Page 49 of Call it Reckless

Then something pushed between us. We broke apart, both bursting into laughter when Buddy pushed his way in, effectively moving me out of the way. He sat his furry butt on Bristol’s feet as if claiming her as his own.

I was relieved at Buddy’s intervention. But if I were honest, I was a tiny bit jealous that he got to stay close.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Bristol

Paige and I waited until the front door was firmly shut and the young woman who’d been our last interview for the receptionist position was in her car. Then we let out a whoop.

“She was perfect,” I exclaimed.

June Spicer had recently graduated from the nearby community college and was eager to put her new computer and accounting classes into practice. She was fresh, articulate, and eager to please. Every question we threw at her about how she would handle certain situations was met with a solid answer and without hesitation.

We knew she was perfect when she turned the interview around and asked us questions about how we planned to set up appointments, something we hadn’t entirely worked through yet. She immediately offered a couple of suggestions, and the more she talked, the more we knew we’d found someone who could keep the office organized and running efficiently.

Paige and I could read each other well enough to know we both liked her and offered her the job right then and there.

Paige nodded. “She’ll appeal to both sides of the business. She’s pretty and fashionable, but she’s fast on her feet and will be able to handle those old geezers who come in here thinking they already know the problem but don’t have the tools to fix it. I think the program she mentioned to track inventory and scheduling sounds perfect. I liked that she wasn’t shy about making suggestions.”

“I agree. Let’s get her in ahead of the orientation for the rest of the crew next week. She can teach the program to us, and then we can use her to train the rest of the staff on how we want them to turn in receipts, et cetera.”

June was our last hire, and with her on board, I felt a burden lift. Paige and I spent a few more minutes organizing what we wanted to accomplish next week and called June about her start date.

It was almost hard to believe that after months of planning, we were so close to the opening. We’d spent days and days of long hours, but employees had been hired, extra supplies ordered, and advertising had begun.

“It’s Friday. We deserve a break. Let’s go out tonight.”

“Yes!” She pumped her fist. “We’ve been working our asses off. Let’s go celebrate. I want to try out Ferg’s and see if it can convert this city girl to a country fan.”

“Sounds good. I haven’t been there yet, either. How about I invite my sister and cousin?”

“Definitely. We need to buy every one of Cam’s drinks tonight. What she did with this place is nothing short of spectacular.”

“I’ll call them on the way home and see if they’re up for it. We’ve been so busy I haven’t spent as much time with them as I want.”

Both Cam and Em enthusiastically accepted the invite, and Em asked if she could bring a couple of her friends, Teagan and Megan. I figured the more the merrier. I wanted Paige to have a bunch of friends here so she felt welcome. It wouldn’t hurt me to have some, either. Any friends I once had here had either moved on or fallen out of touch.

I took a hot shower, spending extra time allowing the warmth to soothe my muscles and joints. I knew Paige would take three times longer than me to get ready, so I had plenty of time. Trying to put a little effort into my appearance, I pulled my hair into a French braid and applied a little eyeliner and mascara. I even took out my usual diamond studs and went with a pair of dangle earrings that matched my silver bangles. All in all, I thought they looked nice against my silky white shirt and blue jeans.

Paige gave me a skeptical look when she saw my dress choice. By contrast, she wore a baby blue soft sweater that fell off one shoulder and a pair of tight dark blue jeans. A chunky gold necklace and bracelet matched the gold backs to her high heels beneath the cuff of her jeans. She looked beautiful.

“You know, this is a casual place. It’s not downtown Charlotte or New York City.”

She looked down at her outfit. “This is casual.” She went back to eyeing me. “Wait here,” she said and disappeared out the door.

She was back in a few seconds with a fancy belt in her hands. Before I could protest, she’d wrapped the leather strip with silver conchos around my waist. She also plopped a necklace made of turquoise stones over my head.

She stepped back and eyed me. “There. That’s better.”

“What was wrong with before?”

“You need more color. Remember, you’re not one of the guys here. You’re a businesswoman, and part of our business is glamor.”

“No one’s paying that much attention to me.”

Her red-tipped finger shook at me. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Everyone is curious about you. Some have you pegged as the same girl who left. Some believe that you think you’re too good for this town. Some think you’re only here because you’ve lost everything and are desperate. You have to show them who you really are.”

“I’m still figuring that out myself.”God, did that come across as desperate as it sounded?

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