Eyes Wide Open Read Online Free PDF Page B

on the arm of the sofa.
    Gary appeared next to her and held out her cup of tea, which she took with a grateful smile. “I take it they haven’t emailed?”
    “Thanks. No, they haven’t. Anyway, never mind that for now. Tell me your news.” If anything would take her mind off her dream role, it was good news from her friend.
    “They will. Just be patient.” He settled down next to her. “So, as you know, once you made my CV the best the world has ever seen, I blasted it out to a bunch of recruitment companies, uploaded it to the various job websites, made some direct applications… Of course, I got a load of the usual form rejections, but I also had a couple of interesting replies.” He grinned, then blew lightly on the surface of the tea before taking a sip. “One turned out to be a bit of a time waster, but the other was an interview offer for this fantastic role in Covent Garden.”
    “That’s awesome. Doing what?” Gary’s degree in film, while a little more specific than hers, still had lots of scope for different career paths.
    “Working in production for a small film company. The money’s not exactly going to make me rich, but it’s better than I’m earning now. And, most importantly, it’s a rung on that all-important career ladder. Even if there’s nowhere for me to progress with the company, I’ll stay for a good while and get as much experience as possible, then hopefully get a promotion somewhere else. Anyway—” He took another gulp of tea. “I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here. It’s an interview, not a guaranteed job offer, but it’s something!”
    “Absolutely. Well done! Before I even applied to Totally Five Star, I figured that an interview was a good thing, even if I don’t get the job. It’s interview experience, and probably like most things, practice makes perfect. So next time I have an interview somewhere, I’ll be better at giving answers, impressing people and so on.” She’d been enjoying her own brew as Gary chattered away, and she took another warming swallow now.
    “You’re talking as though you haven’t got it. You shouldn’t be so defeatist.”
    Shaking her head, Fiona replied, “I’m not. Not at all. I’m staying as neutral as I possibly can. I want it, but I don’t want to get too excited, just in case—”
    The trill of her phone interrupted her mid-sentence. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was a London number. Could it be…?
    She was vaguely aware of Gary relieving her of her mug as she reached for the device. Taking a deep breath and sitting up straight, she swiped the screen to answer.
    “Hello?”
    “Hello. Is that Fiona Gillespie?”
    “Speaking.” She thought she recognized the voice of the person on the end, and her heart began to pound.
    “Oh, hi. This is Sophia Lowrey, from the Totally Five Star.”
    “Hi Sophia—good to hear from you!” She’d meant the words to sound genuine, enthusiastic, but couldn’t help wondering whether they’d come out as too excitable. Didn’t matter, it was too late.
    “Are you okay to talk?”
    “Yes, absolutely.”
    “Fantastic. I’m just calling to let you know that, subject to a trial period, we’d very much like to offer you the role.”
    Her mouth dry, Fiona managed to squeak, “You mean you don’t want me to come for a second interview?” What are you saying, you bloody idiot? Don’t give them the chance to change their minds!
    Sophia seemed nonplussed by Fiona’s reaction. “No. There’s no need. Jane and I agreed you were the standout candidate, and there’s nothing we felt we could learn in a second interview that we can’t learn during a trial period. Am I to take it that you are still interested?”
    “Oh, yes! Most definitely. Thank you!”
    There was a definite hint of amusement in Sophia’s tone as she replied, “That’s good news. I’m glad to hear it. I’ll send you an email with all the pertinent details, which you can go through at your leisure and let it