Henley’s cheeks flushed red as she wrung her fingers out from under the clear table. “No, I don’t. I was…” she blinked rapidly and swallowed. “No, I don’t.”
I cleared my throat. “Your work with other investment firms looks bright. What did you learn that you think you could apply here?” I asked.
She blinked a few times. “Well I…I learned a lot of basic skills with business law and corporate law, but I um…” Henley’s voice trailed off and she seemed to draw a blank. Her gaze fleeted to Jude and then quickly back to me, letting me know that he’d probably given her some sort of look. “I got really good at being self-sufficient and could anticipate things no one else saw,” she finished.
“Like what?” Jude pressed, leaning forward across the table, not caring that his proximity made her uncomfortable.
She licked her lips. “Like…if the market was dropping, and I knew the firm could lose money, I would start looking for ways to pull out early,” she said and then fixed her gaze on Jude. “To protect the company’s assets.”
I suppressed a smirk. She was obviously nervous, but also knew what she was talking about.
“Protect them how?” Jude asked.
I wanted to kick him under the table but worried it would be noticeable.
“There are a lot of legal loopholes, especially in start-up investments, for example,” Henley said.
I felt a light bulb go off in my head, and knew Jude did too, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he continued pressing Henley with more questions, getting her more flustered with each one.
“I do want to know, Miss Cates,” Jude said, his voice harsh. “If you would be able to handle the demands of the job; your tardiness certainly wasn’t a very good way to start off.”
I held back a sigh. “How about some water?” I asked, interrupting before Henley answered. I stood and she nodded as I went to retrieve her a glass.
Accepting graciously, she took small sips before setting it down and turning her attention back to Jude. “I don’t usually arrive to anything late. It’s just not something I do…”
I could tell she wanted to say more, but Jude came back at her with more questions. Strangely enough, the more flustered she got, the cuter I found her incessant blushing. She looked like a damned short-cake with that red hair of hers.
The interview went on for a while longer before I finally ended it with one last question.
“Are you currently pursuing any other job options?”
“No,” she answered quickly.
I glanced at Jude. For some reason, he didn’t look pleased.
We both stood, and Henley rose too, nervously grabbing her purse.
“We’ll let you know our decision soon, rejection or not,” Jude said.
I smiled, trying to ease the harshness of his words. “Thank you for meeting with us. It was a pleasure.” I reached to shake her hand, her small soft hand in mine. She briefly met my gaze and something stirred within me.
I watched as Jude shook her hand before she left. Once she was out of sight, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
Jude shook his head and went to the whiskey jar. “I thought she was going to start crying.”
“What the hell was that?” I snapped.
“What?” he said over his shoulder.
I took off my jacket, feeling uneasy. Part of me felt we had been too hard on her, yet another part of me felt like she knew something. “You ambushed that girl,” I said.
Jude downed the glass and sighed. “I had to know if she could handle the rough job. It’s grueling.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to be. Jesus, her resume showed she has great experience.”
Jude waved his hand dismissively. “People put anything on paper.”
I paused for a moment, unable to argue with him there. “Did you bring her here because of how she looks, by any chance?” I asked.