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She gives me the department head’s name, and I glance toward the clock sitting on the corner of my desk.

The interview is due to start in five minutes.

Under normal circumstances, I’d send her downstairs, wish her luck, and get back to reviewing rollout projections.

Instead, I look from the clock to Emma and back again, with my better judgment offering the entirely reasonable reminder that inserting myself into this process is unnecessary.

Unfortunately, my better judgment hasn’t had much influence since she walked through the door. “I’ll handle it.”

Emma’s eyebrows lift. “The interview?”

“I’m the CEO,” I say. “Every now and then I like to remind people I still know how to speak to employees.”

“Every now and then?”

“When HR becomes aggressive.”

She shifts her portfolio higher against her chest. “Aggressive how?”

“The last email contained three exclamation marks.”

Her mouth twitches. “That bad?”

“There may have been bold text.”

The laugh that escapes her is entirely too distracting.

I’ve spent years convincing myself I was over this woman. A conversation lasting less than ten minutes is doing an impressive job of dismantling that theory.

Emma studies me for another few seconds. “You’re serious.”

“I usually am.”

“Why are you doing this?”

The question catches me more off guard than it should.

Because I spent years wondering how you were doing after I left. Because walking away turned out to be considerably easier than forgetting you.

Because if you’re going to work for my company, I want to know exactly who you are when you’re not standing beside Spencer Stone pretending everything’s fine.

None of those answers belong anywhere near a professional interview.

I gesture toward the chair across from my desk instead. “Because you’re already here, and I’ve got twenty minutes before my next meeting.”

Emma looks at me for another beat, clearly deciding whether this is a terrible idea. Then she walks forward and takes the seat.

Five minutes later, I’m discovering that interviewing Emma Love requires considerably more concentration than negotiating with investors.

She answers questions well. Too well.

Most candidates arrive prepared to impress. Emma arrives prepared to work.

When I ask about project management, she talks about people before processes. When I ask about deadlines, she talks about identifying problems before they become disasters.

When I ask about leadership, she doesn’t give me rehearsed corporate nonsense about synergy and vision statements. She talks about trust.

People trust her.