My Husband Was Always at Work, So I Booked an Appointment as a Surprise — and Nearly Fainted at What He Actually Does for a Living

Renata disappeared behind a dressing screen. When she stepped out, she wore a navy blazer over black slacks. She stood in front of the mirror, and her face fell instantly.

"This makes me look huge."

Nathan said nothing.

"My hair looks awful."

Still nothing.

"I look sixty."

He stood, walked over, and turned the mirror to face the wall.

Renata gasped. "Nathan!"

"We're not interviewing your reflection, Renata." He pointed at the chair. "Sit."

She obeyed.

For the next twenty minutes he ran her through mock interview questions. "Tell me about yourself." She stumbled. "Again." "Why do you want this position?" She apologized halfway through. "Again." "Describe a difficult situation you handled well."

This time she talked about caring for her mother while raising three kids and running an entire household at the same time. Her voice steadied as she spoke. He asked another question, then another, and eventually she stopped glancing at him for reassurance after every sentence.

Only then did he turn the mirror back around.

"Now tell me what the employer sees."

Renata looked at herself. Same blazer. Same hair. Same woman. But she was standing straighter than she had five minutes earlier.

"Someone," she said quietly, "who knows what she's doing."

Nathan smiled. "Exactly."

She laughed. Then cried. Then laughed again because she was crying.

Another review floated back into my mind. He made me feel beautiful again. It had never meant Nathan telling women they were pretty. It meant teaching them to stop treating themselves like the problem.

Renata hugged him. He stepped back almost immediately and handed her the folder. "Go get the job."

She wiped her eyes. "I'll try."

"No." He opened the door. "Go scared."

She blinked. "What?"