Eyes Wide Open Read online

  The older woman smiled again, then held out her arm to indicate that Fiona should walk with her. “Please, come with me. And don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Just be yourself. That’s all we ask.”

  Even if ’myself’ is a penniless graduate with no experience whatsoever in PR? You’d be better off sticking me behind the bar. Though, even there I’d be no good—not much call for champagne and cocktails at The Royal Oak, but I pull a mean pint.

  Instead, she smiled back, picked up her bag and followed Sophia out of the lobby, past the elevators and through a discreet door tucked into the far corner of the space. Once through the door, Fiona could immediately see why someone came to fetch the interviewees—giving directions to someone who’d never set foot in the building before would be a recipe for disaster. It was like a labyrinth—albeit an incredibly clean, stylish one.

  That really showed what standards the Totally Five Star strove for. Even the areas not open to the public were awe-inspiring. As she was half a pace behind Sophia, Fiona allowed herself to drink in the lavishness around her—the beautiful paintings, stunning sculptures, lovely paintings, the fact that the carpet was so deep it felt a little like quicksand. The glimpses she caught out of a couple of windows they passed were impressive, too. It seemed that there was a central courtyard nestled amongst the stately walls, and it housed a gorgeous haven of greenery.

  As if sensing her curiosity, Sophia said over her shoulder, “Once your interview’s concluded, Ms. Gillespie, I’ll give you a tour of the building. You’re the last person we’re seeing today, so I can take you myself.”

  “Wow, that would be wonderful. Thank you. This place is beautiful.” She meant every word, but also couldn’t help thinking it was a little cruel to show each applicant around the place, knowing that only one of them would get the job. It was a bit like look at what you could have won.

  But, on the other hand, for the person that was lucky enough to land the position, every glimpse would be worth its weight in gold, because she was sure whoever it was would spend their first day—probably their first week, actually—getting lost. She’d been paying attention to where they’d been going, and yet she found herself hoping that she’d be escorted back to the lobby when she was done. Otherwise, she’d still be wandering these corridors days later, trying to find her way out.

  After what felt like a couple of miles, Sophia stopped at a door marked ’PR & Marketing Suite’.

  Bloody hell, even the behind-the-scenes places have posh names. Suite? Not department, but suite!

  “Okay,” Sophia said, resting her hand on the door handle and half-turning to Fiona, “we’re here. Just remember what I said. Be yourself. And please try to relax. Neither of us bites.”

  With a shy smile, Fiona nodded. “I will. Thanks.”

  They passed through the doorway into a reception-type area, where a girl around her age sat behind a desk, clicking away on her keyboard. Sophia nodded politely to her, then led Fiona through another door into a huge open-plan office, with a handful of diligent staff working away on their various tasks. In one corner was a private office with glass walls.

  Okay, kiddo. This is it. Knock ’em dead!

  Chapter Four

  Sophia entered the office without knocking, Fiona following close behind.

  “Please take a seat, Ms. Gillespie. Can I get you a drink of anything before we start?” Sophia said.

  “N—no, I’m fine. Thanks.” As Sophia closed the door, Fiona moved to take a seat, smiling and nodding at the woman on the opposite side of the table—Jane Cresswell, she presumed. “Hello.”

  “Hello, Ms. Gillespie. Thank you so much for coming along.”

  “Thank you for asking me.”

  By now, Sophia had taken a seat, too. As the two women looked at notes and paperwork in front of them, Fiona got her water from her bag, as well as her notebook and pen. Placing the items on the table, she waited for the two women to begin the interview.

  Glancing up, Jane said, “Okay, I think we’re ready to start. Thank you again for coming, Ms. Gillespie. You’ve already met Sophia, obviously. I’m Jane Cresswell from Human Resources. Sophia is the PR Manager and would be your line manager, should you be successful.”

  Fiona smiled. “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m very grateful for this opportunity, particularly since I sent my application in after the closing date.”

  “Yes…” Jane peered down at her notes, then back up with a smile. “You didn’t see the advert until it was already too late, correct? But you applied anyway.”

  Making a huge effort not to pick up the pen and start fidgeting with 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.”

&nb
sp; “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 go.” She began walking down the corridor, pointing out offices as she passed. “As you’ve probably already worked out, this is where most of the offices are—PR & Marketing—the departments work very closely together, which is why we share the space—HR, Accounting, Security, Quality Assurance, Dining, Entertainment… The spa offices aren’t here, though, and nor is Mr. Conroy’s office. He’s got a space up on the top floor, and the spa is managed from a suite adjacent to the private facilities.”

  “Ah yes, you mentioned spas, plural, earlier.”

  “I did. That’s because, although we’re a very exclusive hotel, we do also offer some facilities to non-guests. Namely one of the spas—which you’ll have seen the entrance to in the lobby—and one of the restaurants, also just off the lobby. Other than those two areas, though, everything else is reserved for those staying with us—and for discretionary staff use. It means we get to offer the best of both worlds—a taster for those who perhaps don’t have the time or opportunity to stay with us, but also keeping our residents happy by having areas open only to them.”

  “Makes sense. So, what would you say are the highlights, then? To me, it’s all pretty spectacular.”

