Page 3 of The Reboot
Ella was grateful that Jake saw her rag-bag of freelance jobs in a positive light.
‘We’re pretty sorted on the tech and production side, but admin and marketing … not so much.’
‘We’re definitely floundering in the book-keeping department,’ Dylan said with a rueful smile. ‘It’d be great if you could help us out with that. Our accountant hates us.’
‘We could really use someone like you who could muck in and do a bit of everything.’
‘But we won’t ask you to take our shirts to the cleaners,’ Dylan said with a grin.
‘No, that’s his job.’ Jake jerked his head towards his partner, who laughed.
‘So you’ve always worked from home?’ Dylan asked. ‘On your own?’
‘Yes, but I’m excited about being part of a team.’ Holy shit! Where had that come from? Was their chirpy gung-ho vibe rubbing off on her already?
‘Great!’ Dylan rubbed his hands. Mercifully, he didn’t seem to think she’d made herself sound like a complete dick. ‘Well…’ He turned to Jake. ‘Let’s do the interview questions.’
Ella tried to hide her surprise that the interview apparently hadn’t already been going on for some time. Everything up to now must have been some sort of preliminary round, and she was tempted to say how psyched she was that she’d made it through to the interview proper, but she bit her tongue.
‘Okay, you’re miniaturised and put in a blender,’ Jake said. ‘What do you do?’
‘Um … sorry?’ She frowned, confused. ‘I’m … here for the admin position?’
Dylan grinned. ‘Yeah, we ask all job applicants these questions. We like everyone who works here to be able to think outside the box. It’s an innovative business, you know?’
‘We try to promote a culture of creativity and resourcefulness throughout the company,’ Jake said. ‘From the bottom to the top; top to bottom.’ He sketched the structure in the air with his hands.
‘Right.’ She wondered would they ask the tea lady these questions. But then they wouldn’t have a tea lady, would they? They’d probably have a barista inventing his own blends to the accompaniment of smooth jazz.
‘So … stuck in a blender?’ Jake prompted, raising his eyebrows.
Oh god. ‘Okay.’ She smiled, trying to look like she thought this was fun. She wanted to come across as a good sport and a team player, bouncing off their energy and giving back as good as she got. It so wasn’t her. ‘I’d … call Amnesty International.’ That was good, right? Thinking on her feet, kind of funny, socially aware …
Jake and Dylan turned to each other and had a silent consultation via the medium of raised eyebrows.
‘You don’t have a phone,’ Jake rapped back.
‘Then … I guess I’d die in the belly of some sports nut as part of his superfood smoothie. I’d be the first martyr of clean eating and the patron saint of Wellness.’ She was quite impressed with herself for coming up with something remotely witty but they looked disappointed.
‘Okay, favourite sandwich,’ Dylan said, pointing a finger at her like he was aiming a gun.
‘Egg mayonnaise.’ Shit! Why had she said that? The most boring, least edgy sandwich on the planet. She hadn’t even thought to inject it with a hint of irony. Jake looked frankly shocked, while Dylan smiled at her pityingly and said ‘Hey, you can’t argue with the classics.’
‘Totally,’ Jake said, rallying. ‘Egg mayo’s got a bad rep thanks to stinky school lunches and kids’ parties, but it’s stood the test of time. It just needs a rebrand.’
‘If you were a dog, what breed would you be?’ Dylan asked.
‘Corgi!’ It was the first one that came into her head.
‘Because?’
‘Um … at least I’d have a shot at living in Buckingham Palace.’
Dylan giggled gratifyingly.
‘You have to sing with one of us at karaoke. What duet would you pick?’
‘“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”.’
