me, and gives it a mock-serious examination. “Yes,” he says at last. “I hereby pronounce this to be authentic.” He pushes it back across the desk, then faces me squarely. “So, what can I do for you?” His eyes suddenly light up. “Did you want to take me up on the investment advice? Because—”
“No. Something else.” My stomach is churning hard, but I have to press on. “Something …” I swallow. “A different thing.”
Oh God, come on. Say it.
“Of course. Anything at all. What? Not a chocolate chip muffin, after all?” he adds with another laugh.
“No, not a chocolate chip muffin,” I say, digging my nails into my palm, willing myself to say it. “Not a chocolate chip muffin.” I force myself to look up and meet his gaze. “A job.”
“A job?” I see the shock pass over his face before he can dissemble. “Sorry,” he adds hastily as he notices my expression. “I don’t mean to sound … I just didn’t … A job. Wow. OK.”
As he’s speaking, I can see his brain working. I can see the cogs whirring. I don’t need to point out, “You said ‘anything at all.’ ” He’s pointing it out to himself.
“I know it’s big,” I say quickly. “I mean, it’s really big. But I thought … maybe we can help each other? I overheard you talking in the coffee shop, saying that you couldn’t find the right person to fill a junior position. You need someone dynamic, who’s been in the real world, who doesn’t mind working hard, someone who wants to learn, someone who isn’t the typical graduate … someone different.”
As I’m talking, I can see his expression changing from wary to eager. He leans forward, gazing at me as though for the first time.
“Yes,” he says emphatically, as I come to a finish. “Yes. Yes! And I’m sorry I reacted the way I did—because what am I thinking? You’d be a perfect fit for us! I’ve already seen how you react in a crisis. I’ve seen how quick and forward-thinking you are. You’re bright, you’re positive, you’re honest.…” His gaze flashes toward the vases, then glints teasingly at me. “You clearly have great attention to detail.… Basically I can say, without any further ado, we’d love to have you on the team. We’ll need to talk about pay, of course.…”
My face is growing red. Shit. Shit. I need to stop this.
“Wait!” I cut off his surge of enthusiasm midstream. “No! That isn’t … I’m sorry. I should have … You don’t understand.” I rub my face awkwardly. “Sorry, this is my fault. I thought I’d said …”
“Said what?”
“It’s not for me. The job, I mean.”
“Not for you?” he says blankly. “But—”
“I’m claiming the job on behalf of someone else. A … a friend.” I clear my throat, trying to sound confident. “I’m transferring the debt.”
The light in his eyes has faded away. For a few moments he’s silent—then he says, “But I wanted to repay you, not someone else.”
“It will be repaying me! Honestly it will. I really want to do this person a favor.”
His gaze moves to the cardboard coffee-cup sleeve lying on the desk. Again I can see he’s thinking hard. “Does our agreement allow for transfer?” he says carefully.
“Why not?” I say robustly, because I anticipated he might say this. “Every other kind of debt can be passed on. There’s a market in debt, after all.”
“Maybe there is,” he says wryly. “That’s not necessarily a good thing.”
“Well, anyway. That’s … that’s what I’d like. Please.”
There’s silence. Seb’s eyes have darkened a few shades. He picks up a stapler and starts fiddling with it, as though trying to delay his decision.
“You want me to give a job to a total stranger,” he says at last.
“I’m a total stranger,” I counter. “And you were hiring me a moment ago, weren’t you?”
“You’re not a stranger! At least—” He stops himself mid-flow, as though confused by his own thoughts, and I suddenly wonder if he feels the same way I did in the coffee shop. I heard him talking on the phone and I thought, I get you. Maybe he thinks that about me.
I mean, some people are like that. You instantly relate to them. Whereas others you bash away at for years, but you’ll never understand them, not in a million years. (Uncle Ned.)
“So, who is it?” I can tell Seb’s trying to be positive and fair-minded. “Does she have any investment experience?”
“It’s not a she; it’s a he.”
“Ah.” Seb’s