Author's Note: Folks if you go to YouTube and type in 'She's Royal' by Tarrus Riley you will see the official video for the song Terry has as his cell ring tone for his wife. I too have that particular song as my cell ring tone as it is beautiful to me.

Chapter 4 : The Interview

The next morning, as Hildy arrived at work, she chided herself for wasting time while getting ready. "I must have a loose screw somewhere," she mumbled under her breath as she headed to the elevator that took her up to her floor. She still could not believe that she wasted so much time trying to decide what to wear to work this morning. She sucked her teeth as she entered the elevator with other folks who were heading to various offices in the building.

Hildy shook her head as she recalled that after trying on three different outfits she went right back to the original one she tried on first thing that morning. "What a colossal waste of time," she thought as she mentally slapped herself at the back of the head. Hildy prided herself on being very organized. She always had her outfit ready the night before but for some reason, this morning when she saw the clothes that she planned on wearing, she was not satisfied.

Looking at the outfit, she decided that it needed a little sprucing up. When she thought about it honestly she realized this last minute dissatisfaction with her clothes was because she wanted to make an impression on a complete stranger. The thought of this made her stop what she was doing. She told herself it was just an interview, nothing more nothing less, and went back her original outfit that was fine as it was.

As she entered her office Hildy admitted to herself that regardless of what she wore, she wanted to make a good impression on the lady with the honey sounding voice. As that thought flitted through her mind, a gentle wave of sadness touched her heart because she realized how her loneliness prompted her to try to impress a total stranger. A stranger she knew nothing about. "Now if that isn't desperation, I do not know what is", she mumbled under her breath.

Abbi looked at her as she walked through the glass door. She observed Hildy's lips moving so she asked "Are you feeling OK Hills? Were you talking to yourself? You know that is a sure sign of impending old age, right?" Then Abbi flashed her a cheeky smile and chuckled at her own joke.

"Yeah, I know; talking to myself isn't so bad" Hildy retorted, "it is when I begin to answer back, and then have a full conversation, that's when you know I am over the hill and around the bend", Hildy smiled. Abbi laughed at this, especially the pun with Hildy being over the hill.

Abbi kept looking at Hildy and asked her seriously if she was OK because she looked a bit distracted. Hildy assured her that she was fine, and went to her office.

The guys were already in the room they called their 'engine room' because that was the driving room of the firm. The room where they bounced ideas around as they worked on the cases. It was also a place to impart interesting news. Jim filled in both Edgar and David on the upcoming interview. "Hey guys, remember my old college buddy Trevor?

Well, he hooked us up with his new neighbour who is some kind of computer expert, who according to Trevor is not nerdy looking but gorgeous. She is coming in for an interview this morning in a few minutes".

Edgar looked at Jim with a bit of trepidation as he recalled who Trevor was. "Isn't he the same friend who hooked you up with the best auto mechanic in New York City last year? The same mechanic who messed up your transmission?" Before Jim could answer, David chimed in with " Isn't he the same Trevor who swore the John Legend concert ticks he bought from some man in the street was authentic, only to almost get arrested when he tried to enter the concert with the said tickets?"

Jim looked to the ceiling as he admitted "Yeah, yeah, but this time Trevor has actually had a few conversations with his neighbour, and he assured me she really is a qualified computer genius". His co-workers still looked a bit skeptical, so Jim told them Hildy spoke with the woman on the phone, and was impressed enough to schedule an interview with her for this morning.

When the guys heard that Hildy was taking Trevor's recommendation seriously, they revised their opinion of this unknown computer person. Just then Terry entered the room and Edgar asked him what the deal was with the potential new employee. To which Terry replied, " All I know is Hildy spoke with her and was impressed, she should be here any minute now. We will know soon enough if she can meet our requirements". Just then they heard Abbi conversing with someone in the outer office, and one by one they walked to the door of the engine room to get a look at the potential employee.

Collectively their jaws dropped at the beautiful woman who stood smiling and making small talk with Abbi. It turned out that Hildy was on a phone call in her office so Abbi engaged Kami in conversation while she waited. Just then, Terry's cell phone rang, with his ring tone of 'She's Royal' by Tarrus Riley that he used for his wife Emma. He quickly answered the call, and told her the computer lady had arrived, and he would call her back in a while. David, the office comedian, commented that Terry's ring tone song could not have been timed more perfectly if it was planned.

Just then Abbi's intercom rang, and Hildy told her that she could show Ms Keefer in. But before Abbi could do that Jim stepped forward, and introduced himself as Trevor's friend. Kami turned to him and smiled as she said, "Trevor spoke very highly of you and the team here,"

For once, Jim had to give his friend credit that this time he did not exaggerate; neighbour Kami was truly a gorgeous woman. Terry walked over and introduced himself, and then he introduced Edgar and David. He then ushered Kami into Hildy's office for the interview.

