Page 16 of The Stranger

“Been there, done that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Kayne’s father only hired me because I was dating his son. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I refuse to take another sympathy job.” The mere mention of that dick’s name has my blood pressure rising again. “I’m more than capable of finding my own employment.”

I agree, she may not be the sharpest—she was prepared to marry fuckface, after all—but she certainly is the prettiest.

“You think that’s what this is … a sympathy job?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Show me your resume?”

“Why?”

“Give it here, Miss St. James.” When she doesn’t immediately comply, I extend my arm in her direction. I’m forced to roll my lips to hide my smile when she grunts out a huff as she reaches down to grab the bag that she’d placed by her feet.

She goes to hand me the small stack of A4-sized paper that’s placed inside a clear plastic sleeve before changing her mind and retracting her hand. “What are you going to do with it?”

“I’m going to read it.”

“Oh.”

“What did you think I was going to do?”

She lifts one shoulder. “Tear it up or throw it out the window so I couldn’t look for another job. FYI, these are photocopies I got from the library. The originals are at my place.”

Why do I find this woman’s antics utterly adorable? “I don’t litter, Delilah. Unlike some, I have respect for our planet.”

“I’m pleased to hear that,” she replies, finally handing over her resume.

I flick through her paperwork … there’s not much here. A few school reports from her senior year of high school. Her grades are mostly comprised of B’s and C’s, but it’s the teacher’s comments I’m most interested in. You can tell a lot about a person from someone else’s perspective.

Delilah is a pleasure to teach.

Delilah is hard-working and gives everything her all.

Delilah tackles every task she’s presented with gusto.

Delilah is kind, compassionate, and popular amongst her peers.

I can’t find any criticisms.

I move back to the first page. She has About Smiles Dentistry listed as her sole employment—I’d also noted they hadn’t given her a written reference. She has Dr Lewis Drummond listed as the point of contact. I know for a fact that universities here in Australia don’t offer a doctorate only a bachelor’s degree, and as a result, he has no right to call himself a doctor.

I make a mental note of the company’s name, so I can do some investigation when I get back to the office.

Her list of personal attributes include: hard-working, friendly, honest, loyal, reliable, punctual, and a fast learner … all the things I value in my employees.

I remain silent as I slide it back into the flimsy sleeve. “Well,” she says when I pass it back to her.

“Well, what?”

“Are you going to critique it?”

“Do you want me to?”

“I’ve applied for so many jobs since I was let go, and I’m yet to get one interview.”