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I swallowed again. "During the probationary period, I will prove to you that I can be punctual, Sir."
Mr. Baldwin's gaze didn't lose any of its sharpness. "You speak as if you already have the job."
"I... uh, I mean of course... if you were to give me a chance... in that case..." Now the guy had actually made me so nervous that I started stuttering. My cheeks turned red. I cleared my throat. "I just meant that there's a probationary period so you can see if I'm always late or just this once."
"The other candidates for the position arrived on time for the interview."
I stared at Mr. Baldwin. "Excuse me?"
"The other candidates for the position arrived on time for the interview," Mr. Baldwin repeated.
I had understood him the first time, but I had no idea what to say in response.
At that moment, a loud, but audible whinny came from my bag.
Damn it!
It was my phone.
Someone had sent me a message.
Recently, Hayley and I had tried out various ringtones for fun. The whinny had made us giggle particularly.Imagine you're somewhere and suddenly there's a whinny. People will think there's a horse on Times Square.Hayley couldn't stop laughing at the thought.
"What's that?" Mr. Baldwin's gaze now pinned me to the spot. I hadn't believed he could look at me any sharper. Now I was proven wrong.
"That... uh... was my phone," I stammered now. "I'm sorry. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to turn it off. I certainly didn't want to keep you waiting any longer."
"So it's true what Emmett Kershaw says about you." Mr. Baldwin's dry statement made me jump in surprise.
"Yes, young lady," he said now patronizingly. "You didn't include a recommendation letter with your application, but according to your resume, you worked at the reception of a hotel on Crosby Street for a few months. That immediately caught my attention. So I called my old acquaintance Emmett Kershaw and asked how satisfied he was with you."
Silently, I looked at Mr. Baldwin.
"Don't you even want to know what he said?"
Silently, I shook my head. I already knew the answer.
Not at all.
"Mr. Kershaw was very forthcoming."
Mr. Baldwin seemed to be just as much of a talker as Emmett Kershaw. I could be glad I didn't get this job. It would be just as hellish as with my previous boss.
But what was I supposed to do? I needed some kind of job!
I broke my gaze from Mr. Baldwin and looked up at the ceiling. It felt like I was watching a soap bubble burst there. A big, colorful, shimmering soap bubble with my dream of working in a hotel with people from all over the world and making sure they had as comfortable and pleasant a time as possible far from home.
"Mr. Kershaw strongly advises against hiring you. You might want to look elsewhere, young lady. I believe McDonald's in the kitchen is still looking for staff."
That was it.
"Thank you. But I already have a job. There are people who don't care about Mr. Kershaw's opinion. I just wanted to see if your company offers better conditions than my current employer." My words were disjointed. But I absolutely did not want to give Mr. Baldwin the satisfaction of seeing me down. I would not be humiliated.
"But $50,000 a week is unfortunately not within your reach."
Mr. Baldwin chuckled mockingly. "Now you're lying too. Get out of here. Don't waste any more of my time."
I didn't need to be told twice. With my head held high, I left Mr. Baldwin's office and coolly nodded at the secretary as I passed.