Oh,shoot! My résumé!I should’ve brought it with me! I totally spaced because I’ve never had an employer ask to see me without my having applied for a position first.
I can’t believe I’ve already blown the interview, and I haven’t even said hello to Emmett yet! Even ifhedoesn’t want one, the HR people most definitely will. GrantEm Capital smells like the kind of place that will demand one.
“Don’t be nervous,” Amy says, peering at me.
I cringe inwardly.Great going, Aspen. Forgot the résumé and now showing panic to everyone. “Is it that obvious?”
“Everyone gets nervous when they interview with Emmett. But you’ll be fine. He doesn’t bite. And if he asked you to come in, he must really like you for some reason.”
That’s reassuring…a little. I manage a smile for her. “Okay.”
She walks past a desk with a perky brunette in her late twenties. She watches us with keen interest. “Is that Emmett’s eleven o’clock?” she says, checking me out.
“Yes. Apparently, nobody was there to meet her at the elevator,” Amy says, nicely enough, but there’s a subtle censure in her tone.
“I didn’t know she was coming.”
“Really? Security didn’t call?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean she’d come up, like, immediately.”
Amy sighs.
The brunette turns to me. “Well, you’re here. So, no harm, no foul, right?” Her eyes demand an agreement.
I shrug, wondering why she thinks I’ll agree with her.
“Anyway, Marjorie, let Emmett know Aspen’s here for the interview.”
“Is she going to be Renée’s replacement?” Marjorie asks.
Amy smiles thinly. “You’ll have to ask your boss.”
Marjorie hits the intercom. “Emmett, your eleven o’clock is here.”
“Send her in.”
After a long exhale, I walk inside his office. It’s sizable, with a huge desk and a couple of couches and a table. There are two laptops—one on his desk and one on the table between the couches. At the bar he looked more casual, but here he is clearly master of his domain, exuding an easy confidence.
“Please, take a seat.”
“Thank you.” I perch my butt on the edge of a couch cushion.
“Thanks for coming in. I wasn’t sure if you would. You seemed a bit reluctant.”
“Well…” The name Lasker gave me pause when I first saw his card, but I didn’t realize he’d caught that.Okay, so he’s perceptive. File that away.I should probably admit my screwup before he broaches the subject himself. “I don’t have a résumé.”
“You don’t need one if I ask you to come in. Résumés are for people whowantme to ask them to come in.” He speaks the words like it’s natural for him to make an exception whenever he feels like it. “You can think on your feet and come up with a solution rather than wringing your hands over a problem. Furthermore, you went straight to implementation, which I like. Nobody wants to micromanage you here, and we expect you to proactively do your job. You can also do math on the spot without a calculator, which is good. Might come in handy from time to time, depending.” His gaze flicks briefly in Marjorie’s direction. “I do need to make sure you can do a business memo, though. It’s easy to teach you how to use apps to manage appointments and agendas, but it’s hard to teach someone how to write well.”
“Okay,” I say, relieved he thinks of me positively. I’m sure I can swing a decent memo.
He nods and hits the intercom. “Marjorie, can you bring in the folder I asked you to prep this morning?”
The brunette walks in. Her chartreuse dress is fashionably short, but not so short that it’d be unprofessional. Her shoes are shiny and new, and she walks with the assertiveness of someone who knows where she belongs. She hands me a brown leather folio. “Here you go.”
Emmett points at the laptop on the table. “You can use that.”
“Thank you,” I say, grateful he has everything I need.
