Perfectly Reasonable Read Online Free PDF Page A

when she found her voice. “We’re looking for skills you can write on your resume.”
    “I know CPR. I’ve even used it once.”
    “Wow.”
    “Yes. Resuscitating a dog.”
    She raised her eyebrows at him.
    “What? It was a tense situation,” he said.
    “I’m sure it was, but you’ll need a little more. What else have you got?”
    “Let me get my application.” He disappeared down the hall, and when he returned carrying his laptop, he had changed into jeans and a long-sleeved navy sweater. She tried not to stare at his very fine ass. The sweater hugged his broad shoulders and made his eyes look bluer. And what was it about a guy in bare feet that she found so sexy?
    He set his laptop on the counter and opened it. “Okay, let’s see. Small animal rescue,” he read and looked over hopefully.
    “That’s good. Be better if you were applying to be a veterinarian, but still, it shows compassion. What did you do?”
    He rubbed his chin. “I, ah, mostly scooped chipmunks and mice out of our pool.”
    “Eww.”
    “I know. They’re not very good swimmers.”
    Margo shook her head. “What else?”
    “I worked as a volunteer firefighter.”
    “That’s impressive.” She looked over. “For people, right?”
    “Technically, yes. Although we lived quite far from the fire station, so by the time I got there, the pumper truck had usually left.”
    “Did you join them?”
    He looked sheepish. “It wasn’t usually necessary. But I always helped with the post-call maintenance – cleaning the truck, putting away the hoses – that kind of thing.”
    “What else?”
    “I volunteered at the hospital.”
    “Excellent. Shows that you’ve tried to understand what medicine is all about. What did you do there?”
    “Mostly worked in the gift shop.” He shrugged. “They needed some muscle to organize their stock.”
    “Any patient interaction at all?”
    “Not unless they came in to buy something.”
    She grimaced.
    “Last year, I organized and led a group called the Venn Diagrams at school.”
    She was afraid to ask.
    “They were trying to remove the vending machine from the graduate student lounge, and we successfully petitioned against it. I’m happy to say our access to Coke and Crunchie bars went uninterrupted.”
    She groaned. “Trace, that’s terrible.”
    “What? Leadership skills,” he pointed out.
    “For a cause against good health. You’re aiming to be a health promoter.”
    “The grad students were very happy. Whatever happened to ‘everything in moderation is okay?’”
    “Sure, if there’s a balance. Did you fight for anything healthy? Fruit in the lobby? Children’s breakfast programs?”
    “Seriously? No.” He threw his hands in the air. “Coke in the lounge was our one and only cause.” He sighed impatiently and closed his laptop with a snap. “That’s it. That’s all I’ve got.”
    She waved the paintbrush at him. “You have some serious volunteering to do in the next four weeks.”
    “Should I book a trip to a third world country?” he said with a wince.
    “Some people do.” She grabbed a rag and dabbed at the paint on her hand. “But there are plenty of places here in Rivermede that could use your help.”
    “I wouldn’t even know where to begin. And why exactly am I doing this?”
    “Because you need to show that you’re a people person. That you can interact and work with others, for starters. And that you can show compassion and be empathetic.”
    “Doesn’t sound like me.”
    She smiled. “You can learn. You’ve got four weeks. Luckily you’re bright and . . .” She raised an eyebrow at him. “. . . motivated?”
    “Yeah. Yeah. Caring and compassionate. That’s what I aspire to be,” he said dryly. “So what do I do?”
    “Pick something you enjoy. If you’re going to volunteer, you should be enthusiastic about it.”
    “Like what? What did you do?”
    “A few things. I donated a couple of my paintings to a charity, and they auctioned them off