bonnie bennett (taimi starr) (floatsfeathers) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-10-25 00:57:00 |
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Bonnie had only been home a few days, so she hadn't really gotten aggressive with the job hunting, yet, but she remembered what Audrey had said about stopping by the bakery. She was thinking that some pastries and coffee sounded good, anyway. Maybe she'd drop in on Caroline or one of her other friends with some afterwards. She still had a lot of catching up to do with everyone after being gone for so long. Since she was planning to grab an application and fill it out, she dressed semi-nicely. She had on one of her nicest pairs of jeans and a sort of dressy top. Bonnie was new to this whole job search thing, but hopefully she'd make a good first impression, at least. After parking near the bakery, she made her way inside. She flashed the girl at the counter a friendly smile. "Hi, I'm looking for Audrey Baxter," she said in what she hoped was a professional tone. The young woman behind the register pointed to a corner booth where a very pregnant woman with red hair was sitting, going through some paperwork. Audrey Baxter was wearing a nineteen sixties style dress with a panel open enough for her baby bump to stick through. Her shoes were off, and sitting under the table. Audrey was focused, her pencil between her teeth, as she poured over some paperwork in a binder. At the sound of her name, though, Audrey perked up a little and turned to look. A smile crossed her features. This must be her interview for this afternoon. She lifted a hand to wave the girl over. Bonnie said a quick thank you to the girl at the counter and made her way over to the pretty redhead. Audrey was, indeed, very pregnant and Bonnie forced herself not to stare or say something really impolite. Seriously, the woman looked about ready to pop. "Hi, I'm Bonnie," she said, instead, reaching out her hand for Audrey to shake. Audrey wasn’t due until Christmas, but she felt big as a house already. She’d put on quite a bit of weight during this pregnancy--especially after the morning sickness subsided. She climbed up out of the booth and reached out to shake Bonnie’s hand. “Hi, Bonnie! I’m Audrey.” A bright smile. “Thanks for coming by. Here, I’ve got an application for you.” She slipped into the booth once more and dug through her papers until she found the application, then held it out for Bonnie to take. Bonnie nodded, taking the application. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to fill it out now or bring it back, so she hesitated a moment. "I can fill it now?" She offered, although it came out like a question. She had a pen in her bag and she reached in to pull it out, still wondering if she should take the seat across from Audrey or sit somewhere else while she completed it. Not that it would take long. Bonnie didn't actually have much real work experience. “Sure!” Audrey said, smiling brightly. “Absolutely. I’ll just keep working on this inventory checklist. Let me know when you’re finished, and I’ll have another look.” It was the kind of job that anyone could do, but only a few did it with great enthusiasm. Bonnie seemed like the kind of girl who would be really good at this job. She was friendly and open from the start. Bonnie nodded and after a moment she slid into her own seat and went to work filling out the application. As predicted, it didn’t take her very long to fill it out. She didn’t have any work history, so it was mainly her personal information and availability and then some personal references. Looking at it, Bonnie wondered if she even really had a chance at getting the job, but she figured she would never know if she didn’t go for it. “Okay, I’m done,” she said once she’d looked over the application to make sure she hadn’t made any major goofs. She wasn’t that confident about this interview going well, but she was going to do her best to fake it and hope for the best! Audrey had finished up her own paperwork--it only took a couple of minutes--and was enjoying a nice, warm chamomile tea. She gave Bonnie a smile and set the mug down. “All right, can I take a look?” She asked, and reached forward to accept the papers. It only took a moment for her to glance over it. “You haven’t worked before?” Audrey asked. She had pretty much decided right off the bat that she was going to hire this girl. they needed the help, and Audrey was a champion for people who needed a chance. Bonnie felt grateful that her dark skin didn't betray a blush easily. It made it easier to hide her slight embarrassment at having to admit that she'd never really had a job before. "No, ma'am," she admitted. "My parents wanted me to focus on school last year and I spent most of the summer taking care of my grandmother." It felt like kind of a lame explanation, but it was the absolute truth. Her parents were well off enough that Bonnie didn't need to work for money like some of her friends. They hadn't liked the idea of her working while she was still in high school or of her having a job in New York while she adjusted to her first year of college. She suspected they were only being supportive of her getting one now because she'd need to wait until January to get back to classes, anyway. "I promise I'll work really hard for you, though, and I learn quickly," she added. Everyone had to start somewhere, right? Hopefully this woman would be willing to give her shot. The truth was never lame. Audrey understood familial obligations, and respected the dedication that it took to focus on school. She nodded, listening. "...How's your grandmother?" Audrey asked gently. "I hope she's well. That's kind of you to help her." Audrey turned her eyes back down to the paperwork, breaking into a grin. "I trust you." She couldn't help the fondness that bubbled up within her. "Well, the job's yours, if you want it. There'll be some training sessions, and a trial basis. But I'm eager to get you started." “She’s better, thank you,” Bonnie assured her. She wouldn’t be back here if that wasn’t true. It was a relief, both because she didn’t have to worry about her grams so much and because she’d missed her own home. She was really happy to be back. “Absolutely, I definitely do,” she said in a rush when Audrey said the job was hers. “I missed the start of fall classes at UCI, so my schedule is really flexible right now.” That was a lot of why she’d been looking for a job, actually. She’d go nuts with so much free time, especially with pretty much all of her friends in school. “All right. Just make sure your schedule is up to date here on the availability form,” Audrey pulled another paper out of her stack and held it out to Bonnie. “I’ll make sure to post the schedule in the back. And we’ll get you on a tour as soon as you come back in to get things started. All right? I’ve just got to run the background check, all of that. But we should get you in … in a few days?” Bonnie nodded as she took the form from Audrey. Her availability was pretty open now, since she didn’t have class or anything. She could have started right away, honestly, but a few days wasn’t too bad. It would give her a little more time to catch up with her friends and get settled back in, at least. “That sounds great!” she replied, nodding again. |