Willa & the Extraordinary Internship

CH. 26.5

"So what have you been doing since you graduated college?" Rachel Benson asked, adjusting her pince-nez at the same time she looked down her Adrien Brody-esque nose at Willa.

"It's, um, right there on my resume." Willa leaned forward and pointed her finger at the single sheet of paper that Ms. Benson was gingerly holding in front of her. The smile she tried to bestow upon the crotchety sixty-year-old fell flat; the woman merely pinched her lips together and looked more sternly at Willa.

When she'd found an opening at a local bookstore that was conveniently close to her condo only a day after receiving Jackie's phone call, Willa had jumped at the opportunity. She'd quickly revamped her resume, emailed it in, and within two days she had received a reply letting her know she was being considered for the position. All that was left was nailing the interview.

Willa shifted on the wooden chair she was sitting in. The owner's office was quaintly untidy, with books piled high on shelves and arranged in a fortress around her desk. The walls were a deep shade of plum, complimenting the gold-framed black and white photos that took up almost the entire surface area.

This was her first interview since Paige had hired her two years ago and Willa didn't want to blow it. But it appeared like Ms. Benson had already come to a decision, even though the interview for the position of manager at The Red Herring had only started a minute ago.

"But I'm asking you," Ms. Benson said, closing her eyes like she couldn't believe Willa was this inept.

"Oh, um," Willa awkwardly laughed. "Well, I've been working for the past two years at the university as a social media manager."

"But you don't have your employer down as a reference."

Willa bit her lip. "No."

"And you don't have any other professional references listed either."

"No." Was the woman just trying to clarify or was she low-key being a bitch, Willa wondered.

"And you think you're qualified to be a manager?" Ms. Benson raised her thin, pale-as-her-skin eyebrow almost to her hairline. "I'm an independent bookshop owner, Miss Grainger. This is my income. I'm getting on in years and I'd like to hire a part-time manager to work during the mornings so I can take it easy in my old age."

"I completely understand, Ms. Benson. I realize that I may not have the qualifications you're looking for, but whatever I don't know, I promise you that I'll learn." Willa's smile was bright and earnest, the kind of smile she thought would convince any employer how hardworking she was.

It didn't seem to work so far, though. Ms. Benson's frown just got deeper and more furrowed. "I see," she said and scribbled something on a notepad.

Was it a note to pick up milk on the way home or was it "Don't hire Willa Grainger", followed by a bunch of exclamation points? Willa's eyes involuntarily glanced at the pad. As a reflex, Ms. Benson covered it with her hand and pulled it closer towards her, eying Willa suspiciously.

"I really love books," Willa blurted out. Ugh. I love books? What is wrong with me?

"How interesting," Ms. Benson smiled frigidly. "And what makes you think that alone is enough to make you a candidate for this job? From what I can see, you have no retail experience. If someone came in and wanted a book we didn't have, what would you do?"

Great, roleplaying. "I would..." Willa began to say, then trailed off, stalling for time.

Patiently, her interviewer folded her arms across the table and stared Willa down.

"I would suggest that they try looking at another bookshop?" Willa tried.

"So you would send business to my competitors, like Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million? Corporate entities which already take the food out of the mouths of small business owners?"