Chapter 5

The older woman led her once again into her office and gestured toward her desk. Jesse sat and waited for Elaine to get herself situated. When she was finally seated, Elaine looked over at Jesse and gave her a smile.

“I have to say,” Elaine said, “I was very impressed with your questions.”

“Thank you,” Jesse returned, her nerves escalating.

“I couldn’t think of anything I would add to them ...” Elaine sighed and shook her head. “Who knows? Maybe I’m just losing my touch.”

Jesse was not bold enough to make any comment on that statement.

“Anyway,” Elaine waved off the last words. “I wanted to go ahead with the interview as soon as possible, so I made a few calls, and managed, as usual, to strike oil. So, your interview with Mr. Roberts will be tomorrow at nine-thirty, over in one of our smaller conference rooms.”

Jesse had to work to keep from letting her jaw drop, feeling her stomach clench as nerves overwhelmed her. She had no idea that the interview would be so soon. A part of her wanted to protest and insist that she needed more time to prepare. Deep down, though, she knew such a request would be pointless and didn’t want to let Elaine think that she was not up for this task.

“Jesse?” Elaine said, and Jesse blinked, snapping back to attention.

“Yes?” Jesse asked, once more giving her boss her full attention.

“Does that interview time work for you?” Elaine asked, raising one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows.

“Yes, of course,” Jesse confirmed with a nod. “I’ll put it in my calendar as soon as I get to my desk.”

“Perfect.” Elaine smiled smoothly. “I’ll send you an email regarding which conference room you’ll be using probably within the hour so you can know where you’ll be holding the interview.”

“Alright, thank you.” Jesse nodded.

“I know you’ve conducted interviews before,” Elaine said, her tone slightly odd. “But I don’t think you’ve ever interviewed someone of this status, correct?”

“No, I haven’t,” Jesse admitted, a flare of nerves jolting through her again.

“Well,” Elaine sighed. “There’s a first time for everything. Just act like you’ve done this a million times. Fake it till you make it, right?”

“Right,” Jesse nodded, swallowing and trying to keep from shaking with the force of her nerves.

“Good girl.” Elaine smiled at her. “Well, I think that’s about everything I have for you. I’ll send you that email, of course. You can go ahead and go.”

“Thank you.” Jesse stood and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. Elaine turned away from her, and Jesse took that as her opportunity to leave.

No sooner had Jesse left the office than she picked up her phone and dialed Mark’s number.

“Hello?” she heard her friend’s eager voice after the first ring.

“I need to talk to you,” Jesse said, her voice strained with the force of her anxiety.

“Okay, come up to my office,” Mark immediately offered.

“Okay, be right there,” Jesse said and hastily hung up the phone. She moved through the building hurriedly until finally arriving at her friend’s door.

Mark looked up as soon as he saw her in the doorway.

“What happened?” he asked as soon as he saw her, standing up and moving to close the door behind her, securely locking it.

“The interview is tomorrow,” Jesse said, her face revealing the shock she was in.

“Tomorrow?” Mark repeated, every ounce as taken aback. Jesse could only nod numbly as silence stretched between the two of them.

“I don’t even know what to say.” Mark shook his head. “Are you ready for it?”

“Of course not,” Jesse let out a strained laugh. “I thought I would have at least a week to get ready for this!”

Jesse braced her hands on the edge of Mark’s desk and took in several deep breaths as she tried to collect herself. She felt Mark’s hand on her back rubbing slowly up and down. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing thoughts.

“Come on Jesse,” Mark said softly. “I know you can do this. You’ve done interviews before.”

“Sure,” Jesse scoffed. “But this is Hal Roberts.”

“So what?” Mark scoffed in return. “You’re Jesse Clarke.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” Jesse shook her head and ran a hand over her face.

“Not yet,” Mark said firmly. “But this interview could be the very interview that starts off the rest of your career. People will know your name after this.”

Somehow, that knowledge didn’t make Jesse feel any better. If anything, it only made her feel even more nervous.

“What if I mess it all up?” Jesse said, her voice soft and shaky.

“You have never messed up anything in your life,” Mark said with certainty.

Jesse could only swallow drily. She knew that Mark was being very logical, but somehow his rationality was not helping her in the least. Somehow, she could not get over her own fears and insecurities. She felt his hand on her shoulder, massaging her gently, and she once again tried to keep herself calm.

“Jesse,” Mark said firmly, turning her to face him. Jesse looked up into his eyes, hoping to finally find a measure of comfort.

“You can do this,” Mark said, a faint smile on his face. “I know it’s a big step, but it’s definitely one that you have to take. This is how people become successful—by doing things that make them nervous. And that’s why some people never make a name for themselves because they can’t get past their fears. Don’t let yourself be the inhibitor to your own success.”

Jesse heard all the sense in his words and felt herself calm exponentially. This was something she had wanted her whole life, and she knew that now, it was finally close at hand. A chance like this one was rare for anyone, and she had gotten it. She knew there were other people in this very office who would be madly jealous of the opportunity she had been given. She knew, also, that there was certainly someone just waiting for her to fail.

Jesse knew that eyes were on her, and she was going to really have to succeed. She knew that this was the time to gather up all her fortitude and push through to finish strong. Suddenly, she felt stronger and knew that she had to succeed in this area, for the sake of the rest of her career.

Besides, if there was anyone she knew that was capable of doing this, it was her. She was smart and competent. She knew how to spin words and also knew that she could write an article that would serve to push her own name into the spotlight, as well as grant insight to the most incredible film of their time.

“You know,” Jesse said, “you’re right.”

“As always,” Mark said with a humorous snort.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” Jesse said, her tone softer.

“Probably end up living under a bridge.” Mark shrugged. “Now get out of here, go get ready for your interview!”

Jesse smiled at him, and he returned it, just before she headed out of his office and down the hall toward her own desk. With a new sense of resolve, she mentally prepared herself to make all the necessary edits and preparations to conduct her interview.