“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I swear to God, Hope, he sauntered into the room and was trying to be subtle, but Mrs. Bartlett, the lady running the meeting, gave him a really dirty look. I get the feeling he may interrupt all her interviews to check out the new candidates for himself. He seemed like a real control freak.” Lexi softly thanked the bartender as he set a full glass of wine beside her. “Then, before Mrs. Bartlett could ask me anything of substance, he offered to give me a tour of the whole office. I thought she was going to deck him.”
“So, your interview consisted of a tour around the office?” Hope’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
“Yeah, he gave me a quick tour, which ended in his office.” Lexi looked down and began nervously twisting her hands in her lap.
“Lexi, did anything happen? Because if it did, I’ll send Marco, Jimmy, and a tire iron over there.” Hope reached for her cell phone and was about to start dialing when Lexi finally looked up.
“No, nothing happened. He just made me feel uncomfortable, that’s all. He kept complimenting my sweater and staring. Well, I guess staring at the V in my sweater is more accurate.”
Hope growled, “Lexi …”
“It’s fine, really. He was creepy, but harmless. He did offer to take me out to dinner tonight and discuss the details of the job, but I let him know i already had plans with a mechanic friend of mine.”
“And being a dick-headed pea brain, he assumed your mechanic friend was guy, right?” The blush on Lexi’s face answered the question for her.
“What a jerk,” Hope snarled.
Lexi peeked over the rim of her wine glass. “Want to hear about the last interview?”
The twinkle in her eye told Hope this interview went a little better than the previous two. “Hunter Advertising, right? I get the impression this is the one you really want?”
Lexi’s face came alive as she started talking. “This would be such a great company to work for. They were huge, around a hundred and fifty employees, three floors of offices right downtown. This is the one that mentioned how they liked to promote people from within.”
“Wasn’t this the place with the really low level entry position though, in human resources?” Hope asked as she motioned toward an available table in the corner and the two of them sat down. The waitress handed both women a menu and excused herself.
“Yeah, the job is terrible. I’d basically be a gopher, but if I could get my foot in the door there …” Lexi’s voice trailed off, but then she shook her head and sighed. “Unfortunately, I saw the resume of the person who interviewed right before me. He was a recent graduate of Princeton with a double degree in marketing and advertising. There’s no way I can compete with that.” The twinkle in her eye was quickly extinguished, replaced by a darker shadow of insecurity.
“Screw Princeton boy. He can go fly a kite. You want this job. Let’s practice some positive thinking here, Lexi. You’re smart and witty. You’re so talented and really have an eye for advertising. Trust in that, and trust in the person who interviewed you today to see that about you.” Hope set her menu on the table and gave Lexi a pep talk. “It’s all going to work out. You have to go after your dreams, make them happen. Maybe this is the beginning of something wonderful.”
Lexi sighed and finished Hope’s thought in her head …Or the beginning of yet another gigantic disappointment. Your dreams have a way for falling apart right before your eyes. Don’t forget that, Lexi.
The two women spent the next hour chatting about random events from their day and savoring the delicious pasta. As the waiter set a piece of warm apple pie with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream in front of Lexi and a healthy slice of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce in front of Hope, a phone started ringing.
“I’m so sorry. I thought I turned the silly thing off,” Lexi apologized as she reached into her purse and silenced the small, silver phone, glancing at the number of the caller. Her eyes grew wide, and then she dropped it back into her purse like it was on fire.
Hope caught the flicker of recognition and leaned forward in her chair. “Who called?” She watched as Lexi shifted nervously in her chair, embarrassed by the question.
“I … I think it was from Reid Inc.”
“Well, for goodness sake, why didn’t you answer it?” Hope grabbed Lexi’s purse and quickly dug through until she found the phone and began clapping her hands. “There’s a voicemail. Let’s see what they said!”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “Can’t I finish my dessert before we ruin my appetite?”
“If you’re too chicken, then I’ll check.” Before Lexi could stop her, Hope had called Lexi’s voicemail. “There are two messages.” Hope sat there tapping her long nails on the table as she waited for the first message to begin.
“You have a dentist appointment at seven thirty a.m. on Thursday. Why you make your appointments so early is beyond me.” Her voice trailed off as she held up one finger and listened intently. “This is it,” she whispered then turned her attention back to the phone. When her lips spread into a huge grin, Lexi let out the breath she had been unknowingly holding deep within her chest.
“You have a job at Reid if you want it.” Hope beamed as she slid the phone across the table. “Of course it was the slime ball who ‘personally wanted to offer you a position at Reid Inc. and hopes you will accept not only the job offer but let him take you out to dinner to celebrate.’” Hope made a small gagging gesture at the end of her imitation of Mr. Reid.
Lexi put on a brave face. “Well, at least I know I have a new job if I want it, right?”
“Yeah, but do you want to work there?”
She shook her head. “Not really, but if it gets my foot back in the door, it might not be a bad idea to take whatever I can get for now.”
“Promise me you won’t make any decisions until you hear from the other two, though, Lexi. No matter how poorly you think the interview went, got it?” Lexi nodded her head obediently in agreement.
“The others said I was the last interview so I should hear from them in the next day or two.”
“Good, now give me a bite of that apple pie.”
It was almost nine o’clock when they finally arrived home from Olive and found themselves in the hallway between their apartments. With her painfully uncomfortable shoes clutched in one hand, Lexi unlocked the door to her apartment and ushered Hope inside. The two women flopped onto the couch and sat together in a comfortable silence.