She headed for the door, Victoria following her eagerly. Then, as it became clear that they were heading for the exit, Victoria stopped and frowned. “Wait a minute.”

“Oh, sorry,” Jules said sweetly, pointing ahead. “You probably know your way out already.”

“Huh? What about my interview?”

“We just had it,” Jules said. “Good luck with the job hunt.”

Victoria’s eyes bugged out. “You were interviewing me? An assistant?”

“Yep. I sure was.”

“Do you know who my father is?”

Screw that. Jules gave Victoria her best glare, one modeled on Vivian herself. It must have been good because the young woman took a step back.

Jules slowly raised her arm and pointed at the exit. “Bye. We won’t call you. We won’t keep your résumé on file. And if you play your cards right, we won’t send it to other people as a warning either. Or a joke.”

Victoria opened her mouth.

“Goodbye.”

Victoria turned beet red and actually looked about to cry. She turned and headed for the exit. When she was out of sight, Jules exhaled heavily.

She couldn’t believe how terrifyingly good that had felt.

* * *

“What about that internship candidate you met with this morning?” Vivian asked in the car later that day.

“Totally disappointing.” Jules sighed.

“I’d get used to that feeling, if I were you.” Then Vivian tilted her head toward Jules, a smile playing around her lips as if they were sharing a joke.

Something in Jules’s chest became so warm and light that she forgot about being disappointed at all.

* * *

Two days later, the world had mercy on her. A short, slight redhead stood in front of her. She was young, pretty, and fashionable enough to work at Du Jour. She seemed awed by the offices, awed by Jules, awed by even the idea of Vivian Carlisle.

She was also sweet natured, hardworking, and—as Jules’s grandfather would have said—a few tomatoes short of a good marinara.

“The question is,” Jules said carefully, “can you pretty much just do as you’re told?”

“Oh yes,” the girl—whose name was Allie—replied. She smiled brilliantly. “Everyone’s always told me that’s my natural area of expertise!”

“Sit right here.” Jules then hurried into Vivian’s office.

Vivian was on her cell phone, though it sounded like she was wrapping up the conversation. As Jules approached, she quickly said into the phone, “Why, that sounds marvelous, darling. Yes. I’ll see you then.” Then she disconnected and looked back at Jules.

God, her eyes are blue. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to say there’s an internship candidate I just interviewed.”

Vivian glanced toward where Allie was sitting. “Well?”

“I think we’ve got a live one,” Jules said, hoping against hope that she was right.

“Call her in.”

Jules crooked her finger at Allie, who had been watching them both anxiously from the outer office.