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Opening the door, he donned a polite smile. “Hi, I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” As he shut the door all he could see of the person waiting for him was the top of a bun.
So a woman. Good. She could balance Dave out.
Rounding the desk, he focused on the blotter to see if perhaps Billie had left the applicant’s file for him before she disappeared. “I’m sorry I’m a bit late. I’m afraid I don’t—”
“That’s okay,” the applicant said.
Graham snapped his head up. “Tess?”
She smiled politely, humor tipping the corners of her mouth as she extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Therese Ullo.”
If the door had blown down and he’d found himself surrounded by a legion of gladiators he wouldn’t have been more shocked than he was now.
What in the hell was she doing there?
“What in the hell are you doing here?”
She arched an eyebrow. “We have a ten o’clock appointment. An interview for the Head of Operations position.”
“An interview? Head of Operations? I don’t think—”
“Yes. I saw the ad on the NOLA artist forum. It said you were looking for an assistant art director, but when I called I was told it had changed to Head of Operations with art direction being only part of the tasks involved. Don’t worry. I’m qualified for both.” She folded her hands in her lap and looked at him expectantly.
Graham sat in her father’s chair a little too hard. For several seconds he stared at her, trying to figure out if this was for real.
She looked the part of interviewee in a crisp white blouse, knotted at the neck with a huge bow, and a tight black skirt that went to midcalf. Her shoes were low-heeled and conservative, as was the honey-brown hair she’d pulled into a knot.
“You’re here to interview for a job?” he asked again.
“Yes,” she said with an emphatic nod.
“Because you don’t have one?”
“Right.”
Graham stared at the historical float plans which Frank had hung on his walls, trying to figure out what was happening. “Okay then, let’s get started. So, tell me a little about yourself, Miss Ullo. Wait, it is Miss, correct?”
“Yes, I’m unmarried. In other words, I’m single.”
“Good,” he said.
“I’m twenty-seven years old, turning twenty-eight in August, and I have worked in the float building industry all my life. I have a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Carnegie-Mellon and almost ten years’ experience working in the field, starting with my first job in high school. I’m a former employee of this company and most recently Upstart.”
“Former employee of Upstart?”
“Yes, former. Unfortunately, I found I wasn’t a good fit there.”
“May I ask why you chose to leave your former position?”
Tess shifted her gaze from his and studied the same stapler he’d studied a week ago. “Creative differences were part of it, but also, in the course of working for that company, I learned enough about myself to figure out where I belong.”
“And that is…?”
“The reason I’m interviewing for this job.” She smoothed her hair and rubbed her delicious lips together. “I find I’m more suitable for a company that emphasizes teamwork.”
Graham wanted to laugh. He wanted to round the desk, clasp her to him and spin her around. But it was a job interview so he had to be professional. “I see. So tell me why I should hire you, Miss Ullo.”
“I’m punctual”—she raised her eyebrows as if to point out his tardiness for the interview—“and I play well with others.”
