The Ex Who Hired Her. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ child to give her an entry into his world and a hand up from her own—and he’d bet that she was just the same, now. That kind of personality trait didn’t change.

      ‘Let’s go through the candidates and see who we’re going to bring back for a second interview,’ he said, wanting to shift back onto safe ground.

      On three of the final candidates, they were agreed; on the fourth, there was no way he could explain why he didn’t want her without dragging up too much of the past.

      Just as they finished, Jordan’s PA knocked on the door. ‘I’m so sorry to interrupt, Mr Blake. I’m afraid it’s a matter that can’t wait,’ she said to Harry.

      ‘Go,’ Jordan said. ‘You too, Gina. I know you’re both up to your eyes. I’ll do the debriefs,’ he said.

      ‘Are you sure?’ Harry asked.

      ‘Absolutely.’ It meant he’d get a word with her on his own—and then maybe he could find out what she was really up to.

      As soon as his colleagues had gone, Jordan spoke to the candidates in the order he’d seen them. He commiserated with the ones who didn’t get through to second interview and explained why, so they could work on their skills for the future; and he gave a briefing pack to the three candidates who’d got through to the next round.

      And finally it was time to face Alexandra.

      All the candidates had been seen in order. Most had come out looking dejected; three had come out looking pleased. And, as the last one to be interviewed, Alexandra was the last one to be debriefed.

      She had thought about leaving quietly, so she didn’t have to see the expression in Jordan’s eyes when he told her that she was rejected. But that would be the coward’s way out, and she wasn’t a coward. Plus the debriefing was going to be useful for her next interview. Even so, her nerves were strung so tightly that she stumbled as she walked through the door.

      ‘Ms …’ He paused, looking her up and down. ‘Bennett.’

      Then she realised that Jordan was on his own. Oh, no.

      This was going to be really bad. He wouldn’t have to hide the fact that he was gloating when he told her that she hadn’t got the job.

      Well, they did say that attack was the best form of defence. She lifted her chin. ‘You could’ve just sent a message via the agency that I didn’t get the job. You didn’t need to bother telling me personally.’

      ‘Actually, you made the list for second interview.’ He handed her an envelope. ‘And this is the briefing pack for the situation we want you to think about and discuss with us tomorrow.’

      It was so unexpected that it silenced her. He was actually giving her a chance?

      Then, when he spoke again, she wished she’d just said thank you and made a run for it.

      ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you today,’ he said coolly.

      ‘I had no idea you worked here.’ Much less that he was the CEO.

      He scoffed. ‘Come off it. You know exactly who my family are.’

      She frowned. ‘No. All I knew was that they were posh.’ In a different league from her own family. The ground floor of their entire house could’ve fitted into the Smiths’ living room.

      He didn’t look as if he believed her. ‘Let me refresh your memory. My great-grandfather started the store,’ he said. ‘My grandfather took over from him. And then my father.’

      So it was his family business. ‘And now you’re the CEO. Following in their footsteps.’ That much she could work out for herself. ‘But it doesn’t quite add up. Since it’s a family business, why isn’t your surname Field?’

      He shrugged. ‘It’s my middle name. My father refused to change his surname when he married my mother.’

      Oh. So the store belonged to his mother’s family. With a heritage like that, no wonder Vanessa Smith had been so confident. And maybe she could understand now why Vanessa had made that accusation when Alexandra had gone to her for help—an accusation that even now made a red mist swirl in front of Alexandra’s eyes because it had been so unfair and so unjust.

      Jordan looked at her. ‘Speaking of names, I notice you’ve changed yours.’

      Was that a roundabout way of asking her if she was married? Under employment law, he couldn’t ask her; marital status was nothing to do with someone’s performance in their job. On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt if he thought she was still married. Just in case he was under the very mistaken impression that she wanted anything from him other than this job. ‘It’s my married name.’ And she’d kept it after the divorce.

      ‘Even your first name’s different,’ he mused. ‘I knew you as Alex.’

      When she’d been a very different person. Naïve, believing that she’d been lucky enough to find her soul mate at the age of seventeen. Except she’d kissed her handsome prince and he’d turned into a slimy toad. She shrugged, affecting a cool she definitely didn’t feel—even thinking about kissing when Jordan Smith was sitting right in front of her was a mistake. ‘Xandra is a perfectly valid diminutive of Alexandra,’ she said crisply.

      ‘Very “marketing”.’

      Which was what her tutor had told her when she’d started doing the evening class. Look the part, sound the part, act the part, and you’ll get the part. She’d followed that to the letter. ‘Is that a problem?’

      ‘No.’ He paused. ‘I told Harry and Gina I knew you.’

      Knew her. Yeah. He’d known her, all right. In the Biblical sense. ‘Didn’t that put me out of the running?’

      ‘They liked you.’

      And he’d made it very clear that he didn’t. Definitely guilt talking, she thought.

      Meeting his gaze was a huge mistake. The man had proved to her years ago that he had no integrity where personal relationships were concerned. He’d abandoned her when she’d needed him most, let her down in the worst possible way. How could she possibly still find him in the slightest bit attractive? She reined her thoughts back in.

      ‘If Field’s were to offer you the job, would you take it?’

      If that was his idea of an apology, Alexandra thought, it was much too little and much too late.

      Then again, this was a real opportunity: to be the marketing manager of a traditional, well established department store, with a brief to bring it bang up to date. If she was offered the job, it’d be a real plus on her CV. If she turned it down just to spite him, she’d really be doing herself a disservice. ‘I’d consider it,’ she said.

      ‘The job would mean working with me.’

      ‘Is that a problem for you?’

      He looked straight at her. ‘Not if it’s not a problem for you.’

      In other words, it could work if they didn’t talk about what СКАЧАТЬ