“I’m looking for someone to coordinate all the fashion buying for my store. And I’ll share a secret with you. There will be two more stores under construction by the end of the year. By next Christmas, there will be three Kirchoff’s in the Bay Area.”
“How wonderful!” she exclaimed sincerely.
“I hope so. But I want our image to grow with the expansion. For years, we have catered to a pa
rticular customer. She buys four to six dresses a year. She is very conservative and budget-minded. Her taste is reserved. Her imagination, nil.”
“I know the customer well. The scourge of every fashion merchant,” Kathleen said dryly.
He laughed. “That’s why we need to update our image. I want the clientele of Kirchoff’s to change. I want the customer who buys four to six ensembles a season. She is stylish, fashion-minded, courageous, a trendsetter. She’s a mover and shaker. Active in civic affairs. Professional. Possibly both. In either case, she dresses the part. She also outfits her children as stunningly as herself.”
“Wow,” Kathleen said, impressed. “You have done your market research.”
“Indeed I have. I want an updated misses’ department that handles everything from sexy lingerie to debutante gowns. I want an extensive junior department that will carry mother’s little darling from her first training bra to her bridesmaids’ dresses.”
Kathleen’s mind was ticking. “Price range?” she asked.
“Expensive to very expensive.”
“Accessories?”
“Only the best. If a customer needs a three-hundred-fifty-dollar belt to set off her silk evening skirt, I want her to know she can come to Kirchoff’s and find a large selection of them.”
“Men’s and children’s?”
“I’ve hired other buyers for those departments, but you’d have the authority to check their orders and make certain they’re keeping pace with your departments.”
“Do you want to stay with domestic designers?”
His brow creased in concentration. “Not exclusively, but I prefer to buy out of New York rather than Europe. Yankee pride, I guess.”
“Your buying budget?”
“At this point, it’s unlimited. We’ll be jumping in all the way.”
It was a dream come true! Unconsciously, Kathleen gnawed her bottom lip as she envisioned all she could do with such unrestricted license.
“When can you start?”
The question was so abrupt that Kathleen jumped in surprise and riveted her wide, glowing eyes on Seth. “Wh-What? You mean… I…?”
“Yes, you have the job. If you want it. The salary is forty thousand dollars a year, excluding sales bonuses and employee discounts. Is that satisfactory?”
Satisfactory? She didn’t know what to say. “Mr. Kirchoff, are you sure? I mean, yes, I want the job, but aren’t you interviewing others? Maybe you should wait—”
“No, Ms. Haley. I knew you were what I wanted the moment you walked through the door. I despise women who barnstorm their way in here, spouting all their grandiose ideas and not listening to what I’m saying. You’re a good listener. You have style and experience. I can tell that by the way you dress and by your résumé. Your taste is impeccable. Yet, and this is very important to me, you’re extremely feminine. I want my customers to want to look like you—assured but soft, independent but entirely female.”
She blushed under his close scrutiny.
“I gladly accept your offer, Mr. Kirchoff. And in answer to your question, I’m available immediately. Or as soon as I can find a place to live and move my things from Atlanta.”
“Very good. Shall we say,” he consulted a calendar on his desk, “Monday the sixteenth? That will give you ten days. If you need more time, let me know.”
“Thank you. That should be more than sufficient. I’m anxious to begin.”
His smile was warm. “Good.”
She extended her hand, which he shook heartily. His grip was strong and comfortable. “Thank you, Mr. Kirchoff. I won’t let you down.”