The Employer

Chapter 8

Celeste Peters

"What's a resume?" Laila asks through the silence.

Kristina, Leigh, and Heidi have stopped eating and are staring at me like...I honestly don't know. Their expressions are hard to read. I feel naked under their gazes. I can't believe I said what I said out loud. My shoulders feel somewhat lighter, but my chest now tingles with dread. With the way everyone was inhaling my food, I was sure I was going to win this position. Now, I'll simply be washing my hands, and leaving this gorgeous house, and the job I so desperately need, with my tail between my legs.

"It sounds kind of like ballet. Ms. Celeste, you do ballet too?" Nina asks with excitement.

My heart starts to hurt. Even though I've only known Nina and Laila for about two hours, I already know I'm going to be sad not talking with them again. I shake my head. "No, I wish I could do ballet."

"Nina and I can teach you sometime! It's soooo easy," Laila says before shoveling more pasta into her mouth.

"Which part?" Kristina finally says something and my stomach tightens.

"All of the parts. We can spin really well," Nina says, not realizing that Kristina was talking to me.

I look at Kristina and still can't read a single thing that's going through her mind. "Which part of the resume?" I ask. She nods in response and I sigh. "My education and a couple of restaurants listed there. I don't have a formal culinary degree and I've mostly worked at diners. I was just too desperate for this job. I'm so sorry to have wasted your time. I'll grab my jacket and head out."

Her eyes grow wide and she grabs my hand... in desperation? "Wait!"

Wait? What? My heart is doing some sort of merengue number as I tilt my head back and wait with bated breath for Kristina to continue.

She retreats her hands and nods pensively, like she's toying with her thoughts. "Please don't leave," she finally says.

"Wh-what?" My heart has moved on from merengue to the cha-cha-cha.

"Sweetie, I lied on my resume too," Heidi adds casually before taking a bite out of her pasta.

"Ms. Heidi, I didn't know you do ballet too! But how can you lie down in ballet? I didn't know about that move," Laila adds.

"You what?" I ask Heidi in disbelief.

"I was in the same place you are now four years ago. Well, I didn't lie per say but I definitely embellished way too much," Heidi says and I blink at her to try to process her words.

"What's lembllish, Ms. Heidi?" Laila asks and Heidi whispers something to her while Kristina pulls my attention.

"Listen, Celeste. None of us had the experience before getting these jobs. Leigh is my daughter and she never picked up a broom in her life before she started working for Mr. Nassar. When she couldn't continue her education because of her condition, I needed her close to me."

"I have dyslexia and mild ADHD," Leigh adds.

I smile warmly at her before turning to Kristina. "Wh-what are you saying, Kristina?"

She smiles. "I'm saying, we know what you're going through. We've not had the easiest lives, but they've changed for the better once we all started working for Mr. Nassar. And while your resume was impressive, I wasn't really looking at it. We like going through referrals and I was mostly looking at how you fit in this house with us, and the food you make. Besides, we already tried Señor Fancy School. Mr. Cole was no good."