His Greatest Treasure

The Interview

Makenna’s POV

The ad for the housekeeper position said to call the estate manager to schedule an interview and to bring a resume. I’ve never had a job before, so I don’t have any experience with interviews or resumes. I had talked to my therapist about wanting to get a job, and she had given me some great advice, but I didn’t know if that would make up for my lack of experience.

Talking to people, whether in person or on the phone, was very hard for me. I turn to a blank page in my notebook and write down what I need to say on the phone. The worst part is the uncertainty, not knowing how the other person will respond, but I know that all I can do is prepare for the most likely direction the phone call can take.

I read over my script a few times and practice it in the mirror until I”m confident with how my voice sounds.

“I can do this,” I whisper to myself. My therapist has been teaching me to deal with my intrusive thoughts by talking back to them out loud. While my brain is screaming at me that there’s no way I can do this, I knew I needed to remind myself that I can. This is a huge step, but I know I need to take it to keep moving forward and make the life I want to live.

I take another deep breath, and dial the phone number on the job ad. After ringing a few times, someone answered.

“Parker residence, this is Consuela. How can I help you today?”

The voice on the other end of the phone is a woman’s with a slight Spanish accent, and has a very kind and warm sound to it. The softness in that voice gives me the strength I need to open my mouth.

“Hi, I’m calling about the job ad for the housekeeper position,” I say, trying to sound as confident as possible.

“Yes, of course. Well we are doing open interviews this afternoon. I have an availability at four, if that works for you?”

“Yes, that works for me,” I answer, trying to conceal my excitement.

“Perfect! You’ll just need to bring a resume.” She gives me the address, which I quickly scribble down in my notebook.

After the phone call ends, I’m still high from the excitement of scheduling my first job interview, until I remember that I need to write a resume, which I had never done before. It was only nine in the morning, so I have until four to get it figured out.

My therapist has given me a phone number for a resource center that provides practical help to women like me who try to restart their lives after living with abuse. She had told me that they could help me get into the workforce and help me establish financial independence. They have a walk-in center, but also provide help over the phone. Again, I practice what I’m going to say by writing out scripts and reciting it in front of the mirror until I feel comfortable enough to make the phone call. I take a deep breath and call the number that my therapist had written for me in my notebook.

“Hello, this is Amy,” Answered a cheerful voice.

After briefly explaining my situation to her and requesting help with my resume, Amy said that she would love to help. We spent about an hour with me working on my resume on Grace’s computer and Amy talking me through it on the phone. Amy had taught me to write a skill based resume since I didn’t have any formal experience, and helped me to identify the skills I have. I have never made a resume before, but after Amy helps me with everything from the font to the formatting, I feel more confident.

When four o'clock rolls around, I’m standing in the courtyard of a breathtaking mansion. I was wearing one of Grace’s interview outfits that I had smuggled from her closet, a pair of black slacks and a lacy white blouse with a pair of black pumps. I had taken an Uber for the first time, and it was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my life, but I didn’t have any other choice since I was trying to keep it a secret from Grace and buses don’t come out this far.

There’s a large fountain in the middle of the courtyard and a few large rose bushes flaunting bright red roses. The beautiful house (if it could be called that) is white with a gray roof. It looks at least three stories, and boasts many large windows. The entryway was guarded by two pillars leading to the front door.

I nervously twisted the ends of my dark hair and took a deep breath before approaching the door. After ringing the doorbell once, I only had to wait a few minutes before the door was opened by a stout Hispanic woman with long wavy dark hair. She’s wearing a simple black dress and was giving me a kind smile from the doorway.

“Hi, you must be Makenna. Come on in.”

I nod and follow her into the mansion. In the large entryway, there’s a coat hanger and a tall wooden shoe rack beside a bench.

“Go ahead and take your shoes off. You can set them on the rack, and then you can put these on.”

