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it, she remembered what Sophia had said about being herself. “I did. I was flicking through a newspaper that was a few days old and came across the advert. As soon as I saw it, I was really interested in the role, and it wasn’t until I’d read through the information a couple of times that I realized that the closing date for applications was the previous day. I was disappointed, but decided to apply anyway, just on the off-chance you might call me in. I’m really glad I did.”
    Now both women smiled, and Fiona, feeling more confident, smiled right back.
    “So,” Sophia said, apparently taking the lead now, “why were you interested in this position?”
    No sense in being anything but honest, here. “Well, I did my degree in creative writing, but didn’t have a definite idea of what I wanted to do, career-wise. I moved to London a few months ago, as this is where most of the opportunities seem to be. Up until now, though, despite scouring websites, newspapers and magazines, I haven’t seen anything that really called out to me. I just didn’t know what I was looking for. But when I spotted the line in your ad about looking for someone with creative writing skills, my interest was definitely piqued. Then, when I got online and researched Totally Five Star, I was totally enthused. It seems like an excellent hotel and chain to work for, and I’m very interested in the fact that there are career advancement opportunities.”
    She took a breath, then decided to pause her racing brain and mouth by having a quick drink. After a couple of sips of water, she continued, “Honestly, I don’t know an awful lot about PR, but I do have the creative writing skills you’re looking for, and I’m very keen to learn. I’m also incredibly interested in having a career, rather than just a job. And now I’m going to be quiet, because I’m waffling.” Heat infused her face, and she took another big gulp of water, before flashing a sheepish smile at her interviewers.
    Sophia’s eyebrows were raised, but more in a surprised manner than a displeased one. She cleared her throat. “Not at all, Fiona. May I call you Fiona?”
    Fiona nodded, and Sophia continued, “I asked you to be yourself, and you are. We appreciate that, particularly since your enthusiasm shines through so plainly. Your honesty is great, too. Now, let me tell you a little more about the company and your potential role within it.”
     
    * * * *
     
    By the time the interview was over, Fiona was wallowing in a bundle of different emotions—relief, excitement, worry, anticipation, hope…
    She’d given many answers to Sophia and Jane’s questions that she felt had been received favorably, but she also suspected that she hadn’t ticked all of their boxes. Her lack of experience let her down, but there was nothing she could do about that. Plus, they’d known she’d had no experience before they’d even called her in for an interview, so maybe it wasn’t that much of an issue to them? She would just have to wait to find out.
    First, before she was kicked out of the lap of luxury and had to head back to the relative squalor of home, Sophia had promised to give her a tour of the building.
    After gathering up her things, shaking hands with Jane and thanking her for her time, Fiona followed Sophia back into the rabbit warren. She hoped it wouldn’t be her last time passing through these corridors.
    “Ready?” Sophia said, smiling. “I’ll have to stick with the highlights, I’m afraid, otherwise this tour could take hours, maybe days.”
    “Of course. I appreciate you taking the time, I know you’re very busy.”
    Waving a dismissive hand, the woman replied, “It’s not a problem. As I said, you were the last interviewee of the day, and I’d already cleared my to-do list anyway. If anything urgent comes up, Becky—the department’s PA—will just phone my mobile.”
    “Fair enough.” Bloody hell—the department has its own PA?
    “Okay, let’s