Fall into you

Chapter Three: Cami

Cami strode off the platform onto High Street, which was only one block away from her destination, Central Place, the travel agency's high rise building. After months of interviews she had almost given up any hope of snagging a job, but her financial situation, which was on economy overdrive, dictated that no matter how far fetched the opportunity seemed she would have to give it her best shot. This particular position was really too much to wish for. The salary on offer was simply delicious, the location, near all the city's best restaurants and boutiques, totally desirable, and the possible prestige factor mouth watering. Her confidence already undermined by her skirt-incident took another nose dive when she reached the office block. One peek, through the mile-high smokey windows, to the interior told her that her knitted-coat-look, although admittedly quite edgy, was not going to earn her any points with the perfectly polished people she spied inside. Intimidated, Cami considered a speedy retreat, but need is a strange and demanding task master--Cami went for the door. 

With her heart in her mouth, Cami dragged herself to the reception counter. Several woman hovered over phones and pens in stereotypical industry that allayed Cami's misgivings, work she knew all about, and hard work didn't scare her. A sweet, pretty redhead, phone clamped in the crook of her shoulder, looked up inquiringly,

"Hi, I'm Cami, for Mrs.Dreyer, the legal assistant position?" Cami trailed, breathlessly."Sure, I'll add you to the queue. You can wait over there," she indicated toward a bunch of casual chairs off to one side. Cami turned, spirits sinking once again at the size an obvious quality of the crowd of applicants. 

Oh, well! There was no telling just how lousy the day could get.She found a seat next to a tall mousy-haired, bird-like woman whose general demeanor seemed to match her own.

"Competition looks stiff," the mousy girl said, moving aside slightly to give Cami room beside her."Too true," perhaps we can use the time to come up with nasty ways to murder them off quietly?" This line of reasoning perked her up considerably, the girl laughed."Where did you go to school you look so familiar?" Cami turned in her seat to get a better look at her neighbor.

"New York, Washington Square, you?""Gosh, small world, me too." Her new found friend was beginning to enjoy herself. She continued, "what year?""I qualified last year.""Then, I was a year ahead of you," she smiled conspiratorially, as if they were members of some sort of secret club. It was Cami's turn to laugh."Yeah, I think I might have seen you around. What have you been doing since?" Cami saw the light in the girls eyes dim, instantly at her question."It's a tough economy right now, I want to be fussy about the job I take. I don't want to feel that I graduated c*m laude for nothing." Cami straightened in her seat, despite her excuse it was clear that this girl, despite her first class degree, had been struggling to find a decent job. Cami bit the corner of her lip thoughtfully."I'm Allie, by the way.""Camille, but Cami will do." Cami returned pensively."Tell you what, whatever goes down. Why don't we do coffee afterwards. I'm one ahead of you in the queue, so I could wait. Have you seen their awesome coffee shop here? It must be a great place to work." Cami hadn't spotted the shop, but the thought of a cup of steaming aromatic coffee made up her mind for her."Wonderful idea! after the kind of morning I've had I couldn't think of anything better." Allie beamed back at her, lightening the mood."Pray, tell," Allie begged. Looking at her closely with narrowed eyes. Then, for the next few minutes, to gales of laughter, Cami gave her the low down. Finally, with tears in her eyes, Allie asked, "so you still haven't anything other than bare skin under that coat?""Yeah! I hope Mrs.Dreyer doesn't insist that someone take my coat when I go in," Cami retorted, mischievously."What I want to know more about, though. Is the guy. He sounds so cute, sore, but cute, you know?" Allie's curiosity was not totally masked by her giggles, so Cami gave her a full description of the dude, whom she realized might still be glowering at her negligence and even at her sheer existence.

The applicants were being disposed of with wicked rapidity. By the time Cami had told all, she realized that a certain wistfulness had crept into her voice. It made her conscious of just how appealing she had found the dude she had mistakenly stabbed. The queue of hopefuls dwindled, soon It was Allie's turn. She got up to try her luck, but not before cementing their plans,"Hold that thought till I'm done, at the rate we are being tossed, I don't think I'll be long." Cami waved her in, then sat back hoping that her true thoughts hadn't been too obvious. Even she hadn't actually worked out the effect he had had on her.Too bad I nearly killed him, then. He had, after all, been totally gorgeous.It seemed to be turning into an "oh well! " type of day. Cami prayed that she would fair better with her interview. A girl couldn't just give up hope, now could she?Allie came out looking grim. "Let's leave the discussion for the coffee table," was all she would divulge.Cami swallowed and made for the interview office. She knocked politely, and duly waited to be summoned. Mrs.Dreyer did not keep her long."I'm Celia Dreyer," the woman offered her a friendly smile and a firm hand to shake. Formalities over, Celia got down to business."I see from your CV that your surname is Lawrence, that must have elicited more than a few wise cracks in, well... Law School?" Cami nodded, liking the woman immediately. She felt herself relax under Celia's amicable gaze. 

The place was really stunning, even the interview office had a view of the park across the way. Cami, sunk into the expensive feeling upholstery of her chair wondering what it must be like to work from a room of this type of calibre.

"So, then, give me your reasons for wanting this job, I see that you're more than qualified. However, you lack experience. Tell me why I should forget that fact and hire you over other equally suitable candidates?" Cami guessed that Celia used the same trick on everyone--friendly approach followed by an impossible question that would give your "think-on-the-spot" ability away, pronto.

Cami drew a breath, collected her thoughts then replied."Because I really need it, will appreciate it, have the qualifications, if not unlimited experience, for it. I need it so badly that you can rely in the fact that I won't let you down." Cami looked up, imagining the worst, especially when she saw the look of shock on Celia's face, but then, the woman let out a bellow of laughter, a cackle of a type Cami had never figured her for.When she was done she leaned over her desk, looking Cami directly in the eye."Well, at least I know you're totally honest. That is the weirdest answer I've had all day and probably the best."It was all plain sailing from there on in. Cami dared, at least for the first time that day, to believe that there were such things as lucky stars.

By the time she met Allie back in the reception area most of the other applicants had cleared. Allie looked a little forlorn, sitting in the corner by herself. She rose when she spotted Cami making her way from Celia's office."Coffee, then?""Absolutely, I'm parched, thanks for waiting."