Chapter 4 The Interview

Rose POV

“The Law,” Cayden began speaking, his voice resonating throughout the room. “Is a living thing.”

He paused for a moment for his words to sink in and take hold. And then it was like he was looking directly at me. He didn’t get to say the next part, though.

And I opened my eyes, and found myself laying in my bed in my apartment.

I had been dreaming about Cayden Colbert. I couldn’t exactly help myself. I was nervous as hell. I had never met someone this important before. And I was completely out of my league in even calling his firm.

I hadn’t even started Law School yet. I hadn’t even applied! And here I was, calling one of the best law firms in the country, trying to get them to take me in.

What was I thinking?

But, a little voice answered in the back of my head, they answered you.

It was the truth. As must as I found it almost impossible to believe, it was the solid, hard truth. They had answered me. They had picked up the call, and they had invited me to an interview.

I got out of bed, pushing the covers off me and made my way straight to the kitchen. I flipped a switch on the kettle and waited for it to boil. I got the mug ready and scooped my coffee into it. Once the kettle was done, I poured the hot water over the powder and watched as it became the thing that was akin to life elixir for me.

For a moment, I wondered how Cayden Colbert took his coffee.

I shook my head. That wasn’t something that I would need to be concerned about. But I knew why I was thinking about it.

My interview was with him. And I wanted to make a good impression. It was tough finding a place to work as a new political science graduate. It was even harder when you had no connections. And I didn’t. At least, not on my own.

Every connection that might give me the time of day would be because I was my father’s daughter. And I would rather die than get a job on that merit.

I refused to accept something like that.

But then it meant that I would have to face this world alone. And that was a scary concept.

That was why this interview was so important. I hadn’t gotten anything at the fair. Yes, I got some possible ‘We’ll call you back and let you know,’ but I knew that my chances weren’t great there. And I was losing daylight, and I was losing time with each hour that passed.

I only had enough money to last me a month here. And then I would have nothing again. I needed to make every opportunity last.

I got ready, sipping my coffee all through the morning. I chose my best suit and brushed my hair more times than I cared to admit. Then I called a taxi and headed straight to the building that housed CC Attorneys.

I was filled with nerves, and the best way to quell them was to simply not let them decide anything. I headed straight to the front desk, and greeted the receptionist.

“Hi, Rose Kinkaid,” I told her. “I have a meeting with-”

But she didn’t give me a chance to finish.

“Cayden Colbert,” she said with a sly smile. “The man himself. I have to admit, you’re kind of the talk around her.”

“Oh,” I stuttered, unsure if that was a good thing or bad thing, and really unsure what I had done to deserve that.

She didn’t say anything again, so I glanced around, and noticed something strange.

“Is everyone else already done?” I asked her, glancing around the otherwise empty room. “Am I the last person to be interviewed?”

All the other places I had been to so far had always scheduled more than one all at the same time. These lawyers were busy people, and I couldn’t imagine that Cayden Colbert would be any less busy than any of them.

“Try only,” the woman said to me with a smile. “I’ve been working here for the past six years, and in all that time, you’re the only person that has ever gotten this interview. Well, in time they did, but no one called after the job fair, and certainly no one got their first meeting with the head of the firm.”

I almost couldn’t believe what she was saying to me. But I didn’t have much of a chance to ask anything further. We reached our destination, and she stood aside and gestured to the open door.

“You can wait inside, Miss Kinkaid,” the woman said again. “Mr Colbert will be with you soon.”

I nodded and went inside, taking a deep breath as I crossed the threshold. I was about to sit down, when I noticed that one wall was almost entirely covered in frames, each one of them holding Cayden Colbert’s name.

I focused on the wall for a moment, and only then did I realize what I was looking at.

I stared at the wall of achievements, each with his name on it. He had seven different Master’s Degrees up on the wall. There were two PHDs. I don’t even think my dad had this many. One PHD was in family law, and the other in criminal. I tilted my head a little; it was strange that he had studied so much on such vastly different kinds of law.

After a few moments longer of looking at the wall, I went back down to sit on one of the chairs.

I didn’t know how long I would be waiting, but I honestly didn’t care. I was about to have a meeting with one of the most successful lawyers in the world.

Yeah. I had given in and done a google search last night. I had been far too impressed with the amount of hits that came up to be embarrassed at my own actions.

I saw a little straighter. This was Cayden Colbert. I had the feeling that a first impression was the only chance that I was going to get with this man.

I didn’t wait long, and then I heard the tell-tale sound of footsteps approaching.

