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I resist the urge to wipe my hands on my skirt andinstead very slowly, very deliberately, pick up my pen and say aloud as I pretend to write in my notebook: ‘I don’t know jack shit. Got it.’
She lets out another peal of laughter, which gives me a warm glow in my chest, and I relax a bit. For all her impressive background, Molly seems like the most easy-going, down-to-earth person I’ve met at Arrowmile. Friendly in a way that makes me feel like, if we’d met at uni, we might actually be friends. ‘Seriously, I mean it – learn as much as you can about everything, from everyone. You might want to carve out your niche and focus only on what your manager tells you to do, but make the most of this experience. Even if you don’t end up here afterwards, it’ll give you some perspective to take with you. Oh – and pro tip, if Nadja sends out one of her invites for shadowing opportunities or visits to the lab or whatever, even if she says it’s not mandatory,do it anyway. If you want to get a job here after you graduate, showing enthusiasm really gets you in her good books.’
‘I kind of guessed. We’re going to the labs this week, and her email didn’t make it sound veryoptional.’
‘She’s a real force of nature, believe me – but she’s also amazing to have in your corner. She really knows her stuff. Don’t take it personally if she’s a little blunt though.’
‘Or if she makes me cry in the toilets?’ I joke.
‘Or that,’ she says, and then stage-whispers, ‘I was one of those. I thought I’d ruined this huge contract renewal worth three million pounds. I mean, obviously, I messed up big time, so of course Nadja wasn’t happy about it, and she was only criticizing me to teach me how to do it better next time. But, you know, I was this fresh-faced intern thinking I was single-handedly destroying the company and my manager hated me and was going to give me the sack, so I had a complete breakdown in the toilets.’
‘Oh my God. I’d die if that was me.’
‘I wanted to, believe me. But Nadja came in to find me when I didn’t come back to my desk after a few minutes, and talked some sense into me. She was really nice about it, actually. Although, don’t let her know I told you that – I think she likes the whole hard, scary exterior vibe she’s got going. It’d totally undermine her to the interns if you all knew she was a major softie underneath it all.’
‘My lips are sealed.’ And then I find myself wondering what her opinion is of the CEO, since she’s being so upfront, unprompted. So I say, ‘We met Mr Fletcher the other day, too.’
‘Topher?’
‘Right. Yeah. Sorry, I’m just – it still feels weird calling adults by their first names, you know?’
For a second, there’s a blank look on Molly’s face before she remembers what it was like to be a teenager. ‘He’s pretty cool. Amateur science geek with good business sense and solid people skills. Approachable, but always busy, so good luck catchinghimfor one of these little Q&As.’
Good to know, I think, already forming a plan of attack. (Should I email him? Maybe I should try to drop by Freya’s desk a couple of times first, suss things out from her and maybe bump into him in person …)
‘But hey, if you can’t grab Topher for a chat, his son Lloyd’s always around. Have you met him yet?’
I’ve done a whole lot more than ‘meet’ him, Molly, believe me.
‘Um. Uh, y-yeah. He came out for drinks with everybody the other night.’
‘And?’
Molly’s eyes bug and she leans towards me, head bobbling side to side as she waits, eager formyopinions this time. I stammer for a moment before managing, ‘It’s interesting how much he wants to be involved and get to know the interns. Does he … make a regular thing out of that?’
I’m fishing for gossip. So sue me.
If anybody is going to spill the tea, I figure it’s probably someone like Molly.
‘Oh, sure. Wouldn’t you? He must’ve only been – what … fifteen, I guess – when I was doing my internship, so he wasn’t exactly meeting us for after-work drinks or anything, but wouldn’tyougravitate towards the only people in the office who are remotely close to you in age? He always seemed …’ She pulls a face, debating over it for a minute.
‘Self-important?’ I guess, and instantly regret that I said it out loud.
She shakes her head, still considering – luckily for me, too preoccupied trying to pick the right word to judge me for the one I suggested. Then she shrugs and says, ‘Mature for his age. Kind of lonely, I guess.’
Yeah, well, being an arrogant toad will do that to you.
‘Poor guy,’ I say instead, and then risk adding, ‘I heard some rumours he got a littletoofriendly with one of the interns last year.’
Molly’s eyes bug wide – delightedly scandalized. ‘You could say that! He dated one of the girls. Totally head over heels for her. They called it off at the end of the summer, though. I think it was the long distance, or something, what with her going back to uni … Poor kid washeartbroken. He was majorly on the rebound for a while, went on abunchof dates. Double-bookedhimself one night, I heard. Got in a wholeheapof trouble with the two girls who both showed up at the restaurant!’
I must pull a very judgemental face because Molly laughs.
‘Right? I think he’s over all that now, though, so don’t hold that against him. He’s a real cutie.’
Cutie?Could she be underselling his good looks any more? He’s almost deliriously good-looking. Not, obviously, that I care. But I can tell it’s my turn to talk, and I have to saysomething, so I shrug and reply, ‘He’s quite attractive, I suppose.’
Confusion flickers over Molly’s face before she gives a small breath of laughter. ‘Sure, but I meant he’s just a sweet guy. I forget he’s, like, a fully-grown adult now. I still think of him as a kid.’
