Page 10 of Help Wanted

He picked up the paper in front of him and stared at it, trying to form the letters into words.

“Were you a cheerleader in high school?”

She looked surprised by the odd question, and rightfully so. But after a second, she nodded. “Yes.”

He couldn’t hire her. He couldn’t go back to the Zane who felt helpless and insignificant in the presence of a pretty, unattainable girl. He would have to come up with an excuse to reject Sidney’s request.

He nodded, more about his decision than about what was on the page. Then, realizing he should actually read it first, he focused on the words.

She had been at her previous job in Manhattan for a long time, with more responsibilities than the pay afforded. He glanced up at her, seeing her bite her lip nervously.

It was at that moment it hit him. Something he should have known all along, but somehow had overlooked.

Kenley Carmichael, as beautiful and amazing as she was, was still just a regular person. A normal person who now needed a job.

He let the anger and hurt wash away, and reassessed the situation. He would consider her as he would any other candidate. She would not be punished for the past, of which she was not an active participant. Nor would he favor her for being pretty. He would base his decision to hire her solely on her merits and ability to do the job.

Which, granted, should have been the objective in the first place.

As he read through her application and résumé, it became increasingly evident there was nothing he could use to keep him from hiring her.

Then, there it was. The kink in her armor.

“It says you left your last job for personal reasons.”

“Yes.” She continued to bite her lip, but made no attempt to explain.

He let out a sigh.

“In my line of work, when someone puts down personal reasons, it either means he stole something, came to the job shit-faced, or he forgot to come to work at all. Either way, it usually means fired, not left for actual personal reasons. Is that what it means in this instance?” he asked, pointing at the paper on his desk.

He was almost giddy with the opportunity to send her off with her tail between her legs. Despite his decision to look at her fairly, he still had wounds that had been torn open at the sight of her.

She looked down at the floor and twisted her hands together.

“I did get fired from my last job. But not because I didn’t come to work or because I had been drinking. I didn’t steal anything either.” She let out a determined sigh. “It was a misunderstanding.”

“Do you care to elaborate?” he pushed for details he didn’t deserve.

“Not really.”

“I need to be able to trust the person I hire for this position completely. All cards on the table.”

She looked stunned.

“Sidney said meeting with you was a formality. She told me she was the one who made the final decision.”

“She thinks she is, but she isn’t. You would be working with me. She won’t be working here at all.”

“Fine.” She shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. “My former boss accused me of sleeping with her husband. I didn’t do it, but what does that matter? She fired me and now no one will hire me because I’m wearing a big old scarlet A on my chest. Who cares about the truth, right? It’s not nearly as exciting as a scandal, or having someone to blame for her crappy marriage.” She stood up and headed for the door. “I’m sorry I wasted your time, Zane. It was nice meeting you.”

He should have been happy the interview was over so he could finally breathe, but all he could think about was the way her voice had sounded when she’d said his name.