and realized this might be her only chance to call her mother before Maureen O’Keefe did. Good news and bad traveled fast in Blackwater Lake, the blessing and curse of a small town.
She picked up the phone and punched in her mother’s number because this news—like the fact that she was moving away—should come from her.
* * *
Maureen’s news about his old girlfriend was a piece of cake for Brady, compared to the interviews Olivia had arranged for the afternoon. He stared at the young man sitting across the desk from him, the one who wanted Olivia’s job. He glanced at the name on the résumé again. Christopher Conway. Along with Olivia, he’d been chatting with the guy for about fifteen or twenty minutes. He was good-looking, articulate and had a sense of humor.
“So, Chris, you graduated from the University of Montana last year. Since then you’ve worked for a large retail chain. Doing what?”
“Workman’s comp.” The blond, blue-eyed applicant looked about twelve.
“Okay.”
He looked at Olivia, who was sitting in the club chair beside the impossibly young kid and thought she looked maybe fifteen. Suddenly he felt old and tired and a little desperate. She’d tried to quit twice before but both times he’d been able to talk her into staying. They’d never gotten to the point of interviews for her job, let alone a second round of them.
On paper this kid looked good, if he checked out. He was moldable. Graduated top of his class with a double major in computer science and business. His current job wasn’t in his chosen field, but he’d probably taken it out of necessity in bad economic times while scoping out something better.
It was actually pretty shrewd of Olivia to recruit a man for the position, and Brady was tempted to make Chris an offer. But his current assistant was still his first choice.
“I know what you’re thinking, Mr. O’Keefe.”
Brady sincerely doubted that. “What is it you think is on my mind?”
“That I’m too young and I don’t have the experience. But I’m smart and a hard worker. If you give me a chance, I promise you won’t be sorry.”
Brady believed him. This kid reminded him of Henry. He still missed his best friend. The two of them had dreamed of starting this company together, but fate had other plans.
“Brady?” Olivia’s voice grounded him in the present.
Of all the interviews he’d done, this guy was at the top of the list, but he hadn’t quite thrown in the towel on letting his assistant get away. He was also a pretty good judge of character and talent and wouldn’t let a smart up-and-comer get away either.
“Okay, Chris. I’ll be in touch.” He stood and held out his hand.
“Thanks for seeing me, Mr. O’Keefe.”
“The pleasure is mine. I’m sure you’ve got a bright future ahead of you.”
That must have been the right thing to say, because Olivia smiled at him as if he’d hung the moon. Her approval always made him feel like a better man than he was.
“I’ll show you out, Chris.”
For just a moment there was the slightest lisp in her voice and that made him smile as he watched the two leave the room. But he couldn’t indulge himself for long, because when she came back the game would be on.
A few moments later, she walked back into the room and sat in the chair where she’d observed the interview. “So what do you think?”
Here goes round two, he thought.
He moved to the club chair side of his desk and rested a hip on the corner. Her knees were inches from his leg and she angled them away.
“Who are we talking about?” he asked.
“Who do you want to start with?”
Could be his imagination, but along with the lisp there was a breathless quality to her words. “You pick.”
“How about candidate number one? Heather Fontaine.” She glanced at her notes. “Good computer skills. Experience. Qualified. A good fit.”
“Those were your impressions?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t jot down anything about her attitude?”
“No.” Her eyes narrowed and gone was any trace of her approving smile. “I didn’t notice anything about an attitude.”
“Hmm.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. There was just...” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Something. Instinct, maybe. A sense that she could be difficult.”
“Meaning she would stand up to you and not get steamrollered?” One eyebrow lifted, a dare to challenge her assessment.
“In a job interview, I have a finite amount of time to form an impression about someone I’ll be working with.” He shrugged. “In that time with Heather, my impression became aware of attitude.”
“Did it occur to you that she was trying to project confidence?”
“No.” When there was no response, he figured she was waiting for more. “When I interviewed you, you had an air of confidence and competence without even a hint of attitude.”
“I see. So, even though time is getting short, your attitude hasn’t changed.” Her full mouth pulled tight. “Okay. Number two. Annabel Brown.”
“She seems like a perfectly nice young woman. The right skill set. Good résumé.” Brady put a hint of doubt into his tone.
“Attitude?” Olivia called his doubt and raised him a whole lot of sarcasm.
“Not from her, but you’re walking a little close to that line.”
“So fire me,” she challenged.
“I think I can handle it a little longer.” Brady couldn’t imagine not handling it. Liv was dipped in determination, but wielded it wisely and with a sense of humor. For whatever argument she chose to pull out her attitude, it always passed the level-of-importance test.
“So Annabel has everything you’re looking for. I’ll contact human resources and get them going to fast-track a job offer...”
“Hold on.”
She looked up. “What?”
Was that impatience he heard? “I didn’t say I wanted to hire her.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“There’s something missing. A focus. Fire in the belly. It’s hard to put into words.”
“Ellie Hart recommended her. She works for
