That抯 the God抯 truth and I hate it.
揋ood help is damnably hard to find. We抣l work with the three you抳e narrowed down and hope one of them can hack it,?I tell them.
揟he sooner we get started, the better,?Anna says.
揥ith the earnings potential of this line, I agree, Miss Patel.?Maybe I抣l catch a lucky break today. I can抰 afford more delays.
The receptionist peers into the open door. 揧our nine o抍lock is here.?
揝end her in,?I say immediately.
She disappears and comes back a second later with a striking green-eyed blond whose black dress fits her like a glove. If this is Miss Poe, she has a ravenesque figure, everything except for the stark white-gold hair that almost reminds me of?Wait.
Hold the fucking phone.
It抯 not that she looks familiar.
The realization feels like a bullet between the eyes.
What the hell kind of sick, psychotic joke is this?
I whirl around in my chair, glaring at my staff one by one, already trying to suss out the traitor. Only, nobody抯 hiding a red-faced laugh at my expense behind their hand.
Anna stands, completely normally, and holds out her hand.
揂nna Patel, I抦 the marketing director. Nice to meet you.?
The green-eyed, pastry-thieving witch flashes a wide smile. 揇akota Poe. It抯 great to meet you.?
Fuck.
Her name was Dakota, wasn抰 it?
Ida shuffles out of her chair and moves behind me to shake Dakota抯 hand. 揑抦 Ida, the HR director.?
I can抰 even bring myself to look at her.
I have no intention of shaking this woman抯梐nything.
This will be a short interview, and the poor girl doesn抰 realize it. She hasn抰 made eye contact with me yet.
Lucy grasps the arm of her chair and launches herself梑aby belly and all梠ut of her seat. After the Herculean effort, it would be ridiculous of me not to stand, I suppose.
Biting my tongue, I try not to roll my eyes out of my head as I scramble to my feet woodenly.
Lucy holds her hand out next.
揕ucy Smith, I抦 EA to our CEO, Lincoln Burns, but I pretty much run the show around here,?she jokes.
揋reat to meet you,?Dakota says with a friendly smile I抳e never seen on that face before.
揟he pleasure is all mine, but if you don抰 mind, I抦 going to sit back down,?Lucy tells her.
揙f course,?Dakota says.
My turn.
I suddenly have a horrible need to see how far this punk-ass prank goes.
Slowly, I push past Lucy and extend my hand.
Raven chick looks up with the guarded expression of someone meeting their life抯 gatekeeper.
Our eyes connect. I wait.
Then comes grim realization.
Her breath hitches, a gasp so tiny I think the women miss it.
She corrects her reaction immediately, but not before I see the way her eyes go wide and round when my face clicks in her memory.
Goddamn, that feels good.
I bet she regrets stealing Wyatt抯 Regis roll now.
Is she hearing a record scratch? Are the bitter words she said to me this morning playing through her head right now like a cheesy comedy film?
I抎 like to help, but...
Because they抮e damned sure on repeat in mine.
I抦 half expecting a laugh track to go off from nowhere and to see Seinfeld抯 Kramer come skidding through the door next.
Poe fidgets with her hands and stands on the other side of the table with her lips trembling. The red, defiant anger I抦 used to seeing looks drained from her pale face, her eyes whirling with confusion.
How does it feel to be cornered, Nevermore?
揌ave a seat,?I bite off, forcing a too-wide smile and gesturing to the table.
Her hands fall to the chair closest to her.
I point to the end of the table.
揥e抎 like to have you closer. Try over there,?I say again, slowly and darkly.
Dakota stares at me in horrible silence, then nods and moves to the end of the table, where she抣l be right next to me.
Looks like my sweet revenge could gag an elephant.
Lucy, Anna, and Ida all look at me, tossing curious looks around the room.
揓ust sit wherever you抮e comfortable,?Anna says as Miss Poe lingers without quite sitting down.
揝he抯 comfortable there,?I say matter-of-factly.
She nods梩oo briskly梐nd pulls out the chair at the other end of the table.
I turn my head to Anna again. 揗iss Patel, would you kindly bring Miss Poe a cinnamon roll? I believe we have a few left in the box outside and I抦 sure she抎 enjoy one for visiting us today. Everyone in this city is practically ready to go to war over those rolls.?
Anna nods at me and stands.
Dakota throws up her hand, finally showing me a hint of the hellcat I抦 used to. 揘o, Miss Patel. Thank you, but I抦 good. The roll looks lovely, but I had a huge bear claw on my way in. I really can抰 eat another bite.?
Anna nods again with a polite smile and sits.
揊rom Sweeter Grind??I ask.
Dakota looks at me like she抯 drilling a hole in my head.
揑s there anywhere else in Seattle worth the calories??
揑 believe there are many places in this city where you can get delicious pastries,?I tell her. 揙f course, the Regis rolls are their signature creation. People will fight over them.?
揑 suppose that抯 true,?she says awkwardly.
I shrug. 揗aybe. Or maybe someone in front of you buys the last pastry in the whole place and refuses to sell it for a stupefying profit. Then you have no choice but to go somewhere else to satisfy your sweet tooth.?
She holds my gaze. 揝ounds like you value availability over quality, Mister桵r. Burns, was it??
揕incoln Burns,?I say harshly, giving a name to the sneer she won抰 forget for the rest of her natural life.
Such a shame.
She has the right backbone to work long hours on a luxury line. Too bad I have a policy against hiring deranged pastry thieves who put pride over commonsense profit. Even if it抯 not in the HR handbook, it抯 my policy, made up right here.
Still, I抦 not above making her squirm like a worm on a hook for the next half hour.
Anna and Lucy sit quietly, watching this baffling tennis match of words with muted, wondering looks. Finally, Anna clears her throat.
揝o, Miss Poe, I checked out your website,?Anna says. 揧ou抳e done some excellent work. The project I was most interested in was the campaign you did for a local florist last year. That抯 exactly the kind of creative edge we抮e looking for. Can you tell us about it??
For a second, Poe looks at me. The eyes live up to her namesake, at least. A whole army of ghosts and nineteenth century killers dance in her gaze.
揧ou heard Miss Patel. Can you??I whisper slowly when she抯 quiet for too long. 揈xpiring minds want to know,?I say, deliberately swapping out inquiring for expiring.
I抎 love to think I threw her off her game. Knocked her flat with the sheer shock of seeing me here, a hate note from the universe that what goes around comes around in spades.
Only, she smiles, exuding an annoying confidence with teeth that seem too sharp.
揑抎 love to,?she says, locking those bewitching green eyes on me. 揕et抯 see, where do I begin...?
3
Only This And Nothing More (Dakota)
揑抎 love to. Let抯 see, where do I begin...?I say, then everything goes right out the window.
I can抰 even remember the question.
And it抯 all thanks to the brute in the suit who抯 painfully close to me, staring like he抯 holding my death warrant.
Breathe.
So Hot Shrek梩he Grand Duke of Dickheadistan himself梚s on the interview panel. So what?
There抯 basically no chance you抮e going to get this job, but you can still be the best candidate. You can make everyone else question his decision-making when he hacks up some sorry excuse for shooting you down.
I draw in a deep breath. 揑抦 sorry. Can you repeat that??
揑 was just asking if you could tell us about the project you did for the florist,?Anna says, cocking her head like she抯 wondering if I抦 okay.
Right. It抯 face-saving time.