| |
"So, you didn't really get the uhm information you needed? Too bad," Krista said. "What are you going to do now?"
"Wait for another opportunity, I guess. I should have some time to myself at the convention. I'm considering telling Jim I just want to be friends."
"Normally, I would say that a cryptid convention sounded horrible, but going with Chance should make things interesting. Who knows, maybe you'll meet another hunky cryptid hunter to add to your collection."
"I hope not. That's the last thing I need. I want to figure out how to have a relationship with one guy. I just want to make sure it's the right one."
Last night with Tom had been nice, easy, fun. Looking at Tom certainly produced some heat at least on my side of things, but I had no real idea how he felt. Which was true about Chance too. With Chance I had the distinct feeling I might never know how he felt about me.
I could imagine talking to Tom about where our relationship was going, but I could not picture having that same discussion with Chance. He was all about innuendo and jokes. Even if he told me how he felt, I doubt I'd believe him.
XXX
I was in my office when Rick knocked on the door.
"Morning, Everly. This is Gus Moreno, the guy I told you about."
I stood up and extended my hand across the desk. Gus shook it in a firm grip. "Hi, I'm Everly Mason. Have a seat."
Rick went back to the kitchen while I talked to Gus. He was a retired sailor with a cryptid hunting hobby. He had lived in the area for years, though he didn't grow up here. He was a cook in the Navy and was looking for part time work.
"Rick will be the one training you. Once he says your OK with running things on your own, you'd be opening the place and cooking for breakfast every day. I might need you for some extra hours if Rick needs some time off. I'm sure you know the drill."
"Sounds perfect for me. I've known Rick a long time. We won't have a problem working together."
"Let me talk to the staff, and I'll call you later today with the details. Thanks for coming in, Gus."
"Thanks for your time Ms. Mason. I knew your Uncle Harry. He was a good guy. I'm sorry we lost him so soon."
"Thanks, Gus. I'll be in touch."
After talking with Rita, Sally, and Rick, I called Gus and arranged for him to start the following Monday. I spent the rest of the day and evening at Hairy's. I wanted to make sure I had a feel for the place as it was, before I made any major changes.
As expected, most of our customers were locals. Painting the walls or not wouldn't affect how often they ate at Hairy's. They came because it was the only option in town if they didn't want to cook or drive thirty minutes or more. If I wanted Hairy's to grow, the growth would have to come by attracting more business from outside Wilkins’ Gap.
Laurie came in for dinner, at least she ordered dinner. Her real reason for coming in was to grill me about my date with Tom. He'd called to apologize for having to cut our evening short, and I invited him over on Thursday night. I was still hoping I could gather enough information to make some decisions before my trip.