Chapter 118 (1/2)

“Hello, Mr. Vance.” I smile and reach out to shake his hand.

“Go ahead and call me Christian. I will show you to your office.”

“Office?” I blurt out.

“Yes, you will need your own space. It’s not much, but it’ll be yours. Let’s go over your paperwork there.” He smiles and then walks off so quickly that I strain to keep up in my heels. He makes a left turn into a hallway full of small offices.

“Here we are,” he announces. There is a black tag with my name in bold white letters next to the door.

I must be dreaming. The office is as big as my dorm room. Mr. Vance and I have different ideas of “not much.” Inside, there is a medium-sized cherry desk, two filing cabinets, two chairs, a bookshelf, a computer—and a window! He takes a seat in front of the desk, so I go and sit behind it. It’s going to take some getting used to the idea that this is actually my office.

“So, Ms. Young, let’s go over what your duties will include,” he says. “You will be expected to go over at least two manuscripts a week; if they are excellent and fit in with what we publish here, then you will send them to me. If they aren’t worth me looking at, toss them.”

My mouth falls open. This internship is literally a dream come true. I will be paid and receive college credit to read.

“You will start out at two hundred a week, and if you do well after ninety days, you will receive a raise.”

Two hundred a week! That should be enough for me to get my own apartment, albeit a tiny one.

“Thank you so much; this is all so much more than I expected,” I tell him. I can’t wait to call Hardin and tell him about all of this.

“It’s my pleasure. I have it on good authority that you are a very hard worker. Maybe you can even tell Hardin how great it is, so he’ll come back and work for me again,” he says jokingly.

“What?”

“Hardin, he used to work for us before Bolthouse snatched him up. He started as an intern here last year, did great work, and I quickly hired him. But they offered him more money—and let him work from home. Said he didn’t like the office setting, so he left us. Go figure.” He smiles and adjusts his watch.

I laugh nervously. “I’ll remind him how great this place is.” I had no idea he had a job. He has never mentioned it to me.