How to Bake the Perfect Apple Pie Read Free

handshake!
    “Yes…I’m sorry…nice to meet you, Lauren.” Trent nods. I open the door wider and motion with my hand for him to come in. I shut the door and sashay to my desk. My navy pinstriped pencil skirt with my crisp white blouse screams I’m professional. Or at least it did to me this morning when I put it on.
    “So, Trent, I’ve got to make a quick decision as I stated in my IM. Tell me why you should be on my team.” I nod to give him a cue to speak.
    “Right, well as you can see from my résumé I have several years of work experience with top consulting firms and I have been ranking right underneath you in sales, though I’ve only been here for a couple of months.” He grins with a bit of arrogance. I do appreciate his sales numbers, but I am concerned with his resolution tactics. Does he display this type of arrogance to our clients? Some might appreciate it, but others would surely be turned off. I tap on my keyboard to pull up his resolution percentage. Sixty-five percent.
    “Hmm…” I shake my head. “Trent, you do have great sales numbers; this is one of the main reasons you are sitting at my desk, but your resolution percentage is not so hot.” I pause.
    “Yes, I’m at sixty-five percent, but I’m making strides upward. When I began I was at thirty-three percent.”
    I hold up my hand. “Thirty-three percent is horrible.” I pull back my head. I can’t believe this guy is still employed by Calstone Corp. I shake my head and bite my lip.
    Trent nods and links his fingers together. “Correction, it was horrible. I have doubled my resolution percentage in the brief time I’ve been here. I’ve made adjustments and gotten better at reading customers to get them what they want while still achieving my high sales numbers.” Trent lifts one eyebrow up.
    “Trent, that’s great, but I can’t hide my surprise that you’re still employed with those numbers. However, let’s move on.” I glance down at his résumé. “Can you explain the time gap between Zurwaski and Shullman, until now?” I press my lips into two lines.
    “Yes, my mother passed away and I had to take some time off to deal with her estate.” Trent casts his eyes to the floor.
    “I’m sorry to hear that—my deepest condolences.” I readjust his résumé on my desk.
    “Thank you.” Trent stares at me with his dark brown eyes. They are tugging on my heartstrings, but I am a professional.
    “I’ll be in contact. Thanks for coming by so promptly.” I roll my chair back and stand up. Trent towers over me even with the large desk in between us. I offer my hand.
    “Thank you, Lauren.” Trent shakes my hand and leaves my office.
    As I’m closing the door there is a “knock, knock, hello” on the other side. I swing it back open to greet…Hallie Brooks.
    I jerk my head back for a second. “Hello, Hallie.” I wait for her to respond. Next up on my list was Ann Figueroa.
    “Hi Lauren, I hope you don’t mind but I switched times with Ann, because I have a doctor’s appointment during the spot you scheduled me for.”
    “Oh, okay, have a seat.” I motion for her to take a seat and close the door. A doctor’s appointment? I hope she’s alright. I glance down at her résumé. I delete any reservations and take in Hallie’s accomplishments.
    “Wow, you graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown—very impressive. Tell me about one of your most difficult moments during college.” I lace my hands together and tap my lips with my forefingers.
    “A difficult time in college? Each day was a struggle. I came from a small town. A family with no money. Georgetown and the area around it was a culture shock. But I didn’t let it filter into my grades. It only fueled me to try harder.” Hallie juts out her jaw.
    “That’s good to hear, Hallie, and what has been the best part about working here?” I raise an eyebrow at her.
    “The Keurig coffee machine is pretty awesome.” Hallie laughs. “I mean, I like the work