Park Avenue Player by Vi Keeland
Chapter 2
Hollis
Addison was going to kick my ass for being late. I’d asked her to sit in on the interviews as a favor, and wound up missing the entire first one. I looked at my watch. The second one was likely half over by now, too.
The elevator arrived at the fifteenth floor, and I walked through the double glass doors, tossing my briefcase on the reception desk. Everyone was gone for the day, but I heard voices coming from the conference room down the hall. I was already late, so stopping at the men’s room couldn’t make it any worse.
I yelled to let Addison know it was only me. “Addison, it’s Hollis. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Nice of you to show up!” she shouted. “Maybe you need to replace that gaudy Rolex you wear with a Timex.”
I ignored her and went to the men’s room. I’d had to take a piss for the better part of an hour while waiting for the damn tow truck. After washing up, I took off my jacket and headed to the interview. With the day I’d had, I really hoped the candidate was a good one. I needed help desperately.
Addison had pushed her chair back to look down the hall and saw me coming. She tapped her watch. “Had this thing for fifteen years. Paid only fifty bucks for it, if I remember correctly. Yet it miraculously manages to keep time.”
“Sorry I’m late.” I walked into the conference room and turned to offer an apology to the candidate sitting with her back to me. “Someone hit me while I was trying to pull into a parking spot.”
The woman turned and started to speak. “That’s funny… I—” She stopped mid-sentence, and I looked down to find out why.
You’ve gotta be freaking kidding me.I shook my head in disbelief. “You?”
Her smile fell just as quickly as mine. She closed her eyes and sighed. “Hello, Hollis.”
Elodie.
No.
No fucking way.
I held my palms up. “Okay. I’m very sorry, but this is not going to work. I don’t want to waste your time or mine. So, I suggest—”
“Are you serious? You’re not even going to give me a chance because you think I caused an accident that was your fault?”
“Just the fact that you still believe you had no part in it shows you may be a bit delusional, Elodie. That’s not a trait I’m looking for when it comes to this position.”
Addison interrupted our squabbling. “Well, it’s quite a coincidence that you two had an accident, and Elodie is one of your interviews today. But let’s move on. Clearly, you’re already too biased to make a fair decision on this, Hollis. I think you need to at least give Ms. Atlier a shot by allowing her to sit for this interview as planned and not judge her based on something that has nothing to do with the job.”
I shut my eyes, letting out an exasperated breath. It had been a long day, and I didn’t really have the energy to protest.
Let’s just get this over with.
Rubbing my temples and feeling like a vein in my neck was about to pop, I said, “Fine.” I took a seat and held out my hand toward Addison. “Show me her resume.”
Addison handed me the sheet of paper, and I examined it. Elodie Atlier from Connecticut had been a nanny for two years, but that was a long time ago. After that, she had a pretty big gap in employment, and then she’d spent the last two years working for a private investigator.
“What exactly is it that you do for the private investigator?”
“Umm…a little of this and a little of that.”
I huffed. “Enlightening. You sound very qualified.”
She glared at me. “I was a nanny for twins for two years.”
“Yes, and…what are you doing now? How does a little of this and a little of that at your current job make you qualified to take care of a child?”
“Well, I…multitask at work. And I have to…deal with a lot of different kinds of people. Those are both qualities of a good childcare provider.”
My gut told me she was hiding something. “Give me an example of how you multitasked?”
She looked down. “Well, I…sometimes…assisted with surveillance and also helped out the photographer. “
I tossed the paper aside. “So you helped spy on people…and what? Took selfies? Exactly how does your current job equate to relevant work experience, Ms. Atlier?” I couldn’t help that I laughed a little at the end of that question.
“If you bothered to read further than my last position, you would see that my degree is actually in early childhood education, and I worked taking care of twins in high school.”
“In high school. Great.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m afraid you don’t have the kind of background that would make you a suitable candidate to look after an eleven-year-old girl.”
“I beg to differ. I think my most recent line of work prepares me just fine for this position.”
Genuinely intrigued by her assertion, I tilted my head. “Oh, really? Tell me exactly how it relates, Ms. Atlier. Because for some reason, I feel like you’re avoiding telling me anything you actually do at your current job.”
Her face turned red. “My job has prepared me to handle almost anything. In my line of work, I’ve had to deal with all types of people. I’ve had to learn self-defense. If you want me to test that on you, I’d be happy to. And…it also has taught me how to remain calm under pressure. I think these are all attributes that would apply to the position at hand. Addison filled me in a little about Hailey. I’m also a good fit because I know a thing or two about troubled kids…because I was one.”
My eyes bore into hers. “And that’s supposed to make me feel more confident, that someone with a troubled past, who can’t drive and who’s spent the better part of the past few years working for a private investigator doing God knows what, is the right person for this job?”
She straightened in her seat. “I’ll have you know that, yes, it takes one to know one. That’s why I would absolutely be the best person to relate to a young girl who has family issues. I’ve dealt with my own share of those. Hailey’s background sounds quite similar to mine. And do I have to remind you that my deficiency is in parking...not driving? I’m actually a damn good driver.”
“Is this a job interview or a sparring match?” Addison interrupted. “Holy cannoli, you both are pieces of work.”
Addison was right. This was ridiculous. I needed to put a stop to it. “With all due respect, Ms. Atlier, I think we need to end this right now.”
Elodie’s big eyes narrowed to slits. “You know what your problem is? You think just because you’re rich and powerful you have the right to judge people.”
“I absolutely think I have the right to judge people—this is an interview for a position, you know. That’s what you do: judge the candidates.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
I stood. This was a waste of time from the beginning. “Thank you for coming, but you’re not the best person for a nanny job, no matter how you try to spin it.”
Her expression fell, the disappointment palpable. “Okay. Well, I’m not going to sit here and beg for a chance if you don’t want to consider me.” She turned to Addison. “The truth is, he made up his mind about me the second he saw my face.”
“I’d have to agree with you,” Addison said.
“Thanks for your support, Addison,” I barked. “Maybe you should ask Elodie to find out if there are any openings doing this and that at her current employer.”
“I think I’d quite enjoy a job somewhere else for a while. Maybe she and I can switch for a day. She’ll want to blow her brains out here.” Addison laughed. “Oh, come on, Hollis. In all seriousness, you’re looking for Mary Poppins, and she doesn’t exist. Why not give Elodie a shot?”
I was just about to consider that possibility for a millisecond when Elodie shot up from her seat and proclaimed, “Mary Poppins would poke your arrogant ass with her umbrella!”
And there goes any hope of giving her a shot.
Buh-bye, Elodie.
Nice knowing you.
I bent my head back in laughter. “And she wonders why she can’t find a decent job.”
“Goodbye, Hollis. It was a pleasure.” Elodie marched toward the door. “I have better things to do than be mocked by someone blinded by his ego.”
“Better things? Does that involve Junior Mints?” I teased.
Elodie flashed the iciest glare. Something about that made my dick twitch. Was I seriously getting aroused from fighting with this woman?
“Thank you for the opportunity, Addison,” Elodie said before she took off down the hall.
My amused expression faded when I sat back down and turned to meet Addison’s scowl. She threw her folder at me before storming away, leaving me alone in the conference room.
I swiveled in my chair, tapping the pen against the table. The high of that experience was wearing off. While I didn’t think Elodie was right for the job, maybe I’d been too hard on her.
She’d definitely been hiding something, though, and whenever I got that feeling from a woman, it tended to put me on offense. Yet another thing I could thank damn Anna for.
