“Great answer,” said the blonde woman. I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic. She went on, “Would you describe yourself as being…trustworthy?”
“Oh, of course.”
“What about discreet?” she asked, leaning forward like she was going to tell me a secret.
My eyes darted down the line. They were all watching me closely, as if it were the most important question I’d been asked. “I’m, sure, I’m discreet. Yeah, I mean, I can be. When necessary.”
The girl nodded and wrote something down. I held my breath, waiting for the next question. When it came, it was from Tanya, down at the end. I looked in her direction.
“Autumn, what do you know about our company?”
Not even the name, actually. When I didn’t answer right away, grins and knowing eyes were passed around the table. She nodded, letting me know I’d given the nonanswer she expected. “Our employer values discretion above all else. We only staff with top-tier employment firms, and we go through several rounds of interviews to make sure the candidate we select is a perfect fit for our team.”
It doesn’t seem like you’re that candidate. I waited for it, knowing it was coming.
Instead, she said, “Do you have any questions for us? We’ll try to answer what we can.”
“Could you…I mean, what can you tell me about the company? What I’ll be expected to do here?”
Tie Guy’s eyebrows bounced up in amusement as he ran a finger across his nose, but Tanya remained serious. “I’m afraid we can’t tell you too much right now. Not yet, anyway. What I can say is that our employer is a powerful man who values his team above all else. Those of us lucky enough to have been selected love our jobs. We’re very well taken care of here.” She smiled, and it seemed sincere enough. “Our employer runs various operations throughout the country and leads or advises many different businesses. We each wear many different hats for him depending on his current needs. Do you consider yourself to be flexible?”
“Definitely,” I said right away. That one, at least, wasn’t a lie.
“Could you drop everything as soon as he calls you? Jump on a plane and head to Boston? Or Denver? Or Miami?”
“I, well—” I had to think of my mom then. If I were somewhere else, what would she do? I was her only caretaker.
“Let me be frank here, Autumn, as I hope you’ll be with us. This opportunity is not one for anyone with a family. We aren’t able to work around doctor’s appointments or school field trips. It sounds harsh, but it’s reality. If you have children, a husband, this is likely not going to work out for you and we want to be upfront about that from the beginning. We need someone entirely committed to our cause, and our team. Is that someone you?”
Were they actually considering me? I thought of the room full of hopefuls outside. Some of them looked like they might have families, young children. For the first time, I was feeling optimistic about my odds, even if they were only thanks to my horrible love life. Still, I had to be realistic. “I don’t have a family—not kids or a husband, at least. So, that would be no problem.” I paused. “It’s…I take care of my mother. She’s ill.” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word cancer without breaking down, which wasn’t an option here. “I’m the one who takes care of her.”
To my surprise, Tanya’s lips upturned to a smile. “Oh.”
“But I should maybe be able to find someone to help with her. I could hire…” Who was I kidding? I had no one to ask for help and no money to hire anyone. I frowned, trying to come up with a miracle on the spot.
“Well, actually, if you were chosen, we might be able to help with that.”
I raised my brows. “What do you mean?”
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the glass tabletop out in front of her. “This position starts out at five hundred thousand dollars a year.” She leaned back, bomb dropped, and I knew she could read the dumbfounded expression on my face.
It was more money than I’d even dreamed of. I hoped for one hundred, but would’ve gladly settled for less. Half a million dollars a year was…unfathomable. What would I do with that kind of money?
Then another, darker thought crossed my mind: what would I have to do for that kind of money?
“Yeah,” I muttered, my voice breathless, “that would certainly help.”
Chapter Two
Leaving the interview room, walking past the room lined with sharply-dressed candidates, I wasn’t sure how to feel. I suspected the position wasn’t right for me, and that it might even be sketchier than they let on, what with all the talk of discretion, but I won’t deny how enticing the money was.
Two weeks went by without a word from Tanya, and I had to assume I wasn’t selected to move forward. Still, as the days passed, I spent my time thinking of all the ways I could put a salary like that to use. First on the list was paying off the mountain of debt I was currently buried under. It would take a few years to make that happen, at least. After that, I’d get Mom and me in a better apartment, one where we could each have our own bedrooms. I’d hire her a nurse, one who could stay with her when I couldn’t, maybe even find one to live with us. Three bedrooms in the city would be costly, but with my new salary, I’d likely be able to afford it. After the practical stuff, I thought of my clothes, the new wardrobe that would fill my closet, matching shoes and jewelry for every outfit. I’d be able to have my hair done professionally for the first time in my life, rather than by the cosmetology department at a local technical college. The world would be at my leisure, I could see it so clearly, but as each day passed with no phone call, I grew more and more convinced I’d gotten my hopes up too fast.
Back to reality, I darted across the street as soon as the light changed from the orange hand to the stick figure walking, practically running to keep up with the crowd. My interview that day had gone well. It was with a small financial firm that needed to hire an analyst. I’d start at the bottom, but they seemed impressed by my degree. The hiring manager went to Northwestern, too, which seemed to give me a leg up. The salary was modest in comparison to the startling half a million that I now had bouncing around my mind, only eighty thousand, but I would’ve taken anything offered at that point.
In fact, I was kicking myself for ever going to that interview with the mysterious firm and its gargantuan salary. Who was I kidding? They were obviously looking for someone with experience, someone who was okay with their shady dealings. That someone was not me. I had integrity.
No money, four hundred square feet to live in, and crushing debt, but…integrity.
My phone rang, and I glanced down at it. The screen showed a New York City number, one I didn’t recognize, and I realized right away it must be the offer coming in from my interview earlier that day. I considered not answering, letting it go to voicemail, but changed my mind at the last minute, trying to sound happier than I felt.
“Hello, this is Autumn Sanderson.”
“Autumn, great that I caught you. This is Tanya, from the interview a few weeks back. Is this a good time?”
I stopped dead in the street, causing a man behind me to shove into my back. “Watch it, dumbass!” he shouted, his nose in his phone as he hurried past me.