2. Emma

Emma Williams was nervous. Of course she was nervous. This opportunity seemed almost too good to be true.

She had heard all about Sterling Enterprises—most everyone in the business world had. Emma had been impressed when she'd read that article about employee satisfaction at the company. It sounded like working there would be a dream, and she was quick to put in her application when they had an opening.

She hadn't really expected to land an interview. Her hometown was a small place that no one around here seemed to have heard of. Sure, she had great references, but those were from smaller companies, nothing like the huge corporations of New York.

Emma really wanted this job. She needed this new start. She was ready.

"Mom, I don't want to go."

"Lily, we have to go. I have to speak to these people about a job."

"But I won't know anyone there!"

"I'm sure you'll make friends quickly," Emma soothed. "Besides, it'll only be for an hour or so. I'll take you out for ice cream afterward, okay?"

Lily brightened at the thought of ice cream. "Okay. But I want a big one."

"One big ice cream, coming up."

Emma had been giving Lily more treats than she usually did lately. She mostly had Lily eating healthily with one or two treats a week, but moving states was always going to be hard, especially when you were eight and worried about fitting in with your peers.

A little extra ice cream to help smooth the transition wasn't going to kill her. They would get back into a rhythm soon enough.

When Emma had mentioned to the lady who called her about her application—Jane, she remembered—that she would need to find a babysitter for Lily while she was at the interview, Jane had offered to let Lily hang out at the daycare while Emma was busy.

It was summer, and there would be plenty of other kids around Lily's age for her to talk to. Once school started, the daycare would be mostly infants and toddlers who were too young to go to school yet, but Emma had already enrolled Lily in a school just a few blocks away from their new apartment.

This place really did sound like a dream. Emma was worried that it was too good to be true, but if that was the case, she would find out soon enough.

She dropped Lily off at the daycare first, hovering long enough to watch a kind-looking woman welcome Lily and set her up with some toys. A girl about Lily's age approached her with a doll and asked if she would like to play dolls.

Lily responded enthusiastically and she soon seemed to forget all about Emma. Lily had always loved dolls and even since she was getting older, her interest hadn't waned. If she got hired here, Emma would try to find out the other girl's name and see if she could arrange a play date.

She was directed to the sparkling reception area of Sterling Enterprises. The woman at the desk stood up when she saw Emma.

"Emma Williams, right? I'm Jane Marley."

"Hi, Jane. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks." She looked good. All of the employees did, actually. Emma didn't see any signs of weariness or boredom, at least from the brief look she got. Maybe she could talk to some of the staff on the way out and find out if the article was true.

"Right this way. Ms. Sterling is expecting you."

Jane led Emma to the door of Vivian's office, knocking once before sticking her head in. "Emma Williams to see you, Vivian."

"Thank you, Jane. Please send her in."

Emma swallowed her nerves, trying to put on her best confident smile.

She missed a step as she caught sight of Vivian Sterling, though thankfully managed to right herself before she did anything more than stumble slightly.

Emma knew Vivian Sterling by reputation, but she hadn't realized how beautiful Vivian would be. Her greying hair was cropped short, a look that suited her and emphasized her dark eyes and thin face. Her gaze was sharp and Emma felt it scanning her body.

"Welcome, Emma. Please, sit down."

Emma's nerves went skyrocketing. Though Vivian was smiling, it didn't reach her eyes, and her voice was polite but cool.

Had Emma done something to piss her off already? How could she have—she'd only just walked into the room.

"Thank you." Emma glanced subtly down at herself. She was dressed in her best navy blue pant suit and she knew she looked professional and it brought out the color of her eyes. She knew from her careful examination in the mirror before she left home that her hair and makeup were impeccable. She was ten minutes early for the interview. What else could have caused this attitude from Vivian Sterling?

"Well, I've looked at your application, and I must say, I'm impressed. Your previous employers are all very happy with you. Why did you choose to leave a job where you were so well-liked?" She didn't look impressed.

"I needed a fresh start," Emma told her honestly. "I've always wanted to move to New York, and it was time."

"I see." Vivian seemed to be waiting, as though she knew there was more to the story. Emma didn't often talk about this, but it didn't hurt like it used to, causing more fondness at the happy memories than pain.

"My wife died six years ago. We were planning to move, but then she got sick. Afterward, I stayed to have the support of family and friends. But I'm stronger, now. I want to follow my dreams, even if Alison can't follow them with me. I'm going to make her proud."

Something in Vivian's cold expression softened. "I understand. I see on your application that you have a daughter?"

"Yes, Lily—she's in the daycare now. Jane was kind enough to offer her a place there while I'm talking with you."

"I'm glad she did. I'm not a parent, but I understand the hardships of balancing parenthood and one's professional life. How do you manage as a single mother?"

"Well, it was easier at home. My parents are retired, and they often looked after her for me when she wasn't in school. Now that we've moved, I'm going to investigate some good daycares for when she's not in school."

"What about your professional life? What are your strengths and weaknesses?"

"I'd say my main strength is my organizational skills. I've always been good at putting chaos together in neat little boxes. I guess my biggest weakness is that I'm a slow learner. I can learn, but I have to put twice the time into it that everyone else does."

