Page 16 of Hale Yes
That earns me another eyebrow from Perri, who mumbles under her breath as she passes, “Getting them off or getting them on?”
I shake my head with mirth and start to follow them, but my phone rings from the coffee table. “Perri, I gotta check this call. Keep an eye on her.”
“Got her!” she calls back.
Reece is a good swimmer, but I take absolutely no chances with my niece’s safety, and she’s never allowed in the pool area without an adult.
Swiping my phone to answer, I say, “Hey, Abigail.”
She sounds breathless when she replies. “Oh my god. I just got a call from Isla.”
I’m the laboratory director now at Hale Cosmetics, and Dr. Abigail Blake is my lab manager. Isla is our administrative assistant.
Instantly on alert, my voice turns sharp. “What’s wrong?”
“Not a single thing. Well, aside from Isla being behind on checking emails, but it was a really busy day today. You know that though since you were there. Thank you for lunch, by the way. Everyone really enjoyed the?—”
“Abigail,” I say sternly to get her back on track.
“Oh, right, right. So anyway, guess who we got an email from today?”
“Mickey Mouse,” I say dryly, and there’s a long pause before I hear a sharp bark of laughter. Abigail is book smart, but sometimes she doesn’t get my sense of humor. Or maybe it was just a lame joke.
“No, Dr. Nicolette Bell,” she announces, and I can picture her doing a little flair move with her hand.
Of course I recognize the name immediately. Though I’ve never met Dr. Bell in person, she’s highly regarded in our industry, and I’ve read several of her articles and papers. In fact, some people call her the queen of modern-day biochemistry.
“Huh. She’s with Aquarius Cosmetics now, right?”
“Yes,” Abigail gushes. “Her name was on the top of the list from that headhunter we hired last month, so we sent her an inquiry. I never heard back, so I assumed she was happy with where she was, but today we got an email that she’s interested in coming for an interview.”
The tight tension I’ve had in my chest since Abigail announced her impending departure from Hale Cosmetics finally eases a bit. “That’s really good news. I look forward to speaking with her.”
I can practically hear my manager’s wince as she hisses out a breath. “Yeah, there’s a slight problem with that. She asked to come for an interview on Friday, and you’re leaving for London tomorrow.”
“Shit,” I curse, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I can’t put off this trip. I need to finalize everything for the new European skincare launch next month.”
As well as being the lab director for the U.S. division, I’m also the head of research and development for all Hale laboratories worldwide. And this trip is extremely time-sensitive.
“I’ve heard that Dior and Estée Lauder are also looking to hire for their labs this year, so I think we need to strike while the iron is hot. It’s not very often that someone like Dr. Bell becomes available.”
That’s true. What the fuck is Aquarius thinking by not doing everything in their power to hold onto someone with her qualifications?
“That’s not helping my stress levels, Abigail,” I warn as a headache begins to throb in my temples. “I know you’re wanting to retire before your first grandchild is born in a couple months.”
“Iamretiring,” she reiterates firmly. “What if I do the initial interview with Dr. Bell on Friday? I mean, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that we’ll hire her, as long as she’s not a total psycho in person. She’s by far the most qualified person we could get.”
My face scrunches. “I don’t know, Abigail. Don’t you think it would be insulting if the head of the department isn’t even there to meet with her?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” she replies quickly. “So just hear me out. I could explain about your trip and that you really wanted to be here, and if everything goes well, I could take her to meet your father. Don’t you think meeting with the CEO of the entire company would be impressive? You know they usually keep us lab rats locked in our little science cave.”
I can’t help but chuckle because it’s true. Our lab is housed in its own building next door to the corporate offices.
“Okay, I think that might work but let me respond to her email. I think a personal note from me might help to smooth things over.” Sometimes extremely brilliant people can be prickly, and I don’t want to blow this chance.
Abigail's voice trembles slightly, probably because she’s doing the shoulder shimmy she does when she’s excited. “I have a good feeling about her. I think she could be the one, Helix.”
Those words hit me in an odd way directly in the center of my chest, and I rub my fingertips across the spot. “I hope so, Abigail.”
