Page 118 of Here and Now
She shrugs. “If you say so. This first one is moving to Ember Falls. She’s here for a few days, and I was able to get her in. At least we won’t have to worry about you running into her if you don’t hire her. I’ll go get her.”
I grab the résumé and look it over. I’m freaking exhausted, and reading it is almost difficult. I chug my coffee, waiting for the caffeine to kick in, and put my glasses on to review her résumé so I at least know her name.
“Mr. Anderson, this is Violet Leone.”
I stand and extend my hand, but the two of us just look at each other for a minute. I know her. I swear I know her.
“Violet Leone? Have we . . . ?”
She smiles. “Miles, God, it’s been a really long time.”
So I do know her. How? Violet. Then it hits me.
“Oh my God, Violet Stewart?”
“Well, I was Stewart, but ... anyway. It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s been, what? Fifteen years?”
Violet Stewart used to come spend the summers here with her grandmother, who was friends with Gran, and we used to play as kids. When she turned sixteen, she just stopped coming. She was traveling or whatever with her parents, but it’s been forever.
She smiles. “Sixteen, I think, but yeah, a long time.”
“How are you? What are you doing here?”
“Good, I’m here for an interview with, well, you.”
I motion for her to sit. “Please, sit, let’s begin the interview. Tell me why you’re interested in the position.”
Everett is going to lose his fucking mind when he realizes she’s back in town. The two of them were together, as kids do, and they promised each other the world. She broke his heart when she stopped coming.
“I’ve decided to come back to Ember Falls for a while, start over, maybe build a life like my grandma had. She was always so happy here. I have a master’s degree in English literature, and I’m licensed to teach. I saw the opening here, and I got on a plane to leave California.”
“Were you teaching there?”
Her eyes narrow a little, and she shakes her head. “No, not ... really. I stopped teaching when I got married. Dylan didn’t really want me to work, with his schedule.”
“I see. Do you have any in-the-classroom experience?”
“Yes, I taught before I got married. I was or is or was married for just three years, so I have experience.”
She stumbles a little over her words, and I feel like there’s more to this than her just coming to Ember Falls.
“So you were married, but aren’t now?”
I hear Mrs. Hendrix sigh heavily. “Mrs. Leone, what my boss isn’t catching is that your husband is Dylan Leone, and you weren’t working because your husband is a very famous actor.”
“I was getting there,” I bristle.
Maybe. I don’t really keep up on gossip.
Violet smiles softly. “Yes, we’re in the middle of a very public, very painful divorce. So I’d like to have this job. I’d be really good at it. I love kids and love English. I’ll be able to guarantee one full school year. After that, I don’t know if I’ll ... well, I don’t know my plans.”
“I see. So you’d be able to give me this school year, and we can assess the next? I’d need to know before the end of the year to be able to put out a hiring message.”
She nods. “Yes, I can guarantee that. I’m going to be staying at my grandmother’s, well, I guess it’s my house regardless if I get the job or not.”
There’s not a doubt in my mind she’s the right person. Honestly, she’s the first candidate I didn’t want to kick out. I look over to Mrs. Hendrix, and she nods.
