My ears perked up, but I kept my face passive. “Okay.”
“They’re going to pick three candidates for the program, hire them for the summer, train them but also be running a contest during the last month.”
“What’s the contest?”
“Each intern would have to design an entire marketing package for a company of our choosing. Everything from a logo, branding, social media, and website for a company. The person who wins the competition at the end of the summer gets hired on as a full-time intern with the idea that once they complete their training, they’d move up to a graphic design position.”
I stood still as his words trickled over me. Inside, I was jumping up and down, but I forced myself to keep it together. This sounded suspiciously too good to be true. Before I could counter, he added another spoonful of sugar to the pie.
“One more thing. The winner of the internship will be eligible to have their schooling paid for, if it’s a graphic design program approved by the company. They’d have to study nights and weekends while they work full time with us, but the company will pay for it.”
School would be paid for, which meant I could quit the cafe and focus everything toward paying off my student loan bill. Just thinking the words made me want to sob with relief. If I won, I’d be able to quit the janitor job much sooner than I’d anticipated. I was vaguely aware of Duke picking up the squeegee and the squirt bottle and spraying a window I hadn’t gotten to yet.
“What’s the catch?” I asked, moving closer. “Why do you all of a sudden have the perfect solution for me?”
He grabbed a towel laying on the cleaning cart and wiped the squeegee before dragging it down the window. “No catch. I’m just relaying information, in case you’re interested.”
“I’m not interested if this is some sort of handout.”Yes, I am, my traitorous mind screamed at me.
“Not a handout. Our company is growing, but we can’t afford to hire on as many employees as we need—at least not yet. So we thought we’d open it up for a little competition.” His voice had a hint of distraction as he grew more comfortable with the squeegee. “I’ve got to get me one of these.”
I refused to be diverted by the cute furrow on his face as he worked at keeping his lines clean and smudge free. “Why didn’t you tell me about the internship the other day?”
“I was too busy catching my breath after chasing you down.”
I would also not be distracted by his sweet little grin, though he still wasn’t looking at me.
“Nora. This is a good thing. It’s not a trick. Haven’t you ever heard that it’s all about who you know?” he asked.
“Yes, but…Duke, is this your company? Are you the boss? Something about this feels weird.”
“Do you know how much a squeegee runs at the store? This works amazing.”
He ignored my questions, but still my mind raced. I took the trash out of his office every night, but he had nothing personal in his room. The sign at his desk just said Duke Webber, no title.
“My company needs some extra help. That’s all. You have to earn your place here either way. I’m only passing on information to a friend. If it works out and it’s something you’re interested in, then great.”
Those words. Casual. Breezy. Almost flippant. The casualness of it was made even more so by watching a handsome man dressed in gray suit pants with his white shirt rolled at the sleeves cleaning windows. My windows. He was right. I needed to calm down. Life was more about who you knew. I was janitorial proof of that. I didn’t owe Duke anything. If he wanted to help me out in a time when even I could admit (silently) that I really needed a boost, then who was I to say no?
“Where do I sign up?”
He smiled. “I’ll sign you up. I’ll just need your phone number.”
“I’ll sign up myself.” I smiled at him sweetly.
He bit back his grin. “Email?”
Once I determined that email would be the less-intrusive threat, he typed my email into his phone. When he was finished, he slid his device into his back pocket and picked up the squeegee once more.
“Is this your company?” I asked again, suspicion etched in my voice.
He sounded distracted as he worked on making his dry lines straight. “I’ll send you the info tomorrow.”
“You can stop cleaning now.” I held my hand out for the squeegee.
“It’s kind of fun. What’s next?” He ignored me, spraying the last window.
“Nothing. I’m finished for the night.”
