Page 60 of Tempted By Her

She nodded. “Yes, and I haven’t had much luck.”

“There aren’t a whole lot of opportunities in Arrowbridge. Are you from around here?” I asked. She didn’t look familiar to me.

“No. I moved here a month ago,” she said, not elaborating more than that. Okay then. It was a little strange for someone to move to a new place before they secured a job, but I wasn’t going to judge this stranger.

“I’m Sydney,” I said, sticking my hand out.

“Everly,” she said, shaking my hand.

“Pretty name,” I said.

“Thanks. Are you the manager?” she asked.

“Oh, yes, I am. Did you have time for an interview right now?” The day was cloudy and cold, and there weren’t a whole lot of people shopping right now.

“Yeah, I guess so?” she said.

“Or we can schedule one at another time, if you need to.” She shook her head.

“No, now is good.”

“Great,” I said. I wasn’t going to get my hopes up, but so far, Everly might be just what I was looking for.

To help her relax a little, I gave her a tour of the store and asked her if she had retail experience.

“Oh yeah,” she said with a rueful smile. “I’ve done it all. I could sell ice in Alaska.”

I liked that. She pulled a printed resume out of her purse and handed it to me.

“I know everyone does things online, but I made these just in case.”

I took it from her and scanned it. Looking at her high school and college graduation dates put her at about twenty-six, twenty-seven. She was originally from Massachusetts, and I could hear the hint of an accent on certain words. I couldn’t really talk, since I was sure my Maine accent came out every now and then.

“We only really have enough work for someone part time to start, but the position could move to full-time,” I said. I wanted her to know that upfront.

Everly nodded. “That’s fine. I’m looking to get my foot in the door somewhere.”

I scanned the resume again and then put it behind the register before picking up one of the mugs. I’d never truly interviewed someone before like this, but I’d looked up some scripts and tips online.

“Pretend I’m someone who just walked into the shop. Sell me on this mug,” I said, handing it to her.

Everly blinked once and then took the mug from me.

“Hello,” I said, pretending to be a customer.

“Hello, welcome to Bluebird Pottery, how can I help you?” she said in a pleasant voice.

I decided to make this a little bit easier for her.

“I’m looking for a gift for a friend, but I don’t know what to get for her,” I said, looking around.

“Is your friend a coffee or tea drinker?” she asked.

“No, she’s not,” I said. I couldn’t make thingstooeasy.

“What kind of things does she like?” Everly asked, not deterred.

“She loves corgis,” I said.

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