Page 12 of Baby, Be Mine

I swallowed. “Of course we’ll continue the interview.” I was quickly digging myself a hole on either side of this line.

Had I not been clear in the job posting? I’d posted with many online accounts, not to mention the Crescent Cove Pennysaver.

Now I wasn’t quite sure at all.

And how the hell was I going to hire a woman who looked like she was a minute away from giving birth? Didn’t they have to take like twelve weeks off to do the first…everythingwith a baby?

My brain was whirling, and I didn’t know what to do other than to get them out of here, so the entirety of Crescent Cove wouldn’t be discussing my interview prowess—or lack thereof—with dinner tonight.

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out, Mrs. Martin. If you’re interested in something inside the restaurant, we can certainly discuss it.”

Over my dead body.If she was going to critique my job posting, I could only imagine what she’d do with how I ran my restaurant.

“No, thank you. I don’t think this is the place for me.”

Emmaline scrunched her nose up adorably. “Might want to try the Sherman Inn. I hear they’re looking for someone to do a similar job. While it might be less fun, it could be just your kind of thing, Carol.”

The woman looked insulted and intrigued at the same time.

I was pretty sure my expression mirrored Carol Martin’s. Emmaline went from insulting her to giving her a lead on a job with a backhanded compliment.

Sort of.

Carol sniffed. “I’ll look into it.” Then she turned on her very sensible shoes and rushed down the stairs and through the dining room to the front door.

I glanced at Emmaline. “You’re an interesting woman, Miss Hauser.”

She linked her arm through mine. “Call me Emma. I have a feeling we’re going to be getting to know each other very well.”

“I…uh.”

“Look, I know the baby thing is a little out of the ordinary, but I’m young and hale and hearty. We can definitely figure something out. Why don’t you show me the boat and we’ll see if we fit?”

Part of me wanted to run for the hills, but I found myself steering her to the less used stairs across the smaller second level dining area. “I think I owe you a full interview at the very least.”

“Damn straight. I can’t wait to see the boat.”

Personally, I couldn’t wait for this day to be over.

There was no way I could hire a woman who was this far along in her pregnancy when I had a summer slate full of weddings and parties in mind.

I just had to let her down gently without getting in trouble with every labor law on the books.

I was so screwed.

FOUR

I was losing him.

I could feel it. I’d known it was a possibility when he saw me in person. No hiding the basketball under my dress anymore. I had a long torso for my height, but at this point, Bean was outgrowing her little nest—that nest being me.

Nerves and sleepless nights plagued me at this point. And the smart thing would be to move home and let my mom take care of me. She was dying to, but I just couldn’t deal with the stares in my old hometown. Everyone giving me those pitying stares, and not to mention the way they spoke to my father.

Nope.

I really had to figure this stuff out on my own.

And that meant I had to convince Mason Brooks that I was meant for this job. It was right there in his eyes when I’d started telling him my ideas. I had a million of them. Looking at my background at first glance it didn’t look like I should fit, but I’d been working productions for so long in the drama department that I was a pro at problem solving. And selling the reason why anyone should see the plays I was in.

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