Page 30 of Let's Call a Truce
I tried to hide my cringe at the most stereotypical and frustrating answer possible for this question. Working hard was not a weakness, and those who gave that answer were too unaware or too cowardly to admit they had room for growth.
“Well, thank you for answering my questions. Do you have questions for me?”
“No.”
I nodded, trying to keep the pessimistic laugh at bay. I wish I could have recorded this interview to show the interns this summer.Students, this is Sharon. She did exactly what youdidn’tdo in an initial interview. See her incomplete answers, her seeming disinterest in learning more about the company. Don’t be like Sharon.
I ended the Zoom meeting with a groan. There had been some good candidates, but not as many as I needed. As I stretched, Iglimpsed Ben coming toward my office, and I bit my lower lip to keep my smile hidden.
“Coffee incoming.” He kicked the door closed behind him, setting my cup on the desk next to me. I grabbed it and guzzled it down.
“You are too good to me.”
“Nothing more than you deserve.”
I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “So, it’s poisoned, then?”
“Not this time. I have to lull you into a false sense of security first. Make sure people see me bringing you coffee often, so I’m not a suspect when it all goes wrong.” His smile made his eyes crinkle and my stomach flip. “What’s up? You seem stressed.”
“If I have to hear one more person tell me their greatest weakness is they work too hard, I’m going to burn this entire place to the ground.”
“What’s the right answer?” he asked.
“Finally admitting defeat? And you said I’d have to be the one to leave.”
He shook his head as he laughed. “Never. You’re stuck with me for the long haul.”
My stomach flipped again, and I couldn’t stop my smile. “The right answer is honesty. You’re starting a relationship with our company and every person in it. No one is perfect. If you can’t be honest about your weaknesses, how can we decide if we’re the right fit? Would you want a relationship with someone who lied to you?”
A shadow crossed his eyes as he nodded. “But you can’t expect to know everything from the beginning. It takes time to get to know a person. An applicant, I mean.”
“No, not everything. But the big stuff.” I watched him over the top of my coffee. “Are we still discussing my job, Benjamin? Or do you have some skeletons?”
His lip quirked. “You wanna see my skeletons, Juliana?”
“Sounds spooky,” I said with a laugh. “Should I be scared?”
“Nothing scary, I promise. But I do have some things I’d like to talk to you about. Maybe over coffee?” He glanced meaningfully at the cups on the table between us.
I took a moment to look him over. He was wearing another button-down, a bright blue this time that complemented his golden skin. His sleeves were rolled up again, and I could almost feel the corded muscles under my hands as I imagined him wrapping his arms around me from behind. I shook the image off and tried to refocus on my mountain of work.
“Noted,” I answered, and his smile grew. “But right now, I need to prep for my next interview. Thanks for the coffee.” He waved as he walked back out of the office but stopped as he reached the door.
“Oh, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Remember Connor from engineering? The one who was against the inclusion initiative in the staff meeting?” he asked, and I nodded. “He’s been stirring up trouble. He is trying to get people to speak up against it. A few of my team have told me he’s trying to rile them up.”
“What’d you say to them?”
“I told them to bring concerns to me, and we’ll discuss them. I’m on board with everything you and Asia came up with, and I want them talking to me instead of each other. But I only control my department, so you may hear more about it.”
I ran my hands through my hair, fighting the urge to pull it out at the roots. “Why are people the worst?”
“You can handle them. Going up against you isn’t a good idea. Trust me. I have plenty of experience with it.” I peeked at him through my fingers and caught the soft smile on his face. “Good luck.”
Ben had no reason to be on the HR floor, but I’d seen him every day this week. The secret smile he sent my way when he passed my office further confirmed he came down for me.
Like today, he usually brought me coffee. He claimed theHR floor had the best coffee in the building and figured he’d bring one to me, too, since he was here anyway. It was an obvious lie, but the smile he slid my way alongside the coffee told me he’d keep up the ruse for as long as I needed it. I was surprised he knew how I took it the first time he dropped a cup off, the barest touch of cream and sugar to cut the bite. He wanted to stay, but I barely had time to pee between interviews, much less enjoy a leisurely coffee with my office crush.
Things with Ben were moving in a dangerous direction.
