“In my previous positions, they didn’t necessarily need me the minute they walked in, but I like to be early enough that we can map out their day and make sure there isn’t anything they’ve added to their calendar that I’m not aware of. And, I will stay until they leave or if they’re going to pull an all-nighter, I’ll take off around seven. By then it’s calm and quiet, and they don’t need my assistance.”
I really like that answer. The hours can suck, but the rewards are usually worth it. “Mr. Graham is quite popular with the ladies and receives many phone calls a day from women trying to get on his calendar. How would you manage that?”
She chuckles. “I think I’d handle it like I would anyone else. I’d take their name and number and the reason they want to meet with him, and I would leave it up to him. If he wants to see them, I’ll set the appointment, or if he prefers, he can do that himself.”
She’s right on track. “Things are pretty crazy around here,” I tell her. “This position requires flexibility and the ability to juggle a lot of balls at the same time. Tell me about some of the other things you’ve had to do in your previous jobs.”
“Well, I understand crazy. That can come with working for a startup—”
The fire alarm begins to blare, and Todd comes over the loudspeaker, “This is not a drill. Please move quickly down the stairs and vacate the building.”
Lisa looks at me, alarmed.
I shake my head. “I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s do as we’re told.”
Brian comes rushing in. “We need to get you downstairs quickly.”
“What is it?” I ask, trying not to alarm Lisa.
“Someone set off the alarm on the eighth floor. We need to get down the stairs immediately.”
I nod and do the only thing I know to do—grab my bag and cell phone. If the building is closed for the rest of the day, I’ll need to be able to get into Gabby’s house.
“Where’s Jackson?” I ask.
“He’s with Ben.”
As we descend the stairs, I smell smoke, and Lisa stops.
“We need to keep going,” I urge.
Lisa shakes her head. “There’s a fire.”
“Yes, but right now, there’s only smoke, and we need to keep going.”
Lisa shakes her head.
I reach for her hand. “We can do this together.” I take my sweater off and offer it to her. “Here, put this over your nose and mouth.”
The three of us walk down the stairs. The smoke seems to be thinner by the fourth floor, so it seems the fire is contained around the eighth floor.
When we get down to the lobby, Jackson rushes over and joins us as we move outside. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Mr. Graham, this is Lisa Dixson. We were in an interview.”
He looks over at Lisa. “We’re not usually this exciting.”
Lisa has a strained smile. “My husband told me to cancel since you got a bomb threat three weeks ago. I think I’m going to pass.” She turns and walks away. Just before she disappears, I realize she still has my sweater.
“That worked out better than expected,” Jackson quips and smiles at me, leading me across the street.
My blood pressure rises. “Did you pull the fire alarm?”
He holds his hands up. “Absolutely not, but I didn’t like her.”
“How could you know how you felt about her without even talking to her?” I demand.
“She had your sweater, which tells me she needed it to get down the stairs. I need someone who is not only good at their job but not paralyzed in an emergency.”
I’m freezing now, and it’s beginning to rain again. I see Jim approach.
“Someone lit a trash can on fire and pulled the alarm,” he says. “It looks like they wanted their Friday afternoon off.”
I watch the color rise in Jackson’s face. “When can we go back into the building?”
“Shortly,” Jim assures him. “Maybe twenty minutes or so.”
I feel a blanket around my shoulders, and I turn to see Brian. “Thank you.”
He nods and steps away.
“Do you have any room under that blanket for me?” Jackson asks.
I want to tell him to dream on. If I was smart, I’d just hand it to him and walk away, but he’s only wearing a dress shirt and jeans, and it is raining. I open up, and he steps inside. The body heat is an added bonus, and we huddle under the building’s awning across the street.
“Thank you for sharing. I did notice that Brian brought you the blanket and not me.”
I cock my head to the side and look at him skeptically. “He likes me better.”
“I like you better than I like me,” he moans.
I’m surprised by this, but he’s only trying to be charming.
We stand in silence. I look at my watch. “You have lunch in twenty minutes at the Waterfront Café.”
He picks up his phone, takes a picture of the crowd, and sends it off. “All set. He’ll understand why I need to reschedule.”
When we’re permitted into the building, Brian and Ben take us back to Jackson’s floor in a private elevator, and we are in our offices in no time. But as soon as we enter the executive space, we’re overcome by the smell of shit—again.
My stomach tightens. Ben and Brian stop us from going any farther. The smell is overpowering, and I’m trying not to gag. The elevator has returned to pick up the other executives from our floor. I walk to the stairwell, but Brian stops me and shakes his head. I pull the blanket up to my nose to stop the scent.
I glance at my desk. Everything is on