Emma hoped that admitting this wouldn't hurt her chances but being dishonest wouldn't help her case. If she was upfront about her abilities and challenges, it would make the transition of working with a new employer smoother and much more likely to succeed long term.

Vivian kept questioning her for nearly an hour. Emma was surprised by the direction the interview took. Vivian seemed less interested in her skills than her personality and work values. Emma answered everything honestly until Vivian ran out of questions.

"What about you, Emma? Do you have any questions for me, should your application be successful?"

"Yes." Emma had been expecting this question and was prepared. "What is the culture like here? What are the people like? I want to fit in, and I don't want to step on anyone's toes simply because I don't know the ins and outs."

"We're fairly straightforward here. I encourage employees to bring problems to me before they become unmanageable. Most people here get along just fine, and those who don't really like each other still manage to maintain a professional relationship. I try to foster an environment that is both productive and business-focused, while not forgetting that everyone here is human and has their own life with their own needs."

This was really sounding too good to be true. "What would you say the greatest downside of working here is?"

Vivian thought about it for a moment before answering. "Well, there are couple of things that my employees don't like. Firstly, I have a strict no-dating-within-the-workplace rule. I know it's onerous, but I can't have that kind of drama in my business.

"Also, you will be asked to work overtime during very busy periods. You will be well-compensated for it, but I understand that especially for those people with young children, it can be a hardship. I do run the daycare late during times when we're all working long hours, but it's still not the same as being at home with your child."

Emma could work with that. She had often had to work long hours at her old job. Lily didn't mind those days so much, because she got to stay up late and watch TV.

"I can live with that. I'm used to working long hours, and I understand about not dating in the workplace. My old job didn't have that policy, and there were a few nasty incidents. I'm not looking to date, anyway. Looking after Lily is my sole personal focus."

"That's good to hear. Right, I think that's just about everything. I really like your application, more than any of the other candidates I've interviewed, but before we go ahead with anything more, you should meet the rest of the team. I'll want all of their feedback before making a final decision on hiring."

"That's an unusual way to go about it."

"I want to make sure that the new person fits in. That's one of the most important factors here. We all need to be able to work together as a team. That and a good strong work ethic are things that any new employee needs to come with. Everything else can be taught."

"You may have to be patient with me. Like I said, I'm a slow learner."

"I can be patient. There's nothing wrong with taking things slow. Now, are you ready to meet the others?"

"Of course. I would love to."

Emma was surprised when, after introducing her to everyone, Vivian left them alone to talk and mingle. It gave her the chance to talk freely to the other employees, without their boss watching over them.

"So, what's it like here? Really?" Emma asked the friendly accounts lady—Ruth, she thought she remembered her name was.

"Oh, it's amazing; I love working here. The salaries are really competitive and the benefits are great. But that's all on paper. What isn't written down is that the environment here is better than anything I've ever worked in before."

"Vivian makes her choices carefully," Jane added. "That's why you're here talking to us. She wants everyone here to get along and be happy, and she's not afraid to put her money where her mouth is."

"She really isn't." Nathan was the head of PR, if Emma was remembering correctly from the introductions. "My house burned down a couple of years ago in a freak fire. Vivian personally paid for me to stay in a hotel near work the entire time it was being rebuilt and even offered me trauma counseling, which helped a lot."

"It just seems too good to be true. There have to be some disadvantages of working here."

"Well, Vivian expects a lot of us. She gives us all the support and understanding we need, but in return, she requires our best effort. We're expected to work hard and put in our all. It's exhausting some days but satisfying at the same time."

A couple of people nodded in agreement to Jane's words.

"What about you, Emma? I see on your application that you moved here from a small town. Why such a big change?"

Emma explained her reasoning, and quickly became involved in a long discussion with Nathan. It seemed that it was Nathan's daughter who was playing with Lily right now. Nathan seemed lovely, and Emma would feel totally comfortable sending Lily over to his place to play with Miriam, if that's what Lily wanted.

Lunchtime came, and Jane invited Emma to come down to the cafeteria with them. Vivian didn't join them for lunch.

"Oh, she always eats in her office," Jane explained.

"I don't think she likes me much," Emma admitted. "She seemed… I don't know. Cold."

Ruth shook her head. "Don't let that bother you. She's like that with everyone. Vivian doesn't really like anyone. We call her the Ice Queen—ice around her heart, you know."

"Doesn't sound like the best kind of person to work for."

"No, don't let her attitude put you off. Vivian doesn't do personal connections, but she knows how to be a good boss—a really good one—one who shows consideration and understanding for her employees' struggles. I don't know if she does that because deep down she does care or simply because she knows that's how to ensure her business does well, but either way, the results are the same."

Emma wondered about that. Could anyone really want to distance themselves from all personal relationships, even something as simple as comradery between colleagues?

"Did something happen to her?"

"Not that any of us know about. I mean, some of us have theories, but those are just thoughts without any real evidence." Jane shrugged. "Who knows why she wants to be so removed from everyone else? It certainly doesn't interfere with her work, and none of us really has the right to comment on her personal life."

Emma supposed that was true enough, but she was still intrigued. She couldn't believe that anyone really wanted to isolate themselves to that extent. There had to be a reason. She imagined how lonely life for Vivian must be, denying herself even the most basic of human connections.

If she was hired here, Emma resolved to make it her mission to melt that ice around Vivian's heart.