“You’re welcome. Now, come on. Show me your interview moves.”
Miguel’s smile widened. “Interview moves? I’m looking to be a dental assistant, not a go-go boy.”
“I’m serious. You’re nervous about interviewing. The best thing you can do to fix that is make sure you’re prepared. On SWAT, we don’t ever go into anything without a detailed game plan. So, let’s lay it out. What will you need?”
“I’ll need an outfit, hard copies of my resume on nice paper, and a way to get to each interview.”
Hector’s lips twitched with a grin at the first item on Miguel’s list. He’d always been one to make sure his clothes looked nice. “Okay, what’s the plan to make sure you have all of those items?”
“I have enough in my account to order resume paper and folders from Amazon. My mom really wants to help, so I’ll ask if I can borrow her car on interview days. But I didn’t grab any of my nice clothes when I left Santos, so I’ll have to go shopping. I just need someone to take me.” He looked at Hector, his dark eyes wide and pleading.
Hector shook his head. “No way. You’re not dragging me to the mall.”
Miguel laughed. “I’m kidding. I’ll catch the bus there tomorrow while you’re at work.”
Hector breathed out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Okay, you’ve got your to-do list sorted out. Now you need to prep for your interview. Let’s practice. I’ll be the dentist and you’re the nice job seeker.”
Miguel bit his lip, clearly holding back a laugh. “I think I saw a porno that started out like this.”
Hector didn’t miss a beat. “I hope you remembered to go incognito when you watched it on my laptop.”
Miguel’s laugh burst free. “I didn’t mean I watched it recently!”
“Sure, you didn’t,” Hector said with a grin. “Let’s get started. Tell me about yourself, Mr. Delgado.”
Miguel jumped up from his chair. “Wait! If we’re doing this, we have to really do it. Let me grab my resume.” He started to dash off to the living room but quickly spun back around. “Shoot, no. I need to take the lasagna out first.”
Hector watched in amusement as Miguel slid on socked feet across the kitchen floor to the stove. He grabbed the oven mitts, and when he bent to open the oven, his jeans stretched tight over his ass. Hector momentarily admired the sight of that heart-shaped butt before he realized what he was doing and yanked his gaze away. He picked up his Coke and took a long drink. When he looked back, Miguel had pulled the pan of lasagna out and set it on the stovetop. Hector’s mouth watered as the smell of cheese and tomato sauce hit the air.
Miguel peeled back the aluminum foil, peeked at the dish, nodded, then finally dashed off to the living room. There was rustling and shuffling of paper, then rushing feet coming back to the kitchen. Miguel stopped where the carpet met tile. He took a deep breath, then smiled. Hector held back a smile of his own.
“Mr. Delgado, please come in.”
Miguel walked forward calmly. When he reached the kitchen table, he held his hand out. Hector rose slightly to shake it then indicated the chair across from him.
“Thank you,” Miguel politely said as he sat down.
“So, Mr. Delgado. Tell me about yourself.”
“I grew up right here in Texas, and I’m a graduate of Southern Texas University.”
“That’s great. I’m a native Texan myself.” Hector clasped his hands together and leaned forward. “Walk me through your work history.”
“This will be my first full-time position as a dental assistant. But I volunteered for two semesters at Windfern Dental. I learned a lot while working there and was twice named volunteer of the month.”
“Excellent.” Hector looked down at Miguel’s resume again. He asked questions he thought would be appropriate for a dental assistant job interview. Miguel stumbled a few times, but he was generally good at answering.
“And my last question. What would you do if a bear wandered into the office?”
Miguel blinked. “Um. I’d warn the staff and patients to hide in the bathroom and call animal control.”
“Great answer. Most people either ask me why there’s a bear in the office or say they’d run out the back door and leave everyone behind.”
Miguel looked at him with his lips pressed together for several seconds. Then he broke character and laughed. “I don’t think they’re going to ask me how I would handle a hypothetical bear attack.”
“Probably not. But you showed you’re a fast thinker. That’s a great asset to have in an interview.”
“Thanks.” Miguel smiled, all his earlier signs of nervousness and worry completely absent.