She hands me a small box of disposable nylon socks, and waits for me in the living room. After I exchange my shoes for the socks, I followed her through the house. The floors are all made from real wood, and were well polished so that they sparkled beneath the various chandeliers in the house. The walls are white, and in the living room, there are two long windows that stretch from the floor to the ceiling on either side of the wall, displaying the beautiful backyard where there’s a large swimming pool, a lush flower garden, and an orchard of apple trees off in the distance. It’s a very elegant home, but not quite as flashy as I had imagined.

We walk down a hallway, and Consuela leads the way into an office. There’s a wooden desk topped with a computer, a small stack of notebooks, and a jar with an assortment of pens, pencils, highlighters and markers. There’s a large calendar mounted on the wall behind her desk with a white board beside it, and a tall bookshelf full of books. She gestures to the comfortable looking chair in front of the desk before sitting in her chair and looking through the notebook on her desk.

“Alright. You brought your resume, correct?” She asks.

I nod and hand it to her. She looks over it briefly before looking back at me with a kind smile. If she thought my resume and lack of formal job experience was strange, she didn’t show any indication of it.

“So, Makenna, can you tell me about yourself?”

I’m just about to answer when the door opened. The handsomest man I have ever seen walks into the room. He’s tall and muscular, his biceps poking through the tight white button-up shirt he’s wearing. He has dark hair and deep brown eyes that make me melt from across the room. His eyes lock in on me almost immediately, and I can feel his gaze move over my face and down my body. I blush and quickly turn away from him.

Consuela gives the man a large smile as he comes in. “Mr, Parker, glad you could join us. We had a last minute applicant interested in an interview. This is Makenna Walters.”

I find myself once again watching the gorgeous man as he comes into the room and approaches some folding chairs against the wall. He sets up the chair in the back corner and sits, quietly watching me.

“This is Reid Parker, the owner of this estate.” Consuela said. My eyes widened as I thought about how this male model could be my future boss. A few seconds pass as the two of us continue watching each other intently until I hear someone clear their throat. “Miss Walters, you were just about to tell me about yourself,” Consuela prompted kindly, a hint of amusement in her smile.

“Oh yes of course,” I say quickly. “I am a hard worker, and have had about fifteen years experience with residential cleaning.” I was counting my ten years of being with Tom and five years while being with my dad since I had started to be in charge of keeping up the house at about ten years old. “I am a fast learner with a desire to learn more skills.

Consuela nodded, still giving me a gentle smile. I looked over at Reid Parker, who didn’t seem particularly interested in my response, but was still staring at me.

“So it doesn’t seem like you have any formal work experience,” Consuela said. “Could you explain that?”

This was the question I had dreaded and prepared my answer for over and over again in the mirror. I take a deep breath before responding as dignified as I could.

“Yes, I underwent a traumatic experience that made it impossible for me to have a job. I have been diagnosed with severe PTSD, which I am treating with medication and therapy. I am trying to get my life back, so that’s why I am interested in this job. I don’t have very many marketable skills, but I can definitely clean.” I don’t want to give strangers too many details on my life, and just wanted to keep my explanation nice and simple.

Consuela gives me a sympathetic nod of her head. I turn to look at Mr. Parker, whose eyes had softened. He gives me a small smile.

“Well I am so sorry to hear about that, and I’m glad that you are trying to turn your life around. That is a very big step!”

I smile back at her, appreciative of her kind words. Consuela continues the interview by asking me how I would handle certain situations, how I would clean a variety of surfaces, and quizzing my knowledge on different cleaning products. I feel confident that I did well on that part considering how much cleaning I’ve done, even if it had only been in small shabby shacks compared to this castle.

The interview comes to an end and Consuela shakes my hand and thanks me for coming in. She informs me that they will make their decision by the end of the week. I turn to Mr. Parker, who reaches to shake my hand. His hand is humongous compared to my small one, and he holds it gently.

“Thank you for coming, Miss Walters,” he says politely. All I can do is smile and nod in response since my nerves were all over the place.

“I’ll show you out, dear,” Consuela says as she walks out of the office. I hurry to follow her but not before catching one last glimpse of the billionaire who was smugly watching me walk away.