Billionaire's Island Bride(18)

By the end of the first day Erin had submitted applications at twenty-one establishments including Subway, Mc Donald’s, Whole Foods and Tim Horton’s, the most popular coffee shop chain in the country. She knew that if she was lucky enough to get a call from one of them the pay would be small, probably little more than minimum wage, but at least most of the restaurants offered employees free meals. Food was one thing she wouldn’t have to worry about.

Next day Erin was out again by seven in the morning. She didn’t get back home until the sun had already set. Still, she was satisfied she’d beat the previous day’s record, submitting twenty-five applications that day. By the end of the third day she’d reached sixty-six in total. Completely exhausted, she only had the energy to shower and climb into bed with a prayer that her hard work would soon bear fruit.

The fourth day dawned and despite the feeling of nausea that attacked her Erin pulled on her walking shoes and headed out to begin her daily trek. She didn’t feel as energetic and her spirit had begun to flag. Still, she pressed on, knocking on every door where she felt there was any possibility of her finding work.

She was speaking with a receptionist at a small family restaurant when her phone rang.

“Excuse me.” She gave the woman an apologetic smile and turned away to take the call. “Ms. Samuels?” It was a male voice, deep and gravelly and very formal.

“Yes, this is Erin Samuels.” Her heart leaped in anticipation. Was this the good news she’d been praying for before?

“This is Mike Mason from Benny’s Restaurant. You dropped off an application on Monday.” There was the sound of papers shuffling in the background. Then he continued. “I was wondering if you could come in to meet with me tomorrow?”#p#分页标题#e#

“Yes, of course,” she said, breathless. “What time would you like me to come in?”

They made the arrangements then Erin slid the phone shut. Her first interview. At the thought her face broke into a wide smile. She couldn’t help it. Thank you, God.

Then, remembering where she was, she quickly composed herself and walked back to the reception desk where she proceeded to enquire about job openings. She had to keep searching. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? She was keeping her fingers crossed that she’d nail it. But until then she would keep on looking.

Next day Erin arrived ten minutes early for her first interview. She’d worn her navy blue power suit and her curly hair was pulled back into a neat bun. She announced herself to the greeter who invited her to a small office where she could wait for Mr. Mason.

Perched on the edge of her chair with her purse clutched tightly on her lap Erin surveyed the room. It was a small, neat office with very little furniture except for a huge antique desk that dominated the room. The restaurant, too, had been neat and clean. She’d observed that as she was following the girl to the office. She liked that. The place had a homely atmosphere that made her feel almost comfortable, as if she worked there already and had been doing so for years.

“Ms. Samuels.”

Erin turned toward the voice and her eyes widened in surprise. The man was huge, big and brawny but with a friendly face and a wide smile. He reminded her of Yogi Bear.

“Mr. Mason?” she asked as she rose and extended her hand.

“The same,” he said with a nod. His hand was like a bear’s paw, swallowing hers whole. Then he released her and waved his hand. “Sit, sit. Make yourself comfortable.”

Erin sank back into the chair and watched as he ambled around the desk and dropped into the leather chair. Now she understood why the desk was so massive. Mr. Mason would never have been able to fit behind anything smaller.

With his beefy hands he shuffled through the papers on his desk then he grabbed a sheet and held it up. “Here we are. Quite an impressive resume,” he said and gave her a smile and a look that made him seem genuinely impressed. “ Summa cum laude. Wow. You must be genius material.”

Erin blushed, grateful for the compliment but a bit uncomfortable with his praise. “I study hard, that’s all.”

“And you know what that tells me about you?” Mike said, slamming the paper on the table. “You’re a hard worker. You’re the kind of person we want here. Now when can you start?”

“Wh…what? That’s it? Aren’t you going to ask me any questions?” Erin stared at the man, wondering if he’d gone mad. What kind of interview was this?

“Nope. I read your resume, now I’ve seen you, and I like you. That’s it.” He shrugged then leaned back in the chair and locked his fingers across his paunch. “So do you want the job or not?”