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Hi, Selena, the email said. I saw your ad and am very interested in the position. I’ve attached my resume, along with the contact information for several references. I hope to hear from you soon!
Well, thank the Goddess. Yes, it was early days yet, but I really wanted to get that shop assistant position filled as fast as possible.
A quick look at her resume told me Melanie had worked in retail for the past eight years, including at some high-end-sounding boutiques in Scottsdale. I wondered why she’d be interested in relocating to Globe, then reminded myself that even fancy stores rarely paid twenty-five bucks an hour to start and include full insurance benefits.
I wanted to write back immediately and ask her when she wanted to come in for an interview, but then I thought maybe it would be a better idea to check her references first. After all, if something sounded off, then I wouldn’t have made her drive all the way out to Globe for a face-to-face chat for nothing.
But the first two people I called were both effusive in their praise for the woman, saying she was a hard worker and very conscientious.
“Honestly, I wanted to promote her to assistant manager,” the second reference, a woman named Parker Booth, told me. “But she said she needed to cut back on her hours to help her sick grandmother.”
Hmm. If Melanie was handling caretaker duties, then would she really be available to move to Globe?
I didn’t have the whole story, though, and I figured Melanie could explain the situation to me. Rather than ask any further questions, I thanked Parker for her time, set down the phone, and then got out my tablet again.
Hi, Melanie. Your resume is impressive. Would you be available for an in-person interview either tomorrow or Thursday? I’m flexible on times — whatever works for you.
The answer came back so quickly, it felt as though Melanie Knowles must have been camped on her phone, just waiting to hear from me.
Tomorrow around eleven would be great if that fits in your schedule.
I told her that was perfect, and I’d see her at eleven the next morning.
She thanked me, and that ended our email convo.
As I put the tablet away, I told myself not to get too hopeful. Just because Melanie Knowles looked great on paper didn’t mean she would be a good fit for the position. After all, my witchy little shop in out-of-the-way Globe was a far cry from a tony boutique in Scottsdale.
Maybe she was tired of working in a high-end store, though, and ready for a change of pace.
I supposed I’d find out soon enough.
In the back of my mind, I’d been imagining Melanie as someone similar to Victoria, cool and polished in a way I could never be. It was probably silly to be thinking that way, but I supposed it was the Scottsdale connection and the kinds of places Melanie had worked before.
Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Oh, it wasn’t that she showed up for the interview in ripped jeans or something, but she was wearing a long black skirt and a simple black elbow-sleeved top, with big silver hoops in her ears and multiple silver rings on her fingers.
In short, she looked exactly like someone who should work in a New Age shop like mine.
She appeared to be around my age, in her early thirties, with hazel eyes and light, sort of fawn-brown hair she wore in the kind of elaborate French braid I knew my own clumsy fingers could never have managed, and was pretty in an understated sort of way.
“Thank you for driving all the way out here,” I told her as we shook hands. She sported a French manicure so immaculate that it looked as though she’d had it done in the last day or so.
Wanting to make a good impression?
Probably.
“Oh, the drive wasn’t a problem,” Melanie told me. “I wanted to come out and look around. I’ve come through Globe a couple of times, but I’ve never actually stopped here.”
A familiar enough story. My little town wasn’t much more than a wide spot in the road or maybe a place to stop for gas for most people, who would be intent on other destinations.
“So, what interests you about relocating to Globe?” I asked, figuring I might as well get to the heart of the matter.
Melanie had been wearing a slight smile during our previous exchange, and it didn’t waver now. “I just thought it was time for a chance of pace. I’m kind of tired of big-city life.”
Having relocated to Globe from Los Angeles, I could definitely sympathize with that feeling.
“And then I saw your ad,” she went on, “and it just felt like the perfect opportunity. I really enjoy working retail, but I didn’t think I’d be able to find anything that was such a great fit.” She paused there to look around the shop and added, “Your store is really beautiful.”
