Amanda submitted her resignation first thing on Monday morning as promised. Although Arthur was sad that she was leaving the company, he knew she was eager to start a new chapter of her life, and he had the vacancy posted right away.
The response to the job advertisement was even better than they had anticipated, so Arthur and Amanda kept busy for the rest of the week as they reviewed applicants' resumes.
Amanda had worked hard at her job for several years and knew the job better than anybody, so Arthur trusted her judgement and asked her to help chose the right candidate for the job.
After the first round of interviews, they were down to two possibilities, Audrey and Lauren.
At the interviews, Audrey was poised and confident. She seemed knowledgeable and capable and left Amanda and Arthur with no doubts that she would be able to handle the job. But when they tried contacting her references and previous employers, they were unable to find anyone to vouch for her. Her work history seemed sketchy at best.
Lauren was just the opposite. Her credentials were impressive on paper. She had an excellent work history and strong grades in the business courses she was taking, but her interview left Arthur and Amanda with doubts. She came off as childish and unprofessional.
They decided to call both women back for one more interview before they made their final choice.
When she received the call about the interview, Lauren asked for it to be scheduled later in the afternoon, claiming she had another appointment earlier in the day. She arrived at the offices early that afternoon and waited outside.
When she saw Audrey approach, she jumped out in front of her.
Audrey flinched back. "What's your problem?"
"You're my problem. I'm not going to let you steal this job from me! It's mine!" Lauren cried out, before shouting a list of threats at the frightened woman.
"You're insane! Stay away from me!" Audrey shouted as she backed away from Lauren and ran down the street.
Lauren smiled to herself as she watched her competition disappear.
When it was time for her interview, Lauren walked calmly into the office building and greeted Arthur with a handshake.
"Hello, Lauren. I'm glad you came." He explained, "I was expecting another applicant this afternoon, but she never showed up."
"That's odd," Lauren replied.
"I thought so too. She seemed interested in the job when I last spoke to her," Arthur mused before changing the subject. "Well, why don't we step into the conference room and start the interview. I think Amanda's already waiting on us."
Thirty minutes later, Lauren walked out of the interview, confident that the job was hers. Now that the position was secured, she could focus on the reason she had been so desperate to get the job.
Instead of leaving the office, she decided to wander around and take a look at the place where she would be working. She didn't wander long before she found what, or rather who, she was looking for.
"Hi there, Lawrence," she grinned as she leaned over his cubicle.
Lawrence practically jumped out of his chair in surprise. "Hello, Lauren," he said tersely. "What are you doing here?"
"You'd better get used to seeing me here. I'm going to be the new receptionist," she said with a giggle. Then she quickly crossed her fingers in front of her not to jinx herself and added, "I hope."
Lawrence barely managed to nod a reply. He was at a loss for words.
After Lauren left the office, and Lawrence started to recover from the shocking news, Arthur called him into his office.
"I noticed you were talking to Lauren awhile ago. She's one the applicants for Amanda's job."
"She mentioned that."
"We're still trying to make our final decision, so I was wondering how you know Lauren."
"We're both in the same night class," Lawrence answered.
Arthur nodded, as he took in the information. "I hesitate to say this . . .Amanda and I have both shared some concerns about hiring Lauren, but right now she seems to be our top choice. Since you know her, do you have any opinions about Lauren? Anything we should take into account when we make our final decision?"
Lawrence hesitated. He wanted to tell Arthur not to hire her, but he couldn't say that, not when his opinion was based solely on personal reasons. "No, there's nothing I have to add."
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