Her expression quickly changes from surprise to absolute delight. “Oh, uh… well… yeah, sure,” she stammers. “That would be great, thank you.”
“Okay, good. Now that’s sorted, there’s just a couple more things I need to do before we finish up. I’ll need a copy of your RSA certificate.”
“Of course.” She opens her folder, pulls out the certificate and hands it to me to photocopy.
Once that’s complete, I place the copy in a manila folder and hand her back the original.
“Lastly, I’ll need to contact two work references, which I can see you’ve already provided in your CV. As soon as that’s taken care of and everything checks out, I’ll send your contract via email. The contract will include your salary, start date, and working hours. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Did I get the job?” she asks nervously.
A quiet chuckle escapes me as I take in her adorable expression. “Yes, you got the job. Congratulations, Gemma.” Rising to my feet, I hold out my hand to her, which she takes and shakes in return.
“Thank you again, Jason. I’m so excited.”
We finish up, and I escort her out of the restaurant. After saying our goodbyes, I watch her walk away until she’s completely out of my sight. Feeling really good after the interview, I turn back towards the bar wearing a ridiculous, cheesy grin across my face.
Twice now, I’ve been fortunate enough to find good, reliable employees—first Mila, and now Gemma. It feels like I hit the jackpot in the recruitment lottery. With a new babysitter and bartender on board, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.What a great month this has turned out to be!
As I step through the front door, I’m immediately wrapped in the quiet, still calm of the house, not a single sound to be heard from any of the rooms. Knowing Jake is already asleep in his bed, I set off in search of Mila, who I figure is somewhere nearby, either reading a book or researching something on her laptop.
After passing through the kitchen, dining, and living rooms, I finally find Mila in the library, sprawled on the plush grey sofa,absorbed in her Kindle. The baby monitor rests on the small table beside her.
I originally built the library for Elena, who spent most of her days immersed in books and journals. Since she moved out, I haven’t had the heart to change it, especially since it’s become one of Jake’s favourite rooms in the house. Now, someone else seems to have claimed it too.
She looks up and smiles as she sees me standing at the door. “Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you come in.”
I step into the room and settle on the arm of the sofa across from her. “I was wondering why the house was so quiet,” I say, gesturing toward the Kindle in her hand.
“Yeah, I figured I’d give my brain a break from all the trashy TV I’ve been watching.”
I chuckle softly, unable to hide my amusement. “Apart from avoiding cringe-worthy shows, how has your evening been?” I ask, then add with a smirk, “and what insect did Jake decide to ramble on about this time?”
She lets out a light, playful laugh. “It was an interesting night actually. Jake wanted to make unicorn snot slime, which I had to look up on YouTube because I had no idea what that even was. Turns out it’s just basic slime covered in glitter and coloured beads, or ‘boogers’ as Jake calls them.”
I immediately picture my son saying those exact words, and I snort a laugh.
“As for the insect of the day,” Mila continues, “he gave me a full lesson on the life of a dragonfly. I have to admit, I learned quite a lot, considering I knew absolutely nothing about them.”
“Trust me, my five-year-old knows more about insects than I do. Or anyone else I know for that matter. Can you believe it all started after a camping trip where he came home covered in mosquito bites? Somehow that sparked an instant fascinationwith the world of insects, and I doubt it will end until he’s explored every single one on the planet.”
“Good lord!” She chuckles. “At least it’ll make conversations a lot easier. Where does he learn all this information from?”
“His mother is a university lecturer specialising in zoology, and she has a wealth of knowledge in entomology, which is the study of insects. She’s the one who fills our son’s head with fascinating facts about the insect kingdom.”
“Wow, how lucky of Jake to have all that information at his disposal.”
“Elena continues to cling to the hope that Jake will eventually decide to pursue a career in science. It’s all she ever talks about.”
“That’s all well and good, but Jake should have the freedom to carve out his own future, don’t you agree?” she says firmly, a touch of defensiveness underlying her words.
I nod, offering her a reassuring smile. “I wholeheartedly agree with you.”
Seemingly pleased with my answer, she lets out a deep sigh, then switches off her Kindle and leans forward to retrieve her bag from the floor.
Not ready for her to leave just yet, I blurt out the first question that comes to mind.
“What were you reading?”
