Risky Business (3 page)

“Hello?” The house seemed strangely quiet, like it had stood alone all day.
Where’s Mom?
Molly went into their newly remodeled kitchen. On the shiny granite countertop lay a note that read:
Sorry, I forgot to mention that I had my book

club meeting and then a dentist appointment. I should be home by 5, Dad by 6. I’ll bring dinner. Be good. Love you, Mom
.

Hmm. What to do?
Sara’s last words rang in her head: “Meet me online.”
Perfect!
Molly foraged for a granola bar, a few cookies, and a soda. Her mom’s voice counting the carbs echoed in her brain. She shook off the guilt, grabbed her junk food and, to make Mom happy, threw an apple on the pile. She scooted the desk chair up to the idle computer in the family room. Wiggling the mouse, she brought the screen to life. Jess had already logged on.

Molly:
Hey Stranger! Long time, no see
.

Jess:
HA, right. Sara should be here in a few
. P
RINCESS
S
ARA123 HAS SIGNED IN
.

Molly:
Speak of the devil lol

Jess:
Princess Sara, when are you going to change your screen name?

Sara:
I’m not! I’ve had this one for 5 yrs. It’s staying
.

Molly:
Why do I feel like we’ve had this discussion before???

Sara:
LOL

Jess:
OK OK lol

Molly:
Phone brb
.

Annoyed, Molly stepped away from her computer to answer the phone on the end table next to the mahogany leather sofas. “Hello, Jacobs residence. Molly speaking.” No way she’d keep saying that when she answered the phone after the job search ended.

“Hi there, Molly. It’s Donna from Magna calling in reference to your job application.”

Trying not to make any noise, Molly danced around for a moment. “Hi, Donna. It’s great to hear from you. What can I do for you?” She glanced at the computer screen—her friends were just talking nonsense. She stepped over and grinned, her fingers poised above the keyboard.
This will get them going
.

Molly:
MAGNA

Jess:
Huh?

Sara:
You mean on the phone? What is she saying?

Jess:
Is it for an interview? Ask if she’s going to call us!

Molly turned away from the screen so she wouldn’t be distracted.

“… group interview. There’ll be approximately six to seven girls in that interview. It’s pretty informal, just a way for me to sort through some applicants. Are you interested?”

“Oh, very much.”
Woo-hoo!

“Okay, great. Come to the store on Monday at three o’clock. I’d imagine it will take no longer than an hour. Do you have any other questions?”

Should she ask about Sara and Jess? Probably not. “I do have one question. How many positions are you looking to fill?”

“I have two openings right now. It could possibly be three, depending on hours and availability. But we’ll figure all of that out later. So, I’ll see you on Monday at three o’clock?”

“Definitely! Thank you so much for calling.” Molly placed the phone back in its cradle and hurried back to her computer. She started typing before she even sat down.

Molly:
Interview Monday at 3
.

Jess:
No way! What about us?

Molly:
I don’t know, she didn’t say. Fingers crossed
.

Sara:
That’s so cool! What are you going to wear?

Molly:
I don’t know…. It’s going to have to be good though
.

Jess:
Phone brb
.

Molly:
Wouldn’t that be cool if Donna called all three of us!?

Sara:
I’ll bet that’s her on the phone with Jess right now
.

Jess:
MAGNA

Sara:
Watch, I’ll be the only one who doesn’t get an interview! It would be because I didn’t say a word when I met Donna. What a dummy!

Molly opened her soda and took a big drink. She drummed her fingernails on the desk and took a bite of a cookie. What was taking Jess so long?

Sara:
YAWN

Jess:
I’m back. Interview Monday at 3. It’s a group interview
.

Molly:
Oh, right. I forgot to mention that part
.

Sara:
Hang on, phone

Molly:
Ho hum … waiting … lol

Jess:
I know! Come on already!

Sara:
Monday at 3 pm … me, too!

Molly:
Okay. Planning to do, girls. My house tomorrow morning at ten?

Jess:
Hey, maybe your dad can help us practice for the interview
.

Molly:
Maybe. Garage door, gotta go. Bye!

Molly shut down the instant message program and gathered up the remains of her snack.

“Hi, Moll. I’m home.”

Molly met her mom in the kitchen as she came through the garage door. Mom set her purse, keys, and a few grocery bags on the kitchen counter.

Grabbing the milk and eggs, Molly went to the refrigerator. “So, guess who called this afternoon?”

Her mom paused to think for a second. “Hmm, the president of the United States?”

“No! Way better than that, Mom.”

“I’m going to guess, then, that the manager from Magna called to set up an interview.” Her eyes twinkled.

“Yep! How’d you guess?”

“She actually called me this morning. She wanted to talk to me about you and your responsibility level and to find out if your dad and I were supportive of you taking on a job. She appeared to be very impressed with how you handled yourself when you first met.”

“Really?” Maybe she’d get the job after all. But what if she were the only one who did? “I wonder if she called Mrs. Thomkins and Mrs. Stuart, too.”

“I’m not sure. She didn’t say.” Mom hesitated. “Can I give you a small piece of advice, dear?” When Molly nodded, she continued. “Just be sure to be your own person in that interview. You’re going there as anindividual, looking to fill an individual spot on a team. If you go there as a unit of three girls who can’t function without each other, she won’t think you’ll do well alone. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“Oh yeah, Mom. I’ve already thought of that.” Molly stood on the tips of her toes to put the crackers up on the top shelf.

“Let me ask you this then. If you get hired, but your friends don’t, will you still want the job?” She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms across her chest.

“I think so. But it wouldn’t be as fun.” She shrugged one shoulder.
What if? Hmm
. “I mean, we’re doing this together. But if that’s what happens, I still want to do it.”

