by Jill Sanders
Addy, Trent’s wife, was a pretty brunette with an extremely peaceful nature as she delt with her two adorable and energetic girls, Grace and Hope.
She could tell that Brent was easy around most of them. He’d told her a few stories about when he’d first come into town and how he’d gotten in a couple fights with Trey, so she was impressed at how well they all got along now.
Their food came out and, as they ate, the talk turned towards baby Bella. For her part, the baby stayed asleep tucked in her carrier the entire time.
Dylan on the other hand looked exhausted and excited at the same time. The more she ate, the more she leaned on her husband and yawned.
When they walked out with the large group, Mel was surprised Dylan was still able to keep her eyes open.
“I guess having a kid really takes it out of you,” Dylan had joked.
“Go home, get some rest.” Brent walked over and hugged his sister, then kissed the top of her head. “Take care of baby and let your husband take care of you.”
“Will do.” Dylan hugged him back and then lifted her hands to his face and said, “I’m really happy you’re back.”
“Good, because I was thinking…” Brent said, causing Dylan to groan.
“What?” she asked.
He smiled. “I’d like to throw a ‘welcome to life, Bella’ party at the Hard Way. I was thinking of using it as some sort of soft opening.”
“That’s a great idea.” Dylan perked up. “Will you be ready?”
Brent glanced over at Mel, who shrugged. She didn’t know how much more he had to do to prepare the place, other than hire employees. “We can do it. This Friday,” Brent assured his sister.
“If, you’re sure,” Dylan said, glancing over at Mel, who shrugged again.
“He’s the boss,” she said with a smile.
“I’ll make it work. For Bella.” He smiled.
Dylan kissed him again on the cheek and turned to get into the waiting car.
They stood there in the parking lot while all the others drove away. She remained silent, understanding that Brent was having a moment and needed the quiet. Then he turned to her and smiled.
“That gives us five days to get everything in order. Ready to get to work?” he asked her.
“I am if you are.”
Their first stop was to Granger’s Market. The massive warehouse store had everything you could ever possibly want, from cowboy boots to staplers. Thankfully, it was all laid out in a very orderly fashion, and she ended up spending most of her time in the office supply section.
She’d set up the computer system she’d found sitting in a box in the office but had yet to turn it on. She knew he’d purchased a new cash register system for the bartender and the waitstaff. He’d installed one at the drink station and the other on the back wall of the bar, as well as a system in the kitchen for the staff to read the orders. She assumed the system he’d had boxed up in the office would tie into all of those.
Brent had disappeared in the store shortly after they’d walked in. He’d informed her that she should fill a cart with whatever she needed, and he’d meet her up front in half an hour.
Since she didn’t know what his budget looked like yet, she kept her purchases small—paper, pens, notepads, a few markers and other things for making signs. It wasn’t as if she needed a lot, just the basics.
She found him, along with a full cart of things, waiting for her at the front register.
“That’s all you needed?” he asked her, looking at the few items she held in her hands.
“Yes, for now.” She looked down at his full cart. “Did you get everything you need?”
“For now. I’ve got to find a supplier for the rest.”
“I can call around.” She noticed the liquor in his cart. “Buying this all wholesale would be cheaper,” she suggested.
“This is for the party.”
“Right, the party.”
“For Bella,” he said, his tone changing slightly. “That I agreed to throw, this weekend.” The last part came out as a groan, causing her to chuckle.
“Right.” She patted his shoulder. “We’ve got this. It’s not as if you have to hire half a dozen employees, come up with a menu, stock an entire bar and kitchen, and finish making the building ready.” She turned to his full cart and asked, “Think you have enough?”
“No.” He shook his head. “The entire town will be there to celebrate.” He stopped and looked at her. “You’re invited too, you know. Not just as an employee, but as a guest. My sister texted me and made a point to threaten me if I didn’t invite you.”
She smiled. “I’d love to go. Do I need to bring a gift?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Trust me, there are going to be so many gifts, Bella’s going to be swimming in them. Just yourself.”
She sat back and watched as he chatted with the clerk and then turned back to her.
“This is Mel. She’s going to be helping me out for a while. Put whatever she needs on my account,” Brent said as he signed the receipt.
“Sure thing,” the middle-aged woman said with a smile.
“Thanks, Kelly,” Brent replied, and then he pushed the full cart and started walking out.
“Just like that?” she asked, catching up with him.
“What?” He glanced back at her.
“Just like that, you’re going to trust me to make purchases?”
“Sure.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“What if I decide to buy a new wardrobe, or…” She motioned towards the heavy equipment sitting outside of the store. “One of those.”
He glanced over and then chuckled. “A tractor? I doubt Kelly would let you drive one of those away from here on my credit.”
“Okay, so we have established there are limits,” she said, getting into the truck when he opened the door for her.
