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"How are you?" she asked, trying to distract herself fro hair loose today, and she tucked a dark brown tendril behind her ear as she looked down at her leather portfolio on Stella’s desk "Michael is not fine"

Stella’s chest tightened, and the skin on her face prickled "Oh no, why? What happened? Is yourcalestures with her hands "Well, she’s upset with Michael She wants hi to the shop, but he won’t On top of that, he’s been intolerably grouchy lately, and he’s working nonstop It’s like he’s possessed We’re all worried and annoyed"

"I don’t--I don’t understand why he should be unhappy" He couldn’t possibly be unhappy for the same reason she was Hopelessnessher want to tear her shirt off and scream

"It’s you He misses you"

She shook her head That was i her deepest desire said out loud filled her with bitterness that verged on anger "How about we get this interview started?" She gathered up the case study documents she’d prepared and handed the at them, Janie set the papers on top of her portfolio "Why did you two break up?"

Because they’d never really been together to start with Because she’d only ever been a charity case to hih her file drawer as her eyes glassed over After several precarious er of tears passed She sed, cleared her throat, and said, "That’s not relevant for this interview I’ll give you five minutes to read the case study and then we can talk about it"

"I think you two need to talk"

"We had a lengthy talk" One Stella didn’t want to go through again If she heard hiain, she’d lose it

"Well," Janie said "Being apart clearly isn’t working for either of you You need to talk again"

Stella rubbed her teht a concentrated whiff of the perfume she’d sprayed on her wrist, and felt her lunch crawl up her throat She yanked her hand away froh her mouth "I can’t"

"Coive him another chance He’s crazy about you"

"It wasn’t Michael who screwed up It washerself

"I have a hard ti that Michael is really bad at relationships He has issues"

That gave Stella pause She was the one with the issues Wasn’t she? "What kind of issues?"

"Are you kidding me? He hasn’t told you this stuff?" Janie looked up at the ceiling,to herself before she said, "My dadschools he got into He said Michael would a, said he’d be poor and he’d have to earn a living off his pretty face because he was good for nothing else He cut Michael off and ree himself Michael is super talented, and he acts confident But you’re the first girl he’s dated who is actually good enough for him"

After Stella absorbed that information and set it aside for later consideration, she forced her lips into a s to say I appreciate it"

"Oh uys arehere was an entire flop, then I’ll head out" Janie prepared to get up

"You don’t want to interview?"

Janie tucked her hair behind her ear again "Isn’t it nepotism since we know each other?"

Stella s with six of us, and the decision to hire you has to be unani fairness Also, even if we don’t hire you, I think you’ll learn so process There are some really brilliant people here Take soht" Janie hunkered down over the papers, reading with an intent expression that reressed, Janie nailed question after question, even displaying unique, out-of-the-box thinking that would aid her in the future Though she’d stu her freshround running