“Just be sure you know what you’re getting into, honey.”

Palms sweating, the three girls, along with four others—obviously older than they—waited outside Donna’s office for ten minutes before their meeting. Molly nervously checked her watch and chuckled when she saw three others do the same. Sliding her hands down her stylishly faded jeans, she hoped her palms would be dry when she needed to shake Donna’s hand.

Molly studied the four older girls.
Could they be just as nervous as I am?

At exactly three o’clock, the door to Donna’s office opened and she stepped out with a huge smile, looking like a layered and accessorized Magna mannequin. She shook each girl’s hand and called them by name.

Good memory
.

Donna invited them to follow her back into a huge storeroom. Molly tipped her head all the way back so she could gaze up at the floor-to-ceiling shelves full of stacks of jeans and rows of shoeboxes. Along the sides, racks were stuffed full of shirts and dresses ready to make their debut on the sales floor.

Molly looked around in amazement at all the hard work that went into preparing the store for success. Afraid Donna would think she’d been daydreaming, Molly gathered her thoughts, took her seat with the other girls, and forced herself to pay attention.

Nervous and wanting the job more than ever, Molly flubbed the answers to several of Donna’s first few questions.
Ugh
. Hopefully her sincerity made up for her dumb answers. She’d better get it together.

“What would you do if someone walked into the store, picked up a T-shirt, walked directly to you, and said, ‘I want to buy this’?” Donna hugged her clipboard to her chest and looked at them expectantly.

Sara answered, “I’d ring her right up or find someone who could, if I wasn’t trained to do that yet.”

Jess took it a step further. “I’d offer her a fitting room.”

Megan, one of the other girls, said, “I’d ask her if she had any coupons.”

Donna tapped her lips with her pen and nodded along with each answer. She seemed to be waiting for something more.

Molly raised her hand about shoulder high and spoke up. “I’d say something like, ‘Great choice! Come on, I’ll help you find a necklace and earrings to go with that.’ “

“Aha! That’s what I’m looking for, girls.” Donna beamed.

Finally a shining moment. Molly could hardly contain herself.

“We’re a sales team here at Magna.” Donna continued. “It’s a fun place to be, but this company only exists because we sell tocustomers. Our business is built on selling complete looks, total wardrobes—not T-shirts. Does that make sense?”

Sara piped up, “But what if she only wants the T-shirt?”

“Ah.” Donna pointed a finger. “See, that’s the thing, Sara. Customers come into the store only wanting the T-shirt, but they leave our store grateful for the knowledgeable and helpful sales team who helped them discover what else they really needed.”

After another half hour of open discussion, Donna said, “Girls, this has been a blast for me. I love eager young minds who want to learn and who are excited about this business. I hope you’ve gotten your questions answered. If you think of any others, feel free to call me here at the store anytime.”

“Donna, if you don’t mind me asking, when will you be making a decision?” Molly asked as they all stood to leave.

“Hmm, good question. I have a few more references to check and people to talk to. But I’ve got a pretty good idea of the direction I’m going to go.” She looked at the schedule on top of the stack of papers she had in front of her. “I’ll be in touch with each of you by Friday to let you know one way or another. Does that sound okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” Sara nodded.

“Perfect.” Jess grinned. “I’m looking forward to hearing from you.”

Molly shook Donna’s hand. “Sounds good, Donna. Thanks for your time and the opportunity.”

Sara slapped herself on the forehead when they left the store. She put her head on Molly’s shoulder as they walked along the storefronts in the mall. “I just know I totally blew it. Why couldn’t I have at least shaken her hand? Not to mention my horrible answers.” She shook her head and moaned. “Oh well. Nothing I can do about it now.”

“You did fine!” Jess laughed. “Donna knows it was your first interview. Don’t sweat it.” She pointed out a cute top in a store window they were passing. “Although, Molly’s got the job for sure.”

“We’ll see. I’m still hoping we all get offered a job.”

“She’ll never pick me. I can’t even string two words together to make a sentence.” Sara lifted her head and groaned again.

“What if only one of us gets hired?” Jesslooked from Molly to Sara.

Molly stopped walking and turned to face them. “Or none—maybe no one will get the job.”
Which would be worse?

“Look, if Donna had wanted to hire me, she would have done so already.” Molly shook her head and threw the ball across her yard. “Go get it, Rocco!”

Her Brittany spaniel sprinted across her yard, rust-colored curls waving like flags.

Molly turned to Jess and Sara, whose lifeless forms were slumped in deck chairs. “I mean, it’s been ten days. She had already checked my references and even spoke to my mom before the interview. There was nothing left for her to do.” She sighed. “At least with you two, she hadn’t done any of that yet, which could at least explain what’s taking her so long.”

“Nice theory.” Jess smirked. “But you can’t spin the fact that she thought enough of youthe first time she met you to do your reference checks even before the interview.”

“And she still hasn’t even called our parents.” Rocco dropped the ball between Sara’s feet. She picked it up and threw it.

“Well, it looks like it’s not going to matter anyway. She hasn’t contacted any of us.” Molly lay back on the grass. “Rejection. Who knew it would sting so much?”

Jess sat up. “Maybe we should think about applying somewhere else.”

“Maybe it’s a sign that we shouldn’t get jobs at all,” Molly suggested.

The patio door slid open, and Mrs. Jacobs leaned her head out. “Molly, phone for you. Uh, you might want to come in here to take it.”

Molly furrowed her eyebrows and threw the ball one more time, sending Rocco after it—a blur of fur darting across the grass—before she went to the house.

“Who is it, Mom?” Molly slid the door shut behind her.

Covering the receiver with her hand, Molly’s mom whispered, “It’s the manager from that store.”