Hildy heard the voices in the reception area and was about to go see what was taking so long for Kami to come into her office when the door opened, and Kami walked in. The woman who gracefully walked towards her with an outstretched hand literally took her breath away. She was immediately struck by the gentle confident look in her eyes. Then Kami smiled and her entire face lit up as she said the words "Good morning, I am Kami Keefer, it is a pleasure to meet you". She said it with such sincerity that Hildy believed that it really was a pleasure for Kami.

If it were possible to see the big picture and the small picture at the same time then Hildy experienced that vision in the same moment. She saw the full package that was Kami, her professionally tailored business suit that was classy while still being simply, the beautifully hand crafted leather attaché case, and the Clarks' shoes.

In the same instant Hildy saw every detail of Kami face and body. She saw flawless skin that was a light tanned colour that reminded her of pale caramel. She saw a face that was devoid of all makeup, eyes that naturally were lined by the curve of her lashes, irises that were chocolate brown with flecks of yellowish green, cheeks that had a hint of colour and finally lips that looked like they were shaped perfectly for kissing.

And the hair, oh my. Kami had her hair in a small bun but there were tendrils of hair that escaped the proper bun and caressed the back of Kami's neck. Hildy had an image flash before her eyes of herself playing in what looked like curly locks. As for her body, Hildy could tell she was very toned while maintaining her curves and femininity.

As those thoughts moved through Hildy's mind, Kami experienced a kind of awakening upon seeing Hildy. The first thing that struck her was that Hildy's photograph did not do her justice at all because she was more attractive in person. Her body was less imposing in a business suit, than it appeared in the photos she saw online with Hildy in her police bullet proof vest and gear.

The thing that struck Kami the most that caused her to feel as if she just swam up to the surface of the ocean, and broke free, was the look in Hildy's eyes as their gaze locked on each other. For a few moments every wall, every defense, Hildy ever put in place to shield herself from others seeing the real Hildy, from seeing the part of her that she seldom took the time to analyze, fell down. In those brief moments Hildy inner being was naked in front of Kami and Kami saw everything.

It was like if an invisible line, an electrical charge, a magnetic force surged between them. This feeling excited and frightened Hildy at the same time, while it excited and warmed Kami to the core. Terry stood to the side of Kami as he entered the office and sensed something immediately as the women held hands instead of shaking hands. He looked from one to another but was not sure how to identify what he was picking up on. After a moment or two Terry cleared his throat, and it was like the spell was broken, and he invited Kami to have a seat as they began the interview.

Hildy, planned to conduct the interview on her own but when she spoke to Terry on the cell this morning prior to arriving for work, she asked him to sit in on the interview. Terry did not think anything odd in the request because he was part of the interviewing process for Abbi when they considered hiring her as their receptionist. The guys were not interviewed as both Hildy and Terry worked with them before, and knew they were exceptional police officers.

Hildy did not explain to Terry the real reason why she wanted him there. Hildy could not even explain it to herself but she knew that after one phone conversation with Kami all sorts of thoughts, feelings, and longings flooded her being. Hildy felt she would be able to have a better handle on her inner turmoil if she was not alone with Kami.

Kami handed over her certificates, awards and other relevant documents along with her resume to Hildy, who accepted them with a smile. Terry, standing at Hildy's side, basically repeated what Hildy shared on the phone to Kami the day before. He added some more details to the job description as he glanced at the documents on Hildy's desk. Hildy looked up at Terry, and he read her expression. After working as partners in the San Francisco Police Department for so long, they developed a rapport that a lot of officers shared. They were able to communicate with just one look. This skill worked well for them in the past when they had to interrogate a suspect while still working for the police. The skill still bode well in the new firm when they interviewed a prospective client or brainstormed while working on a case. Today however, as they read Kami's qualifications, they both had the same thought, and the look they shared confirmed what crossed their minds.

Hildy took over the interview as she looked Kami in the eyes, "I must say, these certificates and awards are very impressive Ms Keefer. But we fear you are over qualified to work for our firm." Hildy's heart sank as she said those words because she realized that there was no way she and Terry could afford the kind of salary Kami could command. Which meant that when Kami left their office after the interview, it would be the last time she would see her. She shuffled the documents and continued saying "while we need your expertise, we cannot afford to remunerate you on par with your qualifications". Kami sat back in the chair and looked at Terry and then Hildy as she considered the best way to word her proposal and enter Hildy's life.