His dark gray tailored suit accentuates his muscular body and broad shoulders. He’s well over six-feet tall and has lush brown hair and piercing blue eyes.
But he also has the worst grimace on his face I’ve ever seen and treats Sam rudely, two things that put me off instantly.
“Any updates on my candidates?” he frowns impatiently, “It’s 10 AM already!”
My eyes widen again when I realize he’s the boss.
Jane is the same age as me, and fourteen years younger than her brother, so I quickly do the math and realize he is thirty-eight.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Bardin,” Sam answers, looking stressed, “I just got started not too long ago!”
Mr. Bardin rubs his face red, clenching his jaw. “I’ll interview this one while you sort the rest, okay?” He grabs her clipboard with one hand, and with the other, points firmly at me, “You! Come!”
He turns his back to me, and before I can process what just happened, Sam is urging me to follow him. I get up awkwardly as I do so, walking blindly into the unknown.
Mr. Bardin walks faster than my kitten heels can handle, and I am grateful for the carpet on the floor, which quiets my hurried steps. He guides me to a huge office at the end of a long hallway and leaves the door open for me as he passes through without a backwards glance.
Without waiting for me, he sits behind his desk. And keeping his eyes down at my resume, he says curtly, “Take a seat.”
I close the door behind me and approach with care, pulling the chair out and sitting down without a sound.
“Joyce A. Andrews… What does the A stand for?” he asks with dry curiosity.
“Athena, sir.” His overly serious tone is almost laughable, and I can’t help but hold back a giggle.
And then he finally looks at me, his guarded expression and blank blue-eyed stare impossible to read. I have no idea if he considers me a potential candidate for his daughter's nanny or not. All I know is that I’m growing more nervous by the second, which means I will probably get very giggly if I can’t get my nerves under control.
“Goddess of wisdom,” he says, looking at me with those strong, penetrating eyes before turning back again to the papers in his hand. “You have a car?”
“Of course, sir!” I say, a giggle popping out uncontrollably. I inwardly groan and look to see his reaction, but he remains unmoved.
“Experience with children, let me see…” he nods to himself upon finding what he wants. “If I call these numbers, will someone answer?”
My eyes widen. No one has ever doubted my credentials before, at least not so openly. I quickly compose myself.
“They will,” I say, assertive. “You might want to wait until after five to call, but you can do so today. If you call on a weekend, they should be able to answer anytime.”
Now he’s the one taken aback. Apparently, I called his bluff, and he isn’t sure how to respond.
“No need,” he says a moment later, his face still moody, “How did you find out about this job?”
“Oh! That was all Jane!” Jane would kill me if I went through the interview without mentioning her.
“Jane?” He seems dumbfounded. “My sister Jane?”
“Yes!” I nod with excitement.
Now I’m bobbing in my chair with unbound energy, and he rolls his eyes at me.
“How did you two meet?” he asks, tapping his pen against my resume.
“In college. We both majored in education; I mean, I’m still majoring, and—”
“Why haven’t you finished school yet?” he interrupts, his eyes boring into mine.
Even though I knew this question was likely to come up with him, it doesn’t get any easier to talk about. I take a deep breath and repeat what I told Sam.
“My mom is sick and I’m helping to care for her. Due to that, I’ve just been taking a few classes for the past year, but I am on track to be graduating next semester.”