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“Shit. Is it that nice? Facetime me.”
I rolled my eyes but gave her a grand tour of the cabin via video chat.
???
I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I had to use GPS each time I drove to town. Some stops and turns were becoming familiar. Going to Homestyle on Monday was no different. Hudson told me to choose my hours. I’d never had a boss let me pick when I wanted to work.
Restaurant business hours were eight to seven on weekdays. Eight to eleven on Saturday, and twelve to six on Sunday. Hudson left earlier, so I assumed it was to prepare the food. I arrived before eight and had to knock on the door because it was still locked.
A young man wearing a black apron opened the door and smiled. “You must be Eugene?”
I offered him my hand. “Call me Genie.”
“Come on in.” He ushered me into the restaurant. “Hudson only told us you’d be starting today. I’m Randall, one of the chefs.”
“Hi, Randall.”
“Red.” I recognized Hudson’s gruff tone immediately. I found him at the kitchen entrance, holding the door open as his gaze drilled a hole in me. My skin heated, and the weird response only made me more nervous about that day.
Living and being around that man might be harder than I thought.
“I didn’t expect you this early,” he said.
“You said I could choose my hours?” My words came out like a question. “But if you’d rather me wait until later, let me know when--”
“I did say that, but most people would take the opportunity to sleep in or barely show up,” Hudson said, wearing a black apron like Randall’s. I crinkled my nose. Did he honestly believe I’d choose to worklessbecause he’d offered me the chance to pick my hours? He knew my situation. The steady flow of income was perfect for me. “Come on. I have some papers you need to fill out before you get started.”
There was something odd in Randall’s smile as he looked at his boss. I followed Hudson through the kitchen into a small office. He pulled out the rolling chair behind the desk and gestured for me to sit.
“I need to know how much overtime you’ll allow. If any,” I blurted. As soon as the words were out, I sucked in a deep breath and fidgeted with my fingers. Asking about work hours shouldn’t turn my stomach into knots, but I was all nerves.
“I offered you my home and this job so you wouldn’t overexert yourself.” He placed a hand on the back of my chair and one on top of the desk, to lean over me.
His woodsy cologne or body wash hit me in the face, and I inhaled sharply. He always smelled so good, damn it. I shouldn’t be sniffing my boss slash roommate.
“I’m not going to force you to leave. Ever. So, stop thinking you have to rush to get ahead. You’ll make enough money working through the week to save,” he uttered the words like it might be a promise.
I swallowed. “So, is that a no to overtime?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll allow two weeks out of each month for overtime.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Thanks.”
“Here.” He didn’t remove the hand at the back of my chair as he rustled around papers in drawers, so his neck and chest came awfully close to me. I was so close I could feel the heat of him.
My skin felt like a livewire that wanted to latch onto the energy he provided. I leaned into the cushion to get away from the sensation, as if that would help. I felt like I was being consumed by his proximity.
“Fill this out, and I’ll introduce you to Loretta,” he began. “You’ll see her mostly in the mornings. She’ll get you familiar with the tables, and I’ll get you a menu, so you can familiarize yourself with what we offer. If a customer asks for something that’s not on the menu, always check in at the kitchen before you tell them no. Sometimes, we can make what they want, but not always.”
I picked up the pen and stared at it. “Okay.”
I could feel his gaze on the side of my face.
“You’re nervous,” Hudson stated.
“I’m always nervous about starting a new job, but it gets better over time. Don’t worry.”
“Good. Just remember one thing. Pick up your feet as you walk.”
