Called back

Bree

By the time someone finally came to call us, I had managed to convince myself that I wasn't nervous anymore. That lasted exactly three seconds.

"Leslie Brooks and Bree Carter?"

We both looked up.

"That's us," Leslie said.

The woman gestured toward the hallway. "Please follow me."

I stood and smoothed down my red dress, suddenly conscious of every inch of it.

Leslie leaned closer. "Stop panicking."

"I'm not panicking."

"You're pulling at your dress."

I immediately dropped my hands. "I'm fixing it."

"Sure."

I ignored her and followed the woman down the hallway.

We were led into a large, quiet office. Unlike the reception area, this room felt much more formal — a huge desk, several shelves filled with files, and a large window overlooking part of the estate.

A woman sitting behind the desk looked up when we entered. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you."

Leslie and I sat beside each other. The interviewer picked up our applications and looked through them. I sat straighter. This was it. Twenty thousand dollars. I could practically see my future improving before my eyes.

The woman looked at Leslie first. "How long have you worked as a personal assistant?"

I stared at Leslie, and she stared back at me, both of us suddenly wearing the same confused expression. Something wasn't right.

"Excuse me?" Leslie finally asked.

The woman glanced down at the application again. "How long have you worked as a personal assistant?"

Leslie's eyebrows pulled together. "I've never worked as a personal assistant."

The woman looked confused. "Then which company did you work for as a PA?"

I stared at Leslie. Leslie stared at me. Something wasn't right.

I slowly raised my hand. "I'm sorry, but I think there may have been a misunderstanding."

The interviewer turned toward me.

"We're here for the nanny position," I said.

There was a brief silence. The woman lowered the papers. "The nanny position?"

"Yes."

She looked at us as if we'd just told her we'd come to apply for a position as astronauts. "We aren't hiring nannies."

I stared at her. Leslie stared at her. Then I started laughing. I tried to stop, I really did, but the absurdity of it all hit me at once — we had woken up late, thrown on the only clothes we thought looked remotely professional, rushed across town, walked into a mansion that looked like it belonged to royalty, and sat through all that nervousness, only to discover we had come for the wrong job.

Leslie covered her mouth, but it was too late. She started laughing too.

The interviewer looked between us. "What is funny?"

"I'm sorry," I managed between laughs. "We're just... I think we might have completely misunderstood the job."

Leslie nodded, still laughing. "We're very sorry."

The woman looked down at our applications again. "I see."

"We'll just... excuse ourselves," I said.

"Of course."

We stood. I managed to keep a straight face until we stepped outside the office. The moment the door closed behind us, Leslie grabbed my arm.

"Did that really just happen?"

I burst out laughing. "I don't know!"

"We came here for a nanny job!"

"I know!"

"And they're hiring a PA!"

"I know!"

We both tried to quiet ourselves as we walked down the hallway, but every time I looked at Leslie, I started laughing again. By the time we reached the reception area, my stomach hurt.

"This is officially the most embarrassing interview I've ever attended," Leslie said.

"You say that like we've attended many."

She laughed.

We walked outside, and I took a deep breath of fresh air. "Well," I said, "at least we're definitely not getting the job."

Leslie looked at me. "Definitely."

I glanced back at the mansion. "Since we're already here..."

She narrowed her eyes. "No."

"We should take pictures."

"Bree."

"We're already dressed."

"No."

"Look at this place."

She looked toward the enormous fountain in front of the mansion. I smiled. "Exactly."

Leslie sighed. "Fine. Five minutes."

"Ten."

"Five."

"Seven."

"Five."

"Fine."

We started taking pictures. The fountain alone looked like something from a luxury resort. I stood beside it, adjusted my dress, and smiled while Leslie took several pictures.

"Turn slightly."

"Like this?"

"Yes."

"How do I look?"

"Like you're trying to get married in a billionaire's garden."

I laughed. "Take another."

She did. Then we switched, and I took pictures of Leslie while she posed in front of the mansion, pretending to be some wealthy heiress.

"Give me rich woman energy," I instructed.

She lifted her chin. "Like this?"

"Perfect."

We both started laughing. I took a few selfies and checked them. "These are actually good."

"Send them to me."

"I will."

I turned my camera toward the estate. "Should I make a video?"

Leslie immediately shook her head. "No."

I laughed. "Fine."

I was about to put my phone away when someone approached us — a security officer. My smile disappeared.

He stopped a few feet away. "Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"You've both been asked to come back inside."

Leslie and I looked at each other. "What?" I asked.

"The interviewer would like to see you again."

I stared at him. "Again?"

"Yes."

"But..." I looked at Leslie. She looked just as confused as I felt.

"Did she say why?" Leslie asked.

"No. She only asked me to bring you back inside."

He turned and walked away. We stood there in silence.

"Why are they calling us back?"

"I don't know."

"We just embarrassed ourselves in there."

"I know."

I glanced toward the mansion. "Maybe they changed their minds."

Leslie gave me a look. "About what? Our complete lack of PA experience?"

"I don't know. Maybe they're desperate."

Then my stomach tightened as another possibility occurred to me.

"Leslie..."

"What?"

"The garden."

Leslie's eyes widened. "What about the garden?"

"I may have... wandered."

She stared at me. "Bree."

"And I may have recorded something."

Her mouth fell open. "You recorded?"

"Technically, yes."

"You promised me you wouldn't!"

"I know!"

She glanced toward the security officer, who was already several feet away. "Delete it."

I quickly pulled out my phone. "Maybe I shouldn't...."

"Bree."

"Fine."

I opened my gallery. My thumb hovered over the video. Then I remembered what I'd said in it. My stomach dropped.

"Oh, God."

"What?"

"I insulted the owner."

Leslie stared at me. "You did what?"

"I said he was greedy."

Her eyes widened. "Bree!"

"I didn't know who he was!"

"You are unbelievable."

"I know!"

I quickly locked my phone. "Maybe he didn't see it."

"Maybe?"

"There's a possibility."

"Bree."

"Fine. Probably not."

She grabbed my arm. "Let's just go back inside."

I took a deep breath. "Okay."

We started walking toward the mansion. Halfway there, I stopped.

"Leslie."

"What?"

"Do you think we're about to get fired from a job we never even had?"

She looked at me, then started laughing. I couldn't help it; I joined in the laughter. At this point, there was nothing else we could do. 

We had already come to the wrong interview, accidentally wandered into a billionaire's garden, insulted the owner on camera, and somehow been called back after being dismissed.

Whatever was happening inside that mansion, I had a feeling it was about to get a lot more complicated.