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Aiden shrugs. “Harvard. Not that the hiring team will give a damn about that. They’ll be basing their decision on how we perform here, not on our résumés.”
Kyle’s face crumples like he’s swallowed a lemon. He manages to recover quickly, but not before we’ve all seen him flounder. Aiden shoots me a wink, and I can’t help but smile in relief. We’re all here to win, but it’s good to know I have an ally at last.
The interrogation goes no further than that because the door swinging open interrupts us again. This time, though, we stay silent. The CEO of Fletcher Tech isn’t the kind of guy you talk over, especially not when you’re trying to persuade him to give you a job.
“Sit,” commands Mr. Fletcher, and we all obey.
He walks slowly and deliberately to the head of the table and places his palms on its surface so he can loom over us. I bet this is his favorite time of year, scaring all the new interns. I clench my fists under the table and fight to keep my face a pleasant neutral.
“You’re already the best of the best. That’s why you’re here. A Fletcher Tech internship is something that looks good on anyone’s résumé — job or no job. But this is business, and if you’re expecting an easy ride, you should quit now. This isn’t a game. There’ll be no prize for petty sabotage or teenage bullshit. The job will go to whoever proves to me they can work hard enough for it.”
My heart is racing in my throat. No matter what Mr. Fletcher says, all my rivals are out for blood and they won’t hesitate to spill it. I guess that’s what he’s trying to show us — you have to look like you’re in the right, even if you’re doing dirty deals behind people’s backs.
Am I cutthroat enough to do this? Working hard is what I’m all about. It’s all I know.
“You’ll be getting the full program documentation later today. I expect you all to read it. Ask questions if you have to. But don’t ever be late. I expect all my employees to know exactly what they’re doing every day, and for the next four weeks, that’s what you are.”
We all nod, mute in terror or excitement, it’s hard to tell. Blair and Louise look like they’re caught in the headlights about to get run over. Kyle has that same smug smirk he’s worn since I arrived. Daniel and I both have the same look in our eyes: awe, fear, and determination.
Only Aiden looks at all relaxed, almost slumped in his chair. What makes him so cocky that he thinks he can slouch like that? He barely even looks like he’s listening.
I stare at him for maybe a little too long, and he must notice me looking at the absolute lack of tension in his square jaw and broad shoulders because he glances over at me and wiggles his eyebrows. I look away sharply, a hot blush rising in my cheeks making them cherry-red.
Ugh! I don’t have time for this!
I push all of my swirling emotions down and focus hard on Mr. Fletcher. I can work through all this stuff later. Right now, I want to know what we’re doing.
“Now, who wants to sit in a development meeting for the new Fletch phone?” All our hands shoot into the air, and Mr. Fletcher grins wickedly. “Good. We’re going to have a little competition for it.”
CHAPTER3
CANDICE
“Fletcher Tech support. This is Candice, how can I help you?”
A sharp-voiced woman answers. “Yes, hello, I want to know why my cloud storage has been offline for three days after youassuredme you were looking into it and you’d have it fixed as soon as possible. Don’t you know how much damage this is doing to my business?”
She ploughs through her monologue, and I listen politely, offering her bland apologies and reassurances. “Could I get your name, please?” I ask, to which she scoffs.
Day one of working at a tech firm, and I’m answering the phone. Not exactly what I expected.
But I’m handling it better than some of the others, who have clearly never had to do a day of work in their lives. I had a call-center job for a while as a teenager so I know exactly how to tune out the angry tirades of customers who think they know better about everything, especially when they don’t.
The key is to stay calm, something that Kyle’s really struggling with. He’s yelling at a customer right now.
I won’t let smugness distract me, though. I have my eyes on the prize. I want to see innovation where it happens, and that means being quick and polite. No one’s going to complain aboutme.
It takes me about three and a half minutes to figure out what’s wrong with the woman’s connection and to walk her through fixing it. She’s not as eternally grateful to me as she should be, but at least I get a “thank you very much,” which I take as a win.
I place the phone back down in its cradle, closing my eyes to enjoy the brief moment between people’s problems.
“Hey,” hisses Aiden beside me, leaning in over the desk like he’s got a secret. “What’s up?”
“Same as you, probably,” I say, raising my eyebrow.
He has this cheeky grin that should spell trouble, but he’s the only one who actually seems to want to talk to me like a human being at all, so I decide to give him a chance.
Plus, he’s kind of cute.
