Her first stop was the front office, where she was given a visitor’s badge and was introduced to a red-haired teenage girl with a smile full of braces. The memories from high school were battering Chloe’s brain. Was there anything worse than braces, really?
“Hi, I’m Kendall,” the girl said in a nervous voice, holding out her hand. She stood straight and proud as the secretary explained to Chloe that the brightest and most well-behaved students were handpicked to be guides for the visiting professionals. Kendall wore a pair of khakis, a button-down shirt, and clunky dress shoes. Some of it was ill-fitting and Chloe’s heart cracked a little. When she was younger, she used to wish she had a younger brother or sister to dote on. So she had a soft spot in her heart for kids, especially girls. She smiled and shook the girl’s hand. “Hello, Kendall, I’m Chloe Talley.”
Kendall brightened further. “I’m going to lead you to the gymnasium, where the career fair will be held. Would you like any coffee or water?” she gestured to a table behind her, which held refreshments.
“Just a bottle of water is fine,” Chloe said.
Kendall seemed to be thrilled that she could provide one.
Chloe followed the teenager out of the office while Kendall chattered on about what the school mascot was (a wildcat), what sports they excelled at (swimming, diving, and girls’ soccer until the star forward tore her ACL). Classes for the day had started fifteen minutes ago, so the hallway was quiet except for a couple of other professionals led by teenagers.
The gymnasium was large, the bleachers rolled back against the wall, the floor dotted with dozens of tables. Some mentors were already seated, and Chloe nodded to those she passed as Kendall led her to a table. And there was her name, in thick black letters on a tented piece of paper—Chloe Talley, Software Analyst.
She ran her finger along the edge, while Kendall explained that the room was sectioned into fields of study. Chloe was among the STEM professionals and it didn’t surprise her that the tables in her area were occupied by men. All except her.
That made her chest fill a little with pride, an unfamiliar feeling she hadn’t had since…well maybe since she’d graduated summa cum laude from her university. Back then she’d been in classes with mostly men. Being the lone vagina in a room wasn’t foreign to her, and she’d learned to prove her worth by keeping her head down and working hard.
It was amazing how graduating at the head of her major shut the mouths of her misogynistic peers.
“I need to head back to the office, is there anything else I can do for you, Miss Talley?” Kendall asked.
Chloe shook her head. “No, but thank you very much. You’ve been a wonderful host.”
Kendall beamed and when she walked away, Chloe noticed it was with her head back, shoulders straight.
Chloe sat down and pulled the paperwork out of her bag that the school had sent ahead of time. There was a list of questions the students had been prepped on that she was to ask, and the rest she was to improvise. Hating to be unprepared, Chloe had made notes all over the page, changing the words of some questions and adding many of her own that she didn’t want to forget to ask.
She’d have fifteen minutes with six students to discuss her field. Those students had been given a list of the occupations of the professionals coming, and they’d chosen who they wanted to meet. Today’s career fair was for the freshman and sophomores.
A bell rang, signaling the end of classes, and Chloe knew that meant the students would be here soon. She was nervous as hell, and hoped she managed to do something to help these kids today.
She opened her water and took a sip, then checked her phone. Ethan had texted, Good Luck.
You owe me, she texted back.
Always, he answered.
She frowned, wondering what that meant, but then the doors to the gym were opened and students began to line up behind teachers with clipboards.
The first three students were boys. One seemed genuinely interested. He bobbed his head enthusiastically when he talked, so his glasses slipped down his nose, causing him to adorably shove them back up. One seemed bored as hell and she got the impression he was being forced to consider this career because of his parents, and the other was painfully shy, talking in a voice so quiet, she had