“Sure.” He set the bags of items down in the bed. “I have enough money set aside for the opening of the bar plus a little extra, but not enough for a twenty-thousand-dollar tractor.”
“Twenty…” She glanced back at the tractor. Sure, it was an impressive piece of machinery, but that much money? “Okay, steering clear of purchasing any heavy machinery.”
He chuckled again. “My bank account thanks you.” He got into the truck. “Now, how about we head over and see if Larry has your truck fixed yet?”
“Sure.” She nodded, feeling the knots in her stomach grow. “Speaking of money…”
He glanced over at her. “I figured you wouldn’t have enough to pay for the repairs. So if you’re agreeable, we’ll think of it as an advance.”
She didn’t know what to say, so she remained quiet until he parked at the auto repair shop. She could see her truck inside, up on the lift with its insides lying out on the ground around it.
“Looks like she’s not ready yet,” Brent said, turning off his truck.
“Nope.” She relaxed slightly. For some reason, she didn’t want to owe him that much. Not yet. Not when she wasn’t sure how long she was going to stick around town for. She wanted a couple more days to think things through completely.
Then Reggie told her that there was a whole lot more wrong with her truck than just her radiator and she knew that it would be weeks before she’d get her truck back.
“Sorry about your truck,” Brent said as they drove back to the Hard Way.
“It was on its last leg, or tire, as it were,” she admitted.
Reggie claimed that he could get it all fixed for her in a few weeks. He was waiting for a couple parts and, after that, she was looking at about a thousand dollars for the repairs.
A thousand dollars she didn’t have. Yet. The way she figured it, she could work off her debt for Brent and shortly after the bar and grill’s opening, she could hit the road again.
To where, she didn’t know. Part of her wanted to stick around. After all, she had a job, a roof over her head. But part of her screamed that, in such a small
town, she was an easy target.
They parked in the back of the Hard Way, and she helped him cart in all the supplies.
The more she looked around the place, the more she realized it was almost completely ready. He still had to pour the resin for the top of the bar, but she knew that he was going to put that off until after the party, so that guests could bring items to seal in with the wood.
The rest were just small items that would be completed along the way, after they started hiring help.
“First things first.” She walked over and put the “help wanted” sign that she’d purchased at the store out in the front window.
“Think it’ll help?” he asked, stocking the beer fridge with the items he’d purchased.
“It should.” She turned and glanced around. “Let me do that while you hang up the dartboard and chalkboard.” She motioned to where both were leaning against the walls. “I’ll stock the bathroom down here with the supplies and finish setting up the kitchen computer system. I suppose I’ll need to learn it, since I may be lending a hand or training employees,” she said, more to herself than to him.
“Good. After you learn it, you can teach me.” He moved over to hang up the boards.
“You don’t know it already?” she asked with a frown. “But you purchased the system.”
“Dylan did all the research. I just purchased the one she suggested.” He shrugged.
“Okay.” She turned to the touch screen sitting behind the bar. “Maybe…” Just then there was a knock on the door. The pair of them looked at one another, then Brent walked over and unlocked the door while Mel’s heart skipped a few beats in her chest. Her mind screamed that it was Ethan, come to take her back or to teach her another lesson, then she spotted a dark-haired woman standing in the doorway and the ringing in her ears gave way so she could hear Brent talking to her.
“Come on in.” He motioned and smiled over the woman’s head at Mel. “Mel, this is Jamie.”
“Hi.” Jamie appeared to be roughly her age, shorter than her own five six, with long straight purple and blue hair that reached to the middle of her back, and mocha skin that assured Mel of her American Indian heritage.
“Mel is my new manager,” Brent said with a smile.
“Oh.” The woman perked up. “Then I suppose I need to speak to you about the job?”
“That was fast,” Brent said. He motioned for her to take over and then walked back to continue hanging up the boards.
“Come on in.” She waved the woman towards the bar. “We have several positions we’re hiring.”
She’d only interviewed a couple people in the past, but talking with Jamie came easy. The woman jumped in and listed off her years of experience as a bartender.
Since Mel didn’t know much about the position, she motioned to behind the bar and the computer system.
“Do you happen to know this system?” she asked.
Jamie walked over and then laughed. “Yes, I’ve used it at my last two jobs.”
Then Mel thought of an idea. “Can you make me a dirty martini?”
Jamie smiled and set her purse down behind the bar and got to work. “You’re missing a few key items back here. I can make a note of them if you want?”
“Yes, please,” Mel said as she sat down at the bar.
“I like this kind of interview,” Brent said, sitting beside Mel. “I’ll take a…”—he tilted his head— “Moscow mule,” he finished finally.
Jamie nodded and, after setting down her dirty martini, got to work on Brent’s drink.
She took a sip and was happily surprised at how great the drink was. She’d had several bartenders make mediocre drinks before. This was one of the best.
“Not bad,” Brent said after he took a sip of his drink.
“You’re hired,” Mel said to Jamie, “if you can start work by this weekend.”
