Page 54 of Bargain with Fate
I left with confirmation that Meemaw’s spell had been accurate, not that I doubted it. After all, the spell had also identified me as an abnormality.
From the depths of my pocket, I heard the familiar ping of my phone. It was only a matter of time before someone interrupted my investigation. I was only surprised it had taken this long.
I groaned at the sight of Justine’s name. “Hola, presidenta.”
“Can you come to my office to meet with a few candidates?”
“So soon?”
“We need to hire someone, Maya. You can’t keep delaying the inevitable.”
Justine still didn’t know about Darlene, and I had no intention of telling her or she might insist on hiring someone on the spot.
“What time?”
“Eleven o’clock is the first interview.”
My heart stuttered. “That’s in five minutes.”
“I’m aware of that. I think you’ll be really happy with the candidates I’ve chosen.”
Doubtful. “I’ll be there, but fair warning, I’m in sweatshorts and a T-shirt.” There wasn’t time to change if she expected me to be punctual.
“To be honest, I’d be surprised to see you wearing anything else.”
Ouch.
I tucked my spray bottle in the net basket of my golf cart and drove to the HOA office.
“Morning, Lionel.”
“Hola,” he replied.
“You really do hear everything, don’t you?”
He smiled but said nothing. “Go right in. The first applicant is with her now.”
“Any thoughts?” I whispered.
“As a matter of fact, yes.” He leaned across his desk and dropped his voice to a hushed tone. “I’m going to enjoy every moment of this interview process.”
I glowered at him. “You’re no help at all.”
Adopting a cheerful smile, he straightened against his chair. “Break a leg.”
I nudged open the door and peeked inside. “Hi.”
“There she is,” Justine said, in a voice she reserved for newcomers and men she found attractive. “Maya, this is Priya.”
“Good to meet you, Priya.” I shook her hand and sat in the empty chair to her left.
“Priya is a djinni with experience in global security for a mining company.”
The djinni looked me up and down. “I’ve never met a Gorgon before.”
“She’s half Gorgon, technically,” Justine interrupted. “That won’t be a problem for you, will it?”
“No, on the contrary. Gorgons are badass.” She gave me an exaggerated thumbs-up.
