“Congratulations, are you going to take it, then?” Lucy beamed happily. “Did he say what the salary was?”
“Nope, he just said it was high, and that there was a lot of room for growth. But he also asked if I had friends interested in investment opportunities.” I bit down on my lower lip. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Oh, I bet they’re looking for investors so they can expand.” Lucy shrugged.
“Expand what and into where?”
“I don’t know. Maybe ask tomorrow.” She did a little dance. “This is so exciting. You know what this means, right?”
“No, what?”
“Tonight, we open the bottle of wine I got at Whole Foods last week. Let’s celebrate.”
“Do you really think we should celebrate already?” I stared at my phone screen. “I don’t have the job yet.”
“Okay, fine, we can celebrate tomorrow.”
“Ooh, I got a reply from the other job already.” I opened my email account up and read the response quickly. “Hmm, this guy sounds like a jerk.”
“Why what did he say?”
“Listen to this.” I cleared my throat and then read his email.
Ms. Carter,
How do you know you’ll be a suitable fit for the job if you do not know the nature of the work? My ad specifically stated I was looking for an MBA grad, not an English grad who knows nothing about the real world.
1. This would be discussed in the interview.
2. Yes, you would live with me. And no guests are allowed.
3. The uniform would be provided on your first day. You don’t need to know why.
The job advertisement asked for a personal photo, is this your way of telling me you look like a dog?
Today must be your lucky day because you’re the only person that responded to my ad. Are you available for a phone interview tomorrow?
The Wade Hart
“Who the hell calls themselves The anything. What a pompous jerk.”
“Is he famous?” Lucy asked, sounding curious.
“I don’t know, let me check.” I opened the internet browser on my phone and typed in Wade Hart. Several thousand results came up for the name so I then typed in wadehart.com, but no website showed up. “There are too many listings for Wade Hart, but none of them seem famous.”
“Check out the photos and see if any look cute.”
“Lucy, even if I saw cute photos, I wouldn’t know if it was him, and who even cares? He essentially just called me a dog.” I shook my head and closed my phone. “I think I’ll pass on Mr. Wade Hart. I basically have this job tomorrow, and even if my boss is a douche, I’ll suck it up for a few months to make some money, and then I’ll get a new job or something.” I nodded. “I mean it’s a job. It’s like you said, something is better than nothing.”
My stomach growled just then, and I rubbed it pitifully, hoping that dinner would be ready soon. I had a sinking feeling, but I was hoping it had more to do with the fact that I was hungry than the fact that I still did not understand exactly what sales I’d be doing once I hit New Jersey.
Chapter 2
I checked my reflection in the tiny compact mirror Lucy had gotten for me in Florence and decided I looked smart and professional. I had on my best navy-blue suit and black pumps, and my hair was tied in a loose bun at the top of my head. I took a deep breath, placed my compact back in my handbag, licked my lips, and walked into the office building in front of me. There was a small silver sign next to the number that read Talia Enterprises, so I knew I was in the right location, even if nothing else about the building looked that professional. I walked through the doors and headed to the check-in desk where an old man sat with earphones in.
“Well, I was telling Jimmy, put a hundred on it for me. If Prince Caspian comes in first, I’ll make five hundred bucks, and I told Jimmy I’m good for it.” He was talking quickly.
“Hello, I’m here for—” I began, but he held his hand up to stop me.
“I even told him I would split the winnings with him. And do you know what that bastard said to me? He said no.” The man started coughing, and I looked around to see if there was anyone else that could help me.
I spoke up again. “Excuse me, but I have an interview and—”
“Lady, I’m on the phone.” He looked annoyed. “So, Jimmy doesn’t place the bet and Caspian comes in and I called him and I said, look, you could have been …”
As the man continued talking, I looked around the small, decrepit-looking lobby and saw an elevator. I walked away from the man and headed toward the elevator.
“Lady, you can’t go in there, sign in first,” the man called from behind me, but I didn’t even bother turning back. There was no way I would be late for my interview because I was listening to him talk about horse racing. I pressed the button and walked into the elevator, willing my nerves to subside as I pressed the button to take me to the fourth floor, where Talia Enterprises was located according to the sign next to the numbers.
A moment later, the ding of the bell alerted me to the fact that I had arrived on the fourth floor. I plastered on an enormous smile as I stepped out into the hallway. Directly across from the elevator was a wide-open door through which I could hear the bustle of people chatting. I headed to the door and peered in.
“Hello?” I stepped inside.
“Hey, what’s up?” A young guy with a green mohawk looked at me with a smile.
“I’m here to see John Boy. About a job?”
“Oh, okay, cool. Cool.” He grinned and walked over to me. “I’m Andrew.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Savannah.”
“Savannah. Cool. Cool.” He nodded. “I guess that’s better than marsh or desert.”
“Sorry, what?”
“A savanna is a grassy plain in a tropical region with few trees.” He sounded as if he’d recently memorized that information for a test. “Better you were named for that type of topography. Though I think it would be cool to be called—”
“Uhm, is John Boy here?” I interrupted him. “I’m here for an interview, and I don’t want him to think I’m late.”
“Sure, sure. Hold on.” He turned around and then shouted, “John Boy, come to the front, some chick is here to see you!” He turned back to me and nodded. “That should do it.” He picked his nose and then grinned at me. “Good luck, you’ll enjoy working here.”
“Thank you,” I said as he walked away, trying to hide my disgust. Every bone in my body was screaming and begging me to run as quickly as possible. This place was like the Twilight Zone, and not in a good way. Who the hell were these people? I looked around the room as I waited for John Boy to join me. To my left, there was a table of about three women on phones with stacks of papers in front of them. Sitting behind them stood Andrew and another guy who were placing small packages into individual boxes. I was about to ask them what they were doing when a slim man with big blue eyes hurried toward me.
“Vanna, there you are.” He held out his hand to greet me. “So glad you could make it. I’m sure you must be excited to start today.”