Her friends all gave her knowing looks. “Same,” Kat replied. “My mom once told me that, because I had a degree, I’d be a shoo in for any job I wanted.”
Emily whistled. “It must be nice to not need internships and years of experience before you’ve even graduated in order to get a job…”
Paige chuckled, and then she hit the arms of her chair. “Enough moping about it,” she declared. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll figure it out. Anyway, what have you guys been up to outside of work?”
Her friends enlightened her about their various experiences in the dating game – all of them were dating; none of them were married yet. This struck Paige as interesting, but at the same time it wasn’t unusual for people their age to be waiting. Yet another difference between their generation and their parents’ generation…
“Honestly, I’ve been so busy trying to take care of things at work that I haven’t had time to give it much thought,” Paige confessed. “It’d be nice to have a boyfriend, but I don’t know where I’d find the time. Whenever I have free time lately, I just feel guilty about it.”
“Well, let us help you find a nice new job and then we can help play match-maker,” Iris said to her with a wink.
Normally, Paige might’ve felt completely helpless, confessing such things, but she knew her friends had her best interests at heart. They weren’t going to treat her like the naïve duck she felt like she was. She didn’t know where she’d be without them. She didn’t know how she’d survived so long without spending time with them.
Chapter Three
Being back at home was nice for Doug, but the problems between his mother and his aunt were very apparent and unceasing. The two women got along normally, but they were both strong-willed and opinionated, and they each thought they should be running things at Stony Creek Ranch. They both seemed to constantly forget that Doug was the one with his name on the deed.
He went into the kitchen one morning to grab himself a quick breakfast and he found his mom and Aunt Bea there, arguing as usual. “I know how to handle this event, Helen,” his aunt said in a syrupy voice meant to sting. “After all, I’m the one with the cookbooks and the YouTube channel.”
Helen scoffed. “I’m the one who helped you publish those books,” she said calmly. “And I recall Doug helping you get set up on YouTube, back in the day, so don’t pretend for one minute to be holier-than-thou about it.”
Aunt Bea appeared scandalized by this, but it was true. She hadn’t reached her level of success without help from her family. None of them had. “What’s going on now?” he asked them, setting down his box of cereal so he could focus on them instead of his sugary flakes for a moment.
The sisters stopped glaring icily at each other long enough to look over at him, their expressions softening. Doug had a strong suspicion they hadn’t even noticed him standing there until then.
“The wedding scheduled for today,” Aunt Bea said, sounding about as exasperated as she looked. “Someone needs to be in charge of things running smoothly, so I suggested that I could do it, but your mother thinks otherwise.”
“I just think you ought to stay focused on the food and running that end smoothly while I put my hospitality to good use,” Doug’s mother fired back.
“Oh, so you’re saying I should just stay in the kitchen?” Bea countered.
Doug felt like ducking even though no projectiles had actually been thrown. “Ladies, ladies…” he said, trying to keep his tone calm and even jovial, which was hard when they seemed like they may break out into a fight at any moment. “Remember, it’s a wedding you’re planning for today. A happy occasion. I don’t think the bride and groom would want you fighting over them like this. Why can’t you work together?”
His mom and aunt eyed each other as if silently begging the other to speak first. Neither of them wanted to extend their fight to Doug. In their eyes, he’d done nothing wrong and shouldn’t be involved in their tiff. “Every event needs someone in charge,” his mother finally said, explaining the job to Doug as if he didn’t know how to run an events venue. “We can’t both be in charge, because we’re both, well, bossy. You know how we can be. I don’t think it looks very professional to have us bickering when a client just wants to be taken care of and have a wonderful day on our ranch.”
“But don’t you see? That’s exactly my point,” Doug said, looking from his mother to his aunt and back again. “If you’d put aside your differences and your disagreements and just work together for the clients, you’d be both happier and more successful.”
He knew one of them was going to have to give in to the other and he wasn’t sure it was going to happen. They were both so stubborn and, well, bossy… But then Doug remembered he was the one in charge of the entire business. “Mom, I think you can handle running things this time,” he said at last, making an executive decision and nodding so as to give it finality. “Aunt Bea, you get the next event, and you can take turns from there.”
The women appeared taken-aback by this approach, but to Doug’s great surprise, they didn’t argue with him. “All right,” his aunt said after a momentary pause to take in what he’d rather forcefully suggested. She clearly didn’t like what he’d decided, but she was going along with it out of familial love if for no other reason.
The wedding was able to go on without a hitch – although certainly people got hitched – after this conversation. Doug was confident his mother would take the lead and work well with her sister as her helper. Meanwhile, he retired to his office so he could get ranch work done. The expense reports weren’t going to fill themselves out. It was probably the least fun part of the job, but someone had to do it and it fell to him since he was the owner. To be fair, though I bet it’s more fun, I don’t think I’d be as good at running events as my mom is.