  Flashing Fiona a smile, Sophia said, “I know what you mean. I’ve been here since the hotel opened, and although I’m used to it, I’m not blasé about it. I came from another five-star hotel in London to work here, and this place still impressed me. It continues to do so. I’m probably biased, but Totally Five Star hotels really are a cut above, and we don’t rest on our laurels, either. There are always surveys and inspections going on to see if there’s anything we could be doing better or something new we could introduce.” She let out a laugh. “Now who’s waffling? Anyway, to answer your question, the highlights—or at least, the ones I’m allowed to show you—are the residents-only spa, one of the top floor suites, the ballroom, the roof garden and the library.”

  “The library?”

  Sophia smirked. “Yes. If you like books and libraries, then you’re going to love it. I think I’ll save it until last.”

  “I look forward to it.”

  By now, they’d left the various office suites behind and had moved back into customer-facing areas. Sophia smiled politely at any patrons or any members of staff they passed, and Fiona followed suit, all the while drinking in the sights and sounds. By the time they’d reached their first destination, Fiona had counted at least six famous people, and common sense told her that just because she didn’t recognize anyone else, didn’t mean they weren’t important. The place was probably packed to the rafters with businesspeople, politicians, dignitaries, members of royal families and anyone else with serious means. She was way more likely to get the opportunity to chat up Prince Harry here than she was at The Royal Oak.

  “Okay, here’s the ballroom.” Sophia had stopped at a set of grand wooden doors with ornate handles. She pushed one door and gestured Fiona in ahead of her, then followed.

  Fiona was silent for several moments. She really should have learned already, but it seemed she hadn’t—yes, she’d been expecting impressive, but this went beyond that. She’d long since lost track of whereabouts they were in the building, so she didn’t bother to try to work it out. The ballroom was huge—of course—and very light and airy. The height of the room went up several stories, and a glass dome in the center of the ceiling let in much of the light. Two sides of the room were glass walls, which afforded views of more gardens. The other two walls were cream and a very deep red, and the floor was marble. It looked like something out of a stately home.

  “Wow,” she eventually said.

  Sophia laughed. “Yes, that’s the reaction most people have when they come in here, guests and staff alike. This is where we hold the really exclusive events—celebrity weddings, charity balls, banquets and the like. We have lots of other function rooms tailored for different types of event, but this is the jewel in our crown.”

  “I can certainly see why. It’s beautiful. I’m honored to even be standing here!”

  “Just part of the tour. Ready to see the spa?”

  “Can I just have another moment, please?”

  Nodding, Sophia waited patiently while Fiona tip-tapped over to the nearest window, peering out to the gardens beyond. It wasn’t a huge area, but then she hadn’t expected it to be. They were in the middle of London, after all. Space was at a premium.

  What they did have, she quickly realized, they’d made the most of. Tall trees lined the garden, ensuring complete privacy, and giving the impression of being a secluded haven in the middle of nowhere. The rest of the garden was kept pretty simple. The borders were filled with riots of colorful flowers and bushes, and the middle had a large, neat lawn, with a gorgeous fountain off to one side. Perfect, Fiona thought, for pitching marquees out there, and the fountain was a great backdrop for photos.

  Smiling, she tore her gaze away from the pretty garden and walked back over to Sophia. “Okay, take me away before I sit down on the floor and refuse to leave. I’m in love!”

  Chuckling, the woman replied, “You think you’re in love now? You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  Chapter Five

  Several days passed and Fiona could do little but think about her interview at the Totally Five Star. She’d been impressed with the hotel, the role and Jane and Sophia, but had they been impressed with her? They’d promised to be in touch by early the following week, so all she could do, once again, was wait.

  In the meantime, good news had come to another in the flat.

  “Guess what, Fiona?” Gary said as she walked in from a lunchtime shift at the pub.

  “Judging by the huge grin on your face and the fact that your eyes look like they’re going to pop out of your head, I’m guessing it’s something good?”

  “Yep. Thanks to you, I’ve got an interview!”

  She was feeling drained from the lackluster time spent at work, but her excitement for her friend was genuine. “Oh, cool! Where? When?”

  “Sit yourself down and I’ll make some tea and tell you all about it.”

  “That sounds like the sort of thing an old granny would say.”

  Gary shrugged as he skipped over to switch on the kettle. “I don’t care. I only just found out. I’m really excited and you were the first one to walk through the door. Plus, it’s down to your magic touch on my CV that I’ve even got the interview at all, so I wanted you to be the first to know.”

  Smiling, Fiona flopped down onto the sofa. “I’m glad I could help out. And even gladder—I think I just made up a word there—that you’ve now got an interview. Things are looking up in this household, aren’t they?”

  “Seem to be. I take it you haven’t heard from Totally Five Star yet?” He looked over from where he was making the tea to gauge her response.

  With a wry smile, she replied, “What do you think? If I had, you’d have known within minutes of me putting the phone down on them—or reading the email. Oh!” She couldn’t believe the thought hadn’t occurred to her before. They’d said they’d be in touch, but hadn’t specified how, so for some reason, she’d assumed it would be a phone call. But email was just as likely.

  Delving into her handbag, she drew out her phone and opened the email app. She waited impatiently as it downloaded her messages, scanning the sender and subject line of each as it appeared on the screen. Junk, junk, job alert, online shopping, junk, job alert… When the emails had all appeared, she sighed and began deleting them all.

  “Bloody nothing,” she muttered, stabbing at the phone’s touch screen way harder
than necessary. “Fuck’s sake.” She glared at the device, then put it down 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.