'm really not sure how well it'll go. Every company seems to be tightening their belts these days."

"What about going back to school? MBA? Maybe even Law?"

The soon-to-be unemployed girl let the thought roll around in her head. Jessica Jung Attorney-at-Law? Then she remembered how hard it was to get into a decent law school.

"Forget it. My GPA was never that good. I just hope that wherever I go, I won't have to work with people like Gus."

Tiffany let out a giggle. "You never did like being bossed around."

"Who does? I also don't like all the red-tape and formalities, bureaucracy ."

Tiffany nodded her head in agreement and started tossing out some wild and fun ideas for Jessica to try.

"Retail sales?"

"Not enough money. Plus I'd probably end up getting in trouble with customers. I don't believe the customer is king."

"Telemarketing?"

"And waste this amazing body?"

Tiffany let out a chuckle and suggested, "How about owning a franchise?"

"I have always been partial to Mickey Dee's but not sure how I'd feel about going to Hamburger U."

"How about a bank job?"

"I'm not sure if I'm in a good position to inform others about how they should use their money"

The two let out a laugh until Tiffany shared a rather interesting thought.

"How about becoming an entrepreneur? Have you ever had a dream to start your own business?"

Jessica let the thought roll around in her mind. It would be great to be her own boss.

"That's not a bad idea...if I had the money saved to start one up."

Interrupting their conversation, the waitress returned with two glasses of water to quench their thirst. Shortly after she also brought out a freshly tossed garden salad that was void of cucumbers and olives, and informed them that their Margherita pizza was now baking in the oven. Tiffany quickly scooped some of the creamy and cheesy salad for Jessica and herself as they excitedly began their meal.

"How about asking some friends for a small investment?"

Jessica liked the idea. After all, there must be a use in having over a 1000 Facebook friends.


"I'll send out a feelers and see how that turns out."


"And you could also ask some of our college buddies."


Thinking back, Jessica remembered some friendly faces that might just lend her a hand.


"How about I get all our old college friends together for a reunion. After a night of fun you can make your sales pitch while they're feeling good."


"How about you Tiffany? Would you be willing to invest some capital into Jung enterprises?"


The friend was caught off guard by the surprising question.


"Only if it makes sense. You have to give me an idea of what you'll be using it which means providing a solid business plan or giving me a good sales pitch."


With an explosion of aegyo, Jessica pleaded, "Fany-yah~ Invest in me because I'm your best friend in the whole wide world~"


"That tickles my heart but not my cheque book"


The girl needed an epiphany. Did she ever think about having her own business? She needed a good idea if she did want to start one...


Again, the waitress appeared, this time with a medium-sized tray that held their aromatic and fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato pizza.


"Here's your Margherita. If you need anything else just ask. Enjoy!"


At that moment the light bulb inside Jessica's head flicked on.


"How about a restaurant?!"


Tiffany looked conflicted.


Raising her eyebrows at her best friend’s silence, Jessica asked, "What? What's wrong with that?"


"Do you even know anything about the restaurant business?"


"I can learn as I go. If things get bad I can always pay someone that does.


Maybe Gordon Ramsay will come and renovate my place if it gets REALLY bad."


Tiffany wasn't amused.


"It's not that simple. I mean, you barely know how to cook or know anything about the steps to make good food. I couldn't imagine you designing a menu or knowing how to please hungry customers."


Jessica felt insulted. She thought her cooking was delicious, especially her kimchi tuna fried rice. The secret ingredient was ketchup.


Tiffany continued on with a worried tone.


"It'll be really hard to find a skilled chef that would want to work for someone who's starting a business for the first time."


"But I have someone perfect in mind."


"Who?...Wait, it's not who I think it is right?"


"What? She's a trained chef that just finished her 2-year apprenticeship and must have learned a lot about the business. I mean, that's what all trained chefs aspire to be right? Restaurateurs. There's no one else that could be better."


Tiffany had an apprehensive look.


"Jessica she's your ex."


"So?"


"You dumped her."


"And?"


"Do you think she's really going to want to work for you now?"

"Of course. I'm great to work with, wouldn't you agree?"


"Beth's nose would definitely disagree," joked Tiffany.


There was a moment of tension, before Tiffany broke it with some of her own thoughts. "Anyways Jessica, just ponder it carefully. We both know most new business ventures usually fail within the first year or two. Restaurants fail more than others. That can't be you, you have to do this right. Just make sure you give yourself some time to think things out."


Jessica nodded but was already keen in her own mind about being a restaurateur. Something about it seemed very enticing.


Paying attention to the clock, they two of them quickly finished their pizza. While Jessica couldn't care less about being on time, Tiffany still had rules to follow. The girl paid the bill as promised, as they both left the warmth of the cozy restaurant and headed back to the office. While walking Jessica decided to take her first step towards becoming a restaurant owner. Stopping in front of a walkway she said, "Hey Fany, I'll catch up with you later. I need to make a call."


Tiffany gave her an uneasy look, she had an idea of what she was going to do and knew she couldn't stop her. "Okay, if you say so..."


Watching Tiffany slip out of view, Jessica quickly went into the nearest coffee shop and reached for her smart phone. Looking through her huge list of contacts she finally found the one labelled 'Ex #1'.


She dialed the number and heard a familiar voice on the other line.


"Hello?"


The blonde took a deep breath and spoke, "Hey Yuri, its Jessica..."