Even as he thought this, something had grown glaringly obvious to him. They needed to hire some fresh, new faces to take on the burden. His mom and aunt had only grown cattier as the years had gone on, and there wasn’t really any sign of them adapting and working well together. Short of edging them out entirely, Doug thought it might be a good idea to hire a new event coordinator and possibly even a new head chef, though he really did fear the wrath of Aunt Bea and her skills with steak knives, so he might take on one new person at a time…
He didn’t wish to rush into something like this, though. He hoped there could be a transition period, where his mother and aunt got used to the idea of stepping aside. Based on their reaction to his suggestion that they take turns leading, he thought there could be real promise. Doug knew they were both very fond of the dude ranch and all of the hard work they put into it, but they weren’t getting any younger and he thought new employees could bring some fresh approaches to things, things they might never have even thought of before.
When he had a chance to pause his work on reports and inventories, Doug opened up his browser and wrote out an email for his friends Leeroy, Ray, and Phil.
Hey guys, long time no see! I’m back in town now, working on getting things more organized and under control at Stony Creek. My aunt and mom sure have a lot of opinions, LOL. I’d love to hang out with y’all and get the latest on how you’ve been. Let me know what days and times work best! Looking forward to seeing ya! – Doug
He knew time away from the ranch would be beneficial to his sanity. He’d spent enough time around his mom and aunt to know his presence there wasn’t always noticed or appreciated, too, which was another reason he thought hiring some new staff was a good idea. He wanted things to go back to being a nice family venture instead of such a stressful, hostile environment. Doug’s dad wouldn’t have just sat by and shut up; he would’ve taken action and gotten things back under his control. Doug was trying.
His friends would probably be able to give him some guidance in that regard. They each worked on ranches nearby, though none of them were tourist ranches so their perspective was somewhat different. It might be refreshing to hear some thoughtful i
deas from people who weren’t so fully immersed in the world of tourism and high-class events.
In the end, Doug’s friends texted him instead of sending him emails. They planned an evening to get together at a steakhouse in town. He really was excited to see them again; it wasn’t only because he needed their advice and thoughts on the matters at his ranch. He just wished Ashton, Tim, and Craig could be there as well, even if they didn’t quite know what to make of his problems.
“It’s been a while,” his friend Ray said with a smile as Doug eased into a seat at their table. “How are things?”
“Are the ladies still arguing?” Phil asked.
Doug nodded. “Same as ever,” he replied. “I told them to take turns as the one running things and I know they hate it. But they can’t compromise enough to co-lead.”
“It sounds like you’ve got more than one child with you there,” Leeroy sagely added. “If I were you, I would definitely take on some additional folks.”
“People who aren’t family or any of their friends,” Ray suggested.
They ordered their steaks and drinks, and then Doug thirstily drank his homemade root beer. He had to admit, at least to himself, it was nice to be away from his crazy family for a while. Ever since he’d returned from his trip to New York City, he’d been in the midst of their daily battles for control. He’d had enough.
“Yeah, I was thinking about posting a job opening to an online board,” he told his friends. “That’s the best way to do it, right? If I put now hiring out in front, you know my mom and aunt will notice and get even more angry.”
His friends nodded. “Oh yeah, definitely do it discreetly online. Most everyone uses the internet to apply for things these days, and you can be sure to pick the right person or people by thoroughly interviewing them… When your family’s not around, I guess,” Phil explained thoughtfully.
Doug nodded back at his friends, mulling it over. There was an element of sneakiness to this plan, but he didn’t mind being a bit sneaky when he had to be. His aunt and mother had left him no choice. He couldn’t stand to let them jeopardize the ranch they’d all worked so hard to keep up and running successfully for all of these years. He hoped to pass it on to Devon one day, but that would be impossible if the dude ranch failed.
After a pleasant dinner with his friends, Doug returned to his ranch. He stepped inside and found a mess waiting for him in the kitchen. All kinds of food was splattered everywhere, on the floor, countertops and even the ceiling! He had to be careful where he stepped so he wouldn’t slip on potatoes or chocolate fondue. There was a trail of food leading all the way out the back door and onto the lawn where the wedding had taken place. Apparently, the truce between his mother and aunt hadn’t lasted through this wedding’s reception. Thankfully, the guests had all departed but he found his aunt and mother outside, throwing handfuls of hors d’oeuvres in each other’s general direction.
“Everything would have gone just fine if you’d stayed out of my way!” his aunt yelled at his mother, tossing a handful of croquettes and barely missing Helen’s face.
“I was only trying to help you so things would go quickly!” Helen yelled back at Beatrice, chucking some pieces of cheese back her way. “Your presentations always take so long!”
Instead of just letting the food fight continue, Doug rushed between them and nearly got a cupcake to the face in the process. “Stop!” he cried out, holding his arms outstretched in an effort to keep them back from each other. He was grateful neither of them was near a full cake or pie. “What on earth is going on, you two? I can’t leave you here for a few hours without making a mess of everything? When did this start?” He hoped the guests hadn’t been around during this outburst.
