Flirting with the HR Girl

Chapter 16

Jennifer glanced at the managers' office door that she'd closed and felt the need to explain, "Since we will be looking at candidates' personal information and using their names, it is good policy to close the door, so someone doesn't over here us." She couldn't help herself from smiling back at Austin. What was with this guy? Why was he so nice? Why was he so fun? She just couldn't figure out why someone like him would be working as the menswear retail manager at Peterson's. She knew that made her sound really snarky, but she had never encountered anyone like him in her years of retail experience. Sure, there were charming, good-looking guys but they were normally out for one thing. She didn't get that vibe with Austin. He was something more than just a pretty face.

"Oh, absolutely, the last thing I want is to get in trouble for losing someone's personal information." He easily clicked through the corporate website to where his applications were stored. It made her heart swoon that he was computer literate. It was so nice not to have to pause and say, "Please click here. No, over there. Yes, that's the right spot. Click it again. Now wait for it to load; there you go." She couldn't help but keep grinning at him as he opened the first application.

"I sent you this one because he had retail experience and he is currently still working at another store," she said pointing to the job history. "He also hasn't been job hopping. He's been there for over two years and is probably looking for more growth."

"Wow, two years in the same position over at Swell Sale?" Austin let out a low whistle. "That's dedication."

"Why do you say that? I always thought that Swell Sale was a good place to work." She had always assumed that Peterson's was the worst place to work in retail.

"I used to have a buddy down at my old store who worked at the Swell Sale in the mall, and he said they had to have their sales up to get promoted but in the end, they really took who just kissed the managers ass the most," Austin said this appearing happy to be able to bring some new information to their discussion. "Either this guy is a lousy salesperson, or he's not a butt kisser."

"There is a way to find out which one he is."

"How's that?"

"We call his boss and ask," she said with a straight face.

"Won't that get him fired?" Austin looked horrified.

"Probably," Jennifer said with a chuckle. He looked at her like she was a monster. She wanted to laugh harder but instead explained, "I'm joking."

"Can HR do that?" He laughed, too, and she was relieved that he wasn't offended by her sarcasm.

"No, so don't tell on this HR girl," she said only half kidding.

"Your snarky secret is safe with me," he said with a wink.

"The secret to finding out if he is a terrible salesman or butt kisser is to interview him." She decided to turn the conversation back to work before she flirted back. "Everything else on his application looks great. He still has a job, which means that he's not going to quit willy-nilly on you. Give him a call, have him come in, and see if he can sell you something."

"I can do that?" Austin asked looking unsure if she was joking again. Maybe HR kidding around wasn't such a good idea?

"Of course, you can," she said this time more seriously. "If you're going to hire someone to sell, you want them to sell to you first. A great manager has no problem taking someone out on the sales floor and seeing how they do."

"I've never thought of that," Austin said as he reached for his pen and wrote down the candidate's name and number. He added a few extra words next to it that she couldn't make out, but she hoped it was her wise interviewing advice.

They continued to work together through the eight applications she had sent him, deciding on three candidates to call. Her butterflies had begun to subside, and she was amazed at how comfortable she felt sitting right next to him, working and laughing with him at herself and this whole elaborate process. Short of Selena, she didn't have any real friends in this store. Two years had flown by since leaving her old store and her friend, fellow assistant Annie. After Annie had moved to Chicago to be with her fiancé, she hadn't really connected with anyone besides Selena.

She glanced at the clock. Cynthia would be needing her to fix up the outline soon. She turned to Austin who appeared confident once again and excited to be the new menswear manager.

"Okay, so why don't we call our first candidate: the one we weren't sure if he wasn't good at selling or didn't kiss enough ass," she said pointing to the first person on his list and the phone number next to it.

"Right now?" Austin said, sliding right back into looking flustered again. "You want me to call him right now, in front of you?"

"Yeah," she said, wondering if he would be embarrassed to call in front of anyone or just her.

"Well, I will, I'm just maybe not exactly sure what to say," he said, flipping the pen in his fingers. His hands were long and strong looking. They look like they would feel wonderful holding hers, rubbing her back, or even her feet at the end of a long hard day. "I'm just thinking maybe I should practice in the mirror first or something. Isn't that what they tell people to do when they have stage fright?"

"Honestly, I think looking in the mirror would only make you more nervous." She was unable to stop herself from laughing but, luckily, he did, too. She didn't want him to think she was laughing at him. She had been nervous for her first work phone call. "Why don't I call him, and you can hear what to say?"

"Really? That would be awesome!" He practically threw his phone at her. She heard him exhale as she dialed. It rang twice before it went to voicemail, as she thought it would.

"Hi, Travis, this is Jennifer at Peterson's. We have reviewed your resume and would like you to come in for an interview. We're conducting the interviews this weekend. Please let us know a time that will work for you if you're still interested in the position. I will not be here on the weekend, but the hiring manager is Austin and his number is 555-9797. He looks forward to hearing from you. Thank you and have an outstanding day!"

"Wow!" Austin said shooting out of his chair. "You are awesome!"

"Yeah, well, all I really did was leave a message," she said staying in her chair.

"You made it look so easy! That message sounded so professional."

"He's probably at work since we know he still has a job." She watched him strut around the room. "But he will call you back if he wants a job."

"Oh man, he's going to call me back," Austin said abruptly sitting down in the nearest chair.

"Duh!" The word slipped out before she could stop it. "That's the whole point in leaving a message is so that someone will call you back."

"Yeah, but you won't be here to answer," he said looking absolutely dismayed.

"Well, yeah, because he's your candidate and you're going to hire him, not me," she said standing up and walking towards him. She suddenly had the overwhelming urge to just slip into his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. He sat with his legs open, and she could sit on one knee and snuggle up to him, telling him everything was going to be fine. That he was going to be the best menswear manager west of the Mississippi. Instead, she smiled at him, offering a hand to stand up. "In the meantime, call the other candidates, leave more messages or talk to them to get more confident. I need to get back to Cynthia so you can have the office to yourself."

"You're really gonna leave me here all on my own?" he said but didn't look serious. He still looked more relaxed and confident than he had when he first showed up in Cynthia's office. Studying his list, he took the phone from her. He looked up and said, "I really appreciate all your help, Jennifer. I'd be too embarrassed to tell Todd that I don't know how to do this."

"Austin, don't ever be embarrassed to not know how to do something you haven't done before," she said earnestly and once again had to fight the urge to reach up and touch him. "The only way you can learn is by asking questions or trying something yourself. Either way, you will figure it out and will be awesome at it once you know how to do it."

"Thanks," he said. And she could've sworn he was blushing. His body swayed towards her and hers swayed towards his. Then the door swung open, and Gary marched right in.