"Tell me why you want to work here."
The woman across the desk paused, fingers tightening briefly around her notebook. She adjusted her glasses with the side of her knuckle, the motion habitual rather than nervous, as if she had learned long ago that thinking worked better when her hands were occupied with something small and precise. She was young, but she was not unsure, and Willow noted that distinction immediately. Confidence that needed to be seen usually collapsed under pressure. This kind tended to hold.
Her résumé lay open on the desk between them, pages smooth and carefully aligned. Susan Calen sat at the top in unembellished type. The formatting was clean, restrained, and functional, as though it had been designed for someone who believed clarity was a form of respect. Programming languages were listed without exaggeration. Systems experience was described plainly. Under hobbies, a single line had drawn Willow's attention earlier and had not let go.