“I kept it together during the ceremony and the reception,” Aunt Bea told him, seemingly embarrassed now as she could see from Doug’s face that he was upset. “But once it was all over, I just… snapped. I have never been bossed around like this before. I am one of the top chefs in the state if not the country!”
“Yes, well, apparently you lack hospitality skills,” Helen snapped back at her. “Which is a requirement of this job. So maybe you ought to crawl back to your restaurant so I can run my ranch in peace.”
“Now now,” Doug said firmly to the both of them. “The one in charge of these decisions is me, and I say you’ve got to work it out and compromise, or both of you will be out of your jobs here.”
He hated to say it, but it had come to that point. His mother was being just as bad for business as his aunt was, so it wouldn’t be enough to have his aunt go back to working full-time in her barbeque restaurant. “I’m like a second away from calling in a counselor, ladies. And I know neither of you wants that.” Mostly because neither of them respects authority…
It was a wonder he’d turned out all right.
“Now, clean up this mess you made. I want to see it spotless and ready to go for the next event. And no excuses or I’ll make good on what I said.”
He shook his head and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans before turning and going back inside the main ranch house. Doug went off in search of his son and it didn’t take him long to find him. Devon’s nanny tended to always have him in his playroom so he was out of the women’s hair. Doug had a feeling he was out of the women’s minds as well. Would they behave like this if Devon was watching them? He knew for a fact they behaved better when he was around, so Devon would probably make them feel even guiltier about acting like misbehaving children themselves.
As soon as he went into Devon’s playroom, Doug sat down on the toy-covered carpet and pulled his little boy into his lap. “How are you doing, little man?” he asked Devon, making sure to have a smile in his voice as well as on his face. He hoped the kid hadn’t been around to witness or hear his grandmother and great aunt fighting. He feared his son had heard a lot of it already. It was harder to avoid when he wasn’t around to be there for him and distract him away from it…
“I’m doing okay,” Devon replied, too distracted by his toys to give his dad much notice. “There was a wedding today so Edith said not to go downstairs.”
Doug nodded. He felt bad about his kid not being able to frolic around the house, but since it was used in photos and parts of the ceremony a lot of the time, it was a better idea to keep him sequestered during events. “You can come outside now, though,” he said. “Everyone’s gone.” He realized his mom and aunt were probably still in the middle of clearing away all of their mess, though, and fighting about it… “Or you can at least come downstairs with me.”
Devon finally looked at him and then he stood up from his lap, taking his hand. “Let’s go downstairs,” he said authoritatively. “I want to see if there’s any cake left.”
Doug laughed. If it hasn’t all been thrown at our family members, there might be some left, he thought.
Once they were downstairs, Doug made sure to get Devon an untarnished slice of cake and then he went into his office so he could get some work done. Too much fun could lead to problems down the line, and he’d had a day of nothing but goofing off. It had felt good for his soul, though, so he wasn’t going to complain.
Sitting down at his desk, Doug went onto a job site and worked on posting a job listing for a new events coordinator. He wasn’t planning to completely dethrone his mother as the events planner, but he knew she could use help. He was also thinking of giving his aunt a position better fitting her expertise – namely, she could be in charge of the food portion of the event planning. The menu, the schedule of meals, that sort of thing. He didn’t anticipate her making much of a fuss about it. Most of the main event planning was more his mom’s forte and Aunt Bea had to know that by now.
“Stony Creek Ranch & Resort is seeking a qualified events coordinator,” Doug typed. “Must have experience in working large-scale events, public speaking, customer service, and some light marketing skills are a plus. Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, with some flexibility strongly preferred
as some events are outside of these hours. Please email resume and cover letter as well as a short list of three references in order to be considered. Thank you.”
Doug felt strange writing a formal email to an unknown audience; he’d only really employed his family and friends of his family while he was in charge, so this was stepping out of his comfort zone a little bit. He posted this job listing on a number of sites, so he believed he’d hear back from quite a number of people. I wonder how much someone in that role should be paid, he thought. I suppose I could ask in interviews what people are looking for, salary-wise.
That was one nice thing about employing his family. They didn’t bicker about money because it was shared with Doug and everyone else they’d hired on over the years. He didn’t sit down and write checks for his mother, for example. She lived well there because he took care of her.
He hoped his mom wouldn’t be too upset at him for looking for someone new to help fill her role. She was getting older and it was evident the position was taking a toll on her even if she didn’t want to admit it. His mom had a Type A personality for sure, and so had his dad… They all knew how that had turned out for the late Mr. Crofton. Doug was actually amazed his parents hadn’t been at each other’s throats all the time the way she and Aunt Bea were. He supposed it was something to do with them being sisters as opposed to being in love… One didn’t get to choose one’s family, after all.
“Oh, Roxanne,” he said to a picture of his wife on his desk. “What am I going to do about them? It was all so much easier to deal with when you were here with me. You kept Mom in line somehow, I guess because she was afraid you were just going to fire her.” He chuckled a bit. He missed being able to be in charge of everything with his wife at his side. She’d been the brains often, as well as the heart. Everyone had loved her and respected her.
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