Page 70 of The Bargain

Don’t panic.

Everything is going to be fine.

Just don’t panic.

I’d been repeating this to myself the entire drive up to Blue Ash. The job interview had come out of nowhere. I’d woken up to a phone call from a recruiter asking if I could head to the Stanton Holding corporate headquarters for an interview for a management position that promised a much higher six-figure salary. The only problem was that I needed to be there in ninety minutes. That gave me zero time to research anything about the company.

I rushed through my morning prep, jumped into a suit, grabbed my briefcase, prepped with my résumé and a stack of reputable references, and raced out the door. Of course, morning rush hour heading north was a bear, and I arrived at the shining glass building with less than five minutes to spare.

As I walked into the lobby to find a receptionist or a directory that would point me to the correct floor, my feet stopped as a barrage of rainbows hit my eyes. And not the typical rainbow flags hanging or draped over random surfaces, but subtle things like several bouquets in crystal vases were arranged to form arainbow. There were a couple of end tables and a coffee table in the waiting area that had a flourish of pamphlets that were fanned out to form a rainbow.

And it wasn’t even June. It was July. Pride month was finished, and they were displaying rainbows. This had to be more than a simple LGBTQIA+-friendly company.

“Mr. Graham?” asked the woman sitting at the round desk in the center of the lobby with a smile on her lips.

“Hello. Yes. I have an appointment with Mrs. Heather Culver.”

“Wonderful. If you would like to have a seat, I’ve already sent her a message that you’ve arrived.”

I nodded and walked to the pleasant seating area with plush white couches and elegant glass tables. The second the receptionist’s attention was on her computer, I leaned in to take a peek at the pamphlets that were set out. One looked to be for a counseling service that specialized in helping parents of LGBTQIA+ children. Another one was for a program to support homeless LGBTQIA+ kids. I was reaching for another when the clack of heels across the marble floor jerked my attention up to the smartly dressed woman walking toward me.

I stood and ran a hand down the front of my suit while tucking my portfolio under my arm.

“Mrs. Culver?”

“Hi, Mr. Graham. I am so happy you could meet with us on such short notice,” she replied, shaking my hand as she reached me.

“Not a problem.”

She turned, and we walked together to the elevators at the rear of the lobby. “Was traffic bad?”

“Just the usual,” I stated. The traffic had been horrendous, the car was low on gas, and the engine was now making a new weird noise that sounded ominous and expensive. I needed thisinterview to turn into something big. While I’d been out of work for roughly three weeks, there had been few nibbles on the many résumés I’d sent out. Plus, I was hearing that the interviewing process had grown even longer in recent years, which meant getting hired and receiving that first paycheck could take months.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but the recruiter’s call took me by surprise,” I said as the elevator doors closed in front of us. “I didn’t have the chance to do any research about Stanton Holding to make sure that I’m a good fit for your firm. It would be horrible and unfair to both of us if I wasted your time.”

“Oh, you’re fine. It was unfair of us to spring this on you, but when Danielle saw your résumé, she announced that you’d be a perfect fit. You also come highly recommended.”

Danielle?

Did I know any Danielles? Particularly ones who worked in human resources. No one was coming to mind.

“Stanton is a holding company for three different LGBTQIA+-focused charity organizations to help children, adults, and parents of LGBTQIA+ children safely navigate the world while also providing advocacy for equal rights whether at the city, state, or national government levels.”

“Wow.” I exhaled. “That’s…that’s amazing. And this position that I’m interviewing for? The recruiter couldn’t give me any details. Only that it is management. Which specific charity would it be for?”

“I’m going to leave that for Danielle to fill you in. You’ve been all she’s talked about since her charity fund raiser at the end of June. Your suggestions for the new marketing campaign have lit a fire under our lead designer.”

Her words dissolved into white noise as she said something that called up a key memory.

The charity fund raiser at Sebastian’s parents’ house.

Danielle…as in Danielle Courtland.

Sebastian’s mother.

My brain was still processing this information when the elevator doors whooshed open and I was left staring out at a bright and pretty top floor with another sitting area that reminded me a lot of the top floor for Courtland Enterprises. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the same interior designer had been used for both companies.

All the hope that had bubbled in my veins and danced in my stomach turned to rocks and sank, pulling my organs down to my toes. I didn’t want to move off the elevator. What was the point? This couldn’t be a real interview. This had been Danielle’s way to get me here so she could shout at me over ruining her son’s reputation or using him for money or some other despicable thing.

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