AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cassidy Croft, MD
I read the letter twice, telling myself not to read too much into it. “Complete compatibility, within and without work” and “I anticipate ages of auspicious association” sounded like she was taking this exactly as I intended it—far more than a job application.
Could this be happening? Finally, I turned to Phil. “What do you think?”
Phil shivered in the A/C. The rustling seemed to say,If it’s up to me, she’s hired.
I had to find a way to show her I didn’t have to concoct conflict.
A knock sounded at my open door. I looked up to find Luke in the doorway again and cringed. Hopefully he missed me prattling to a plant.
I’d never be able to avoid alliteration ever again.
“How do those job apps look?” Luke asked. “Any applicants you want me to call?”
I raised one eyebrow. Surely he already knew the answer to that question.
Luke smiled. “She’s coming in at eleven.”
I glanced at the clock. That gave me less than two hours. What did I need to do to convince Cassie? We’d contemplated catching a cup of coffee. I could commence there.
And maybe let the wordplay wane.
“Okay, okay, get coffee.” I didn’t know how she took hers. “Maybe a fancy one, with like, latte art, or maybe a—” I stopped short.
I was slipping into Ubercompetent Mode again. That wasn’t what either of us needed.
If we were going to make this work—if I was—I’d have to show Cassie I could be Broken Lonely Davis with herwithoutblowtorching her. Broken Lonely Davis didn’t bring in twelve types of expensive, premium coffee drinks trying to guess her order right and impress her.
He would find out how to make her happy by asking what she wanted. How much could I deduce from what I knew about her? “Our coffee is organic, free-trade, right?” I asked Luke.
“Yes, of course.”
“Let’s make sure we have a pot ready when she gets here, and then we’ll see what she wants to drink.”
“Of course,” he said again. “Anything else?”
“Yes.” I stood. “You’ll have to work another miracle.”
Luke’s grin grew broader. “That’s what I do best.”
I was not expecting a callback first thing in the morning, but by eleven, I stood staring up at the sleek office building at the address Davis’s assistant had given me. I’d spent way too long trying to find something both professional and pretty to wear—even Natalie was annoyed, I think—but I’d settled on straight black slacks and a flowy yellow blouse, my hair back in a sleek ponytail.
Still not sure whether this was a job interview or a date, I opened the glass door.
“Hi.” A man, tall, self-effacing, blond, and disappointingly not Davis, welcomed me with a warm smile. “Dr. Croft?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. I’m Luke, Davis’s assistant.”
I shook his hand. “Yes, we spoke on the phone.”
“Yep. Right this way. Oh, can I get you some coffee? It’s free trade and organic.”
“Very nice. I’m good, thank you.” The last thing I wanted was to run to the bathroom in ten minutes.
As he walked me through an open “meetup space,” Luke explained how the app would help connect (Connect?) strangers with complementary personalities and interests based on a questionnaire and give them opportunities to build rapport without having to reveal their personal information. Once they came here for a safe, in-person meetup, they could decide whether they wanted to continue a relationship by releasing their contact information.
