“Well, this is a surprise,” she says with strained sweetness.
Isabelle quickly stands up, her effortless grace and easy manner seeming a little shaken as she faces her sister. “Hello, Juliette. I hope you don’t mind, but I was in the area, and so I figured I’d stop by to say hello and listen in on your interview. I also thought I’d introduce you to Caroline, but I see you’ve already beaten me to it.”
“Yes, we met in the elevator.”
Isabelle says nothing, waiting on Juliette, who inconveniently also says nothing. My crowd-pleasing inclinations take over, and I’m keen to jump in. “Hi, I’m Winnie,” I say, getting Caroline’s attention. “We spoke via email the other day. Did you need me to help you set up somewhere?”
“Oh, no. There’s really not much to it, actually.” She lifts up her small but thick briefcase, which I can only assume has all of her recording equipment, and I gesture her towards the coffee table.
“Would right here be good?”
“Perfect.” She steps on over, stopping to give Isabelle a double cheek kiss and then proceeding to set herself up. I move to Juliette’s side in the kitchen as Isabelle walks over to Caroline.
“When did she get here?” my boss asks in a hushed voice, flipping on the sink for extra noise traffic.
“Basically, just now. Ten minutes tops.”
“I should have known that she’d push her way into this. Or that she probably bribed Caroline into interviewing me. I ignore a few of her phone calls so she gets one of her lackeys to strap me into a lie detector.”
“Caroline seems very nice, and you’re doing a podcast for the arts—it’s hardly a shakedown.”
“Well, you’re clearly not familiar with the crowd Isabelle rolls with. They seem cordial on the outside, but deep down they’re ladies’ aid mobsters. Their pearl necklaces are meant to distract you from their brass knuckles.”
“That seems a little over the top,” I say as my phone dings. I pull it out of my pocket and see a private reply email from Professor Jack. I cautiously open it, making sure Juliette is distracted with whatever is going on in the living room before reading.
Hey Winnie. I was so happy to get your email, and I’m thrilled to hear that you’re interested in the position! Would tomorrow night be a good time for you and I to talk?
My eyes shift up to Juliette, who’s still monitoring Isabelle and Caroline in the next room. I write back a quick reply.
Tomorrow night would be perfect! Just let me know what time is best for you and I’ll make myself available.
A surge of adrenaline starts to rise in my chest when Juliette suddenly asks, “Who are you talking to?”
I abruptly close out my email and shove the phone back into my pocket. “It was nothing. Just some spam I was deleting.”
She nods and I’m about to ask her a question to change the topic when the intercom from downstairs rings.
Juliette groans, and finally turns off the water. “Now who’s that? Roshni has a key, and there’s no dragging her away from rehearsals, anyways. I told her she could cut out early with me, and she all but handcuffed herself to the radiator pipe in protest.”
“No worries, I’ll find out.” I jog across the room to where a phone hangs on the living room wall and briskly pick it up. “Hello,” I chirp into the receiver.
“Hello. Hi, it’s Liam.”
I immediately smile but am sure to reel it in as I see Juliette staring at me. “It’s Liam,” I tell her blandly.
“Buzz him in,” she says with a sluggish wave of her hand. She twirls around then to flip on the kettle for a cup of tea, and I twist away so my back is to everyone.
“What’s the password?” I ask, holding the phone tight to my ear.
“The password,” Liam repeats. “Is itDeath of a Prom King?”
“Not quite, but a good guess.”
“How aboutBroadway?”
“Getting warmer.”
“Is itI can’t stop thinking about you? Because that’s the password I would choose for myself at the moment.”