Jamie smiled. “I could start work now, if you were open. But this weekend will do.”
“Actually, if you want, you can make up that list now so we can have everything ready for you by Friday’s party,” Mel said.
Jamie nodded. “I’ll get right to work, boss.”
“Less than half an hour after putting the sign up, you already have a bartender.” Brent held up his drink. She lifted hers and tapped their glasses together. “Congrats.”
“If you want, my younger sister is looking for work,” Jamie told them. “She’s a waitress. She’s been working at the Wet Spot and hates it.”
“Tell her to come on over,” Brent said. “Mary, right?”
Jamie laughed. “Yes, Mary. Kimberly is too young. She’s still in school.”
“She’s hired. I like your family,” Brent said, then he glanced at Mel. “I mean, if it’s okay with my new manager.”
Mel smiled and shrugged. “You’re the boss.” Then she turned to Jamie. “You don’t happen to know anyone looking for work in the kitchen? Say, a very skilled chef?”
“I might.” Jamie frowned. “I can ask around.”
“I’d heard that TK might be available?” Brent said.
“TK?” Jamie frowned and then turned to Mel. “TK’s my cousin. I can ask. Last I heard, she was working in Helena.”
Three hours later, when they took a break to eat the pizza Brent had ordered, they had four new employees all scheduled to start their training with Jamie, who had agreed to train everyone on the new computer system, since she knew it very well. TK, Jamie’s second cousin once removed, or something like that, had rushed down for the interview. The thirty-something woman claimed she was tired of driving to Helena every day for work and jumped at the chance to run her own kitchen here in Haven.
Shortly after that interview, a young man named Ed, who was still in high school, stopped by and applied for a busboy job.
Mel figured that since they’d hired half the staff that they needed in the first couple hours of having the sign out, they would easily have the rest of the employees hired by that weekend.
“Not bad for the first day of hiring,” Brent said.
She laughed. “One would think that there’s a job shortage in town,” Mel joked.
“It would appear that people are tired of working for the same businesses,” Brent said. “I know that when I moved into town the first time, if I hadn’t gotten a job at McGowan, I would have been limited to where I could work. And I wasn’t any good at working a stripper pole.”
Mel laughed and enjoyed the sexy smile Brent gave her.
“It’s nice having a new place in town. It causes commotion,” Brent added.
“It causes people to talk. Especially after the party this weekend. We will either impress or…” She dropped off.
“Or everyone will make up their minds not to come back,” he agreed with a sigh.
“Right.” She nodded.
“With TK in the kitchen, we’re bound to impress. I’ve heard that she’s won the blue ribbon three years in a row at the county fair for her chili, as well as her pies and jams.”
“I was totally convinced after I sampled the fresh cookies she brought along to the interview,” Mel added.
Brent laughed. “I’m just thankful we have a few more to enjoy after the pizza.”
“How you can eat so much and look like you do is beyond me,” she said, finishing her second slice of pie while he reached for his fourth.
Chapter 9
There was only so much Brent could do to keep his mind from returning to the kiss last night. Watching the way Mel enjoyed those cookies had driven him completely nuts.
He’d allowed her to make the first move for a reason. He didn’t want her to think for one moment that her job security was tied to what happened between them.
Maybe his actions last night, the way he’d pulled away from her, hadn’t been a clear enough clue. Maybe he needed to say it out loud. Still, every fiber of his being wanted to run the other direction while also wanting to pull her into his lap.
“So are we going to talk about la
st night?” he asked when he was finished with his pizza.
Her eyes met his for a second. “There’s nothing to talk about. I think you made it very clear that you’re not interested. I’m sorry I—”
He pulled her into his lap and covered her mouth with his in a kiss that sent a zip throughout his entire body.
“This,” he said against her lips, “is what I’ve been fighting to avoid doing since seeing you at the gas station the other night. This has nothing to do with your work here or with—”
This time it was Mel who pushed her lips against his. She took the kiss further, sliding her fingers into his hair, holding him close as his body tightened against her soft one.
He wanted to lock the doors, carry her upstairs, and enjoy the rest of the afternoon with her. But a soft knocking on the door outside had her pulling away and sliding off his lap.
“I think you’d better get that,” she said.
He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah.” He stood and walked over to the door and flung it open to see Tyler and Trent standing on the other side.
“What?” he asked, sounding a little annoyed.
“We’re here to help,” both men said at the same time.
“We figured you might need a hand around the place. You know, to get ready for this weekend,” Tyler said as he stepped through the door past Brent. Then he stopped and looked around. “Wow, you’re pretty much done in here.”
“Yes.” He held the door open, only to have Trent walk in.
“So where do you need us? What can we do to help?” Trent added.
“I’m good,” he started to say, but Mel jumped in.
“Didn’t you say you needed some help with the tables and chairs outside on the patio?” she asked.
