Filmed_ An Alpha Bad Boy Romance(7)

“Well hello there, what can I do for you?”

“I’m Linda, I have an interview.”

She stood, smile growing larger. “Linda, great to meet you.”

We shook hands, and she gestured for me to sit down in front of her. I took a seat, feeling strangely at ease. We started the interview with the usual questions: previous experience, why I was a good fit, my weaknesses, etc. Miss Havisham was incredibly easy to talk with, and her boisterous personality, mixed with the old-school Hollywood décor of her office, made her seem like a 1930s film star. We hit it off immediately, and ended the interview chatting aimlessly about Charlton Heston. Finally, she checked her watch, and looked surprised.

“Well dear, it’s already past five.”

“Really? That went fast.”

“It truly did. Look, I’m not supposed to do this, but I’m going to offer you the job. Salary and all that jazz was on the posting. If you’re fine with it, I’d love to have you around.”

I couldn’t believe it. “I would love that, thank you so much.”

“Fantastic!” she exclaimed, and stood up. She gestured dramatically toward the door. “Let’s go meet the rest of the staff and get you acquainted!”

I stood, and she moved around the desk, then I followed her out into the main room. It had been one of the strangest job interviews I had ever gone on, and I had never heard of someone not only landing the job on the spot, but also getting to meet the other staff. She introduced me to the girl in the box office. Her name was Chelsea, a junior, and she gave me a warm smile. I liked her right away. I followed Miss Havisham toward the concession stand, where she introduced me to Chuck and Mikey, both seniors, and probably the goofiest-seeming guys I had ever seen. They were obviously good friends, and grinned at me stupidly the whole time.

“Now this young man is the heart and soul of our little rag-tag group,” she said as we moved back toward the theaters. “He does tickets mostly, though he’s doing your future job right now. Where has he gotten himself?”

We walked into the largest of the three theaters, and Miss Havisham waved at a guy sweeping up the floor between the rows of seats in the front.

“Noah, come here darling,” she called out.

Noah? Was she kidding me? There was no way it was him. And then it struck me: his dad had paid for the theater. How could I have been so stupid? My heart began to hammer in my chest.

As he got closer, my jaw almost dropped from my face. Of course it was Noah Carterson, grinning his huge, cocky grin, and looking me up and down. How could I have been so dim as to think he wouldn’t be working there?

“Noah Carterson, Linda Lewis.”

His eyes locked on mine, and he reached his hand out. “Linda, great to meet you.”

I turned bright red, and shook his hand. His fingers were soft but his grip was firm, and it sent chills along my arms. His eyes were practically laughing, and part of me wanted to run away. Instead, I met his gaze.

“Do you two know each other?” Miss Havisham said, noting the tension.

Noah grinned at her. I fully realized how charming he was in that moment, gracefully moving to dispel the awkwardness and to make Miss Havisham feel like a part of the moment.

“Not really, Miss H. We had a small run in the other day.”

“Good, since you two will be working closely together.”

Working closely together? I couldn’t imagine anything I wanted to do less.

“Looking forward to seeing more of you,” Noah said. I caught the double meaning of his comment and blushed. I had no clue what it was about him, but every comment seemed to put me off.

“Same to you,” I said.

“Back to work you lazy miscreant!” Miss Havisham announced dramatically, and Noah laughed as he moved back to the row he had been working on. As we turned to go, I caught him staring at me, and he gave me a small nod.

“So dear, can you start on Monday?” Miss Havisham asked as we emerged back into the lobby.

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Great! Stop by sometime tomorrow to fill out the paperwork. I look forward to seeing you!”

“Same to you. Thanks so much.”

She shook my hand again then moved back into her office. I walked back toward the stairs, up into the student center, and headed back toward my apartment in a daze. I couldn’t see the people milling around campus, the bright colors of their clothing and of the turning leaves, the beautiful late August sunset, because I’d be seeing a lot more of Noah in the future. We’d be working very closely together, according to flamboyant Miss Havisham.

It was, without a doubt, the weirdest job interview I had ever been on. It felt like it had happened in a dream, complete with the nightmare turn at the end.