Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 82767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
A courier with a helmet walked away from the reception desk with a stack of envelopes under his arm. He must have asked who I was, as I heard the receptionist mutter something about an intern – how I hated that word – and as he sauntered past me, he called out without even turning around.
“Don’t do it. Run away while you still can!”
My heart sank and my stomach churned. His words echoed my feelings precisely. The receptionist laughed, and then her face returned to the friendly mask she wore when she saw that we were being approached by a dark-haired man in his mid or late twenties in an exquisitely tailored suit. I stood up as he approached, and he gave me an appreciative once-over. I began to raise my hand to shake his, but instead, he gestured at me to follow him with a nod of his head. He turned on his heel and made his way back to a long corridor and an airy office with a startling array of potted plants.
Inside the office, a fierce-looking older woman with silver hair cut in a bob sat at a computer and looked me up and down, but with rather less of the appreciation that the man had shown. We sat down and she took a sip of coffee before speaking.
“Thank you for coming today. The interview procedure for the Clover House intern program is fairly short and simple, you’ll be glad to hear. We vet our candidates well before we invite anyone to interview, so the fact you are here bodes very well for you. Mr. Callahan here takes a special interest in our intern program, so he will be sitting in.” She was brisk and business-like, but I liked the way she added just a hint of irony to the words ‘special interest.’ It was a warning, woman to woman, and I hoped my smile communicated my thanks to her. So, this was Mr. Callahan. I assumed he was one of the two sons of the CEO I had read about on the company website, either Sean or Keegan. I was pleased that my research was proving useful, but nervous that I was faced with someone so high up in the company.
“What Ms. Messum means is that your résumé is impressive,” he smiled. Shit, I thought, it wasn’t supposed to be impressive. I had purposely played it down so that it wouldn’t raise suspicion, leaving off the degree I had earned and replacing it with a night-class at a community college in a town I had never even been to about fifty miles away. I hoped they never really checked these things.
“Thank you,” I smiled back and hoped it didn’t look as false as it felt.
“Yes,” agreed Ms. Messum reluctantly, her eyes flicking over a copy of my résumé on her desk before meeting mine. “So, could you tell us what you hope to contribute to Clover House and what you hope to take away from the experience?”
“I want to work with one of the most innovative app producers there is. I have a good eye for design, I work hard, and I am willing to learn.” I gave her my most earnest look, full eye contact, and a small hopeful smile, just as I had been practicing in the mirror for the past three days. I glanced over to Mr. Callahan, hoping to give him the same earnest look, and found him blatantly checking out my legs. I looked away and back to Ms. Messum, who raised her eyebrows at me. She then turned to her computer, continuing to tap at the keyboard.
“Good enough for me,” Mr. Callahan said, clapping his hands together as though the whole thing had been resolved.
“We have an office intern position, general admin, but you’d be working with the Design team, which you have expressed an interest in. We could start you next week, as the last recruit we had unexpectedly quit two days ago without giving us two weeks’ notice…” Ms. Messum looked at me questioningly, and I realized with a sinking feeling that I was in. I had done it, and she wanted an answer right now.
“Yes,” I nodded, trying to keep the horror out of my expression. “Yes! That’s – wonderful! Thank you.”
“Thanks, Ms. Messum, I’ll help Ellie – it is Ellie, isn’t it? – get a feel for the place. Introduce her to the team.” Mr. Callahan stood up, and I had little choice but to join him as he left the room.
“It’s Effie,” I replied. Effie was my childhood nickname that only my parents and sister ever used, as Beatrix had problems saying my name when I was born. I figured Freya was too unusual, and Effie was a suitable substitute.
“And you can call me Sean. We are all on a first-name basis here. No need for any of that ‘sir’ business.”