Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Because we aren’t two girls gossiping in the bathroom. My business is my own. I don’t ask about Irene or whatever the fuck her name is.”
“Irene—you got it right.”
I pulled my bag over my shoulder and walked out. “Goodnight, Carvel.”
17
ALIÉNOR
I arrived at Diamant for another interview. It was my third one, so I assumed I was a finalist for the unpaid position. Luca’s money would get me by for a while, but if this internship didn’t turn into a full-time gig within six months, it might not work out.
I entered the building and waited in the lobby until someone came to retrieve me. We entered the elevator and rose to the third floor before I was escorted into Mrs. Bernard’s office. She was the office supervisor, someone who maintained the flow of the business so everyone could focus on their tasks. I wasn’t sure who I would work for or what my job details would be if I were hired. All they did was ask me questions, but I didn’t get to ask questions of my own.
I was seated across the desk from Mrs. Bernard, a middle-aged woman who showed the fashion and flair of Diamant. In a low-cut black blouse tucked into her black pencil skirt, she looked like she could be a model rather than a boss.
She sat across from me and made small talk, asking me how my week had been and talking about all the rain we’d been receiving this season. I went along with it, but showing up to three interviews for a job with no pay made me wish we could cut the shit.
“So unfortunately, I think we’re going to go with someone else for the position.” She said it point-blank because that’s how French women were.
I blinked several times, shocked that I’d invested all this time and they’d just strung me along. Who made someone come to the office just to be told they didn’t get the job? “Oh…I see.” But I took the rejection like a good sport because losing my cool wouldn’t change anything.
“We actually found a different position for you. Our fashion merchandiser is relocating to Milan, so the position will be vacant in the next week. We think you’d be a good fit for it.”
“Why?” I blurted without thinking. A fashion merchandiser was a high position in a company like this, someone who analyzed trends and behaviors in fashion, looked at sales data for all the different departments where specific items were sold. Planned for seasonal changes and foresaw demands based on consumer behaviors. It was a big job.
She smiled at my candor. “You’re obviously intelligent and motivated.”
I didn’t have an education or experience of any kind. If tragedy hadn’t struck, I would have moved to Milan for university. Maybe I wouldn’t have come back. I could be there right now, eating a big bowl of pasta and drinking a glass of wine. But I’d stayed in Paris because this beautiful city had replaced the family I lost. She had been there for me in her own way, with a framboise croissant in the morning, with the lights guiding me home late at night, with the rain that washed away my despair every day. “That’s nice of you to say.” I still couldn’t believe that this was real, that they would select me for such a prominent position for which I was grossly underqualified. But I’d bust my ass to match my predecessor, to make sure they didn’t regret entrusting something so important to a novice like me. “Thank you so much for the opportunity.”
She smiled. “Can you start tomorrow? You should take advantage of Mia’s final week and learn what you can.”
“Absolutely.”
She presented all the hiring paperwork and collected my information so they could get me on the payroll. The salary was decent at seventy euros a year. It wasn’t a fortune, especially in an expensive place like Paris, but it was definitely a lot more than what the internship paid. “Thank you so much for this opportunity.”
“Of course,” she said with a smile. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
It’d been a couple days since I’d spoken to Luca, so I sent him a text. Hey. He might already be asleep from working all night, or he might not be off work at all. I really didn’t know with him.
But his three dots were immediate. Hey. That was all he said, back to being a tightly shut clam.
Thought we could get something to eat if you’re free. It was still morning, almost eleven by the time I walked out of Diamant with a new job under my belt.
I can pick you up.
I’m not at home. Just finished my interview. I can meet you somewhere.
You know Holybelly?
I’d never heard of it. I pulled it up on my phone. I can get there in fifteen minutes. It was too far to walk from where I was close to the Seine. I’d have to take a taxi, which was a reasonable expense, considering I had a job now.