“Hello,” a voice behind me greeted, coming into the room. I turned towards it. “I am Cayden C-” The voice died off before he finished his sentence. “Oh, it’s you,” He murmured softly.

I frowned. Did I know him? Had we met somewhere before this? Oh wait! He hadn’t known my name. I was so stupid. I completely forgot that I hadn’t introduced myself at the gate. He was only now seeing I was the same person that he had given his card to.

“Hi,” I greeted, a small smile on my face as I held out my hand to him. “I’m Rose Kinkaid.”

I hated having to say my last name, but I had long ago learnt that if I just said it normally and breezed through it, mostly no one noticed. It was only when I tried to leave it out that it brought more questions than it answered.

“Cayden Colbert,” he said again, clearing his throat. “Miss Kinkaid,” he told me, beginning the interview. “On behalf of CC Attorneys, I would like to personally thank you for taking the time to be here today. And I would like to thank you for listening to me speak at the fair.”

I smiled, though admittedly a little confused. What on earth did he have to thank me for? He was the one that had given me an interview where I hadn’t really earned it.

“Thank you for talking at the fair,” I told him. “And,” I hesitated, but then decided to just go with it. “And thank you for before, too.”

Cayden smiled softly.

“I have to say that I’m impressed with your tenacity,” Cayden said again. “When I first saw you, I thought that you were going to turn tail and run. And now here you are, applying to a company before you’ve even begun Law School. Most people wait until they graduate before they start contacting us. Or at least, they wait until they’re almost there.”

I smiled sheepishly and he made a gesture for me to sit, he sat as well and smiled back.

“I guess that’s me,” I told him, shrugging. “Either running out the door or into the fire.”

“It’s impressive,” Cayden said calmly. “And it’s a good show of character, because that is generally what we do. We deal with difficult situations all the time, its important that we don’t give up, and its important that we’re able to dive head first.”

I nodded, sitting up straighter. It was good to hear that my ability and nature wasn’t a disadvantage here.

“So,” Cayden said again. “This is an interview. And there would be no point to an interview if there was nothing to offer. We have a position open for a legal researcher,” he offered, opening his arms wide across the table. “It's not a lawyer, and that’s not something that I can offer you right now, not until you’ve completed law school and passed the bar.”

I knew that, but I didn’t say anything. Being a lawyer was my dream job, but I was willing to take anything at this point. I needed to be able to stand on my own two feet, and I needed to begin saving for my dream.

I couldn’t depend on my father any longer.

“I am ready to work hard,” I told him firmly. “I am prepared to put the hours in, to prove that I am worthy of working here.”

A proud look crossed his face then.

“I have no doubt that you will,” he said firmly with a nod. “You will be exposed to every area of the law here. I will make sure that you receive all the training and guidance that you need. And when it does come time for you to take the bar exams, you will pass with flying colors.”

I took a deep breath, I couldn’t believe that this was happening. Finally, after all those terrible interviews, after all those terrible people. After dealing with William and every other creep at the fair. Finally, something was going well for me.

“The company,” Cayden continued, “Is very invested in its staff. We are not just brick and mortar, we are living, breathing people. And we are what make up the company. We take care of our employees, because truly, that is the company.”

“You call it a company, why?” I was genuinely intrigued.

He chuckled. “The Law Firm is the biggest part of it, but we are more than that, you will get to see it.”

I almost couldn’t believe it. Was it really possible that a law firm could behave like this, could be run like this? Was it really possible that they could be so willing to help someone just start out their career?

“So,” Cayden said, spreading his arms out wide. “What do you have to say to my offer? Will you work with us?”

There was nothing to think about. I couldn’t walk away from him, I couldn’t walk away from this. There was no way that I was going to find a better opportunity anywhere else, and there was no way that I could let this go.

I had spoken to probably over twenty lawyers yesterday at the fair, and not one of them had had Cayden’s professionalism. Not one of them had offered as much as he was offering now. And not one of them had done it in this way.

He offered help without being condescending, he was professional without being showy. He didn’t over explain, or treat me like a child. He didn’t expect me to just know everything and anything.

“I think,” I told him sincerely. “That it would be pure insanity for me to walk away from this offer now. I would love to work for your firm. When can I begin?”

But even as I spoke, I knew that the excitement was from more than just the work. There was something here, something more. There was an undercurrent that flowed from him.

And I was intrigued. I wanted to know more. About him, and this strange energy that I could feel from him.

It was almost electric.