It was Molly’s first time stepping inside the local hot springs resort. Tourists were everywhere. As they walked toward therestaurant, she got a peek at the hot springs and knew she would need to come back to check them out.
They were seated quickly since Eli had a reservation. Then they looked over the menu in silence. Molly kept herself busy reading the descriptions of every item just to avoid making small talk. But after the server took their orders and their menus, she had no choice but to talk to Eli.
Why was she so nervous? This wasn’t like her. Never had she been on a date with someone and worried about getting to know them. She could usually carry a conversation with the best of them.
But this felt different.Hewas different. She still felt like she was trying to impress him, but knew that was an irrational thought. She didn’t need to impress him. They were out as friends and couldn’t be anything more. At least not without her quitting her job.
“So,” Eli said, folding his hands in front of him on the table. “What brought you to Storyville?”
It wasn’t a real date, and she hadn’t expected date-like questions.
“Oh. Um, I don’t know. It seemed like a town where I could catch my breath and enjoy life. Somewhere that was away from city life.”
Eli nodded. “You’re from Denver, right?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of work did you do there before moving here?”
She thought back to her job. She had worked for her parents’ company. It had been grueling. Not because her parents owned it, and not because they had insane expectations of her, but because the job itself was exhausting. Her parents didn’t expect anything different from her than they did from anyone else in the office, so it wasn’t unfair treatment. She just didn’t enjoy it anymore.
“I worked in business. Analyzing data and helping companies grow.”
“Interesting.”
She smiled. “Is it?”
“Yes. It’s just not what I expected.”
She knitted her brows together and watched him. “Didn’t you already know that?”
“No. Was I supposed to?”
“Well, you interviewed me after all. Didn’t you read my resume?”
A blush crept up Eli’s neck, and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“So you didn’t read it.” It was a statement. The clear guilt on his face was all the answer she needed. She giggled and leaned forward. His embarrassment was the cutest thing she’d ever seen.
He was trying to push it down; that much she could see.
“Tell me. Were you doing interviews with just anyone? What if they didn’t pass the vibe check?”
He laughed. “Then I wouldn’t hire them.”
“But why waste your time interviewing someone without knowing if they’d be a good fit for your company?”
“Honestly? You work for Katie. Yes, you work for me since I also own the bookstore, but the interviews and selecting candidates were her decision. Not mine. She reviewed the resumes, but being in a small town, there weren’t many applicants. I was only in the interview as a second opinion.”
“I see.”
“Luckily, too. Otherwise, who knows how Lauren would have acted. She might have gotten the job if it had just been Katie interviewing her.”
Molly’s eyes widened. “Is that why she hangs around? She met you in the interview? Or have you known her your whole life?”
“No. Actually, I had never met her prior to the interview. I have no idea why she latched onto me, but her interview was just awkward. She was obsessed with me right off the bat and asked inappropriate questions as if she were interviewing me.”
Molly giggled. “Can you imagine if she had been hired?”
