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1
Savannah
I lovethe smell of coffee beans in the morning. The front door whooshes closed behind me as I step into the Burly Creek branch of Strong Brew. The biggest café of the franchise, I’m met with a dozen employees already zooming around prepping the place for opening. At five in the morning, these people have some serious pep. It brings a smile to my face seeing how efficient everyone is. That makes my job easier. If I’m stepping up as manager for this location, I need to make sure it’s a well-oiled machine.
One of the baristas meets my eye as I head to the counter. She nudges the girl next to her and they both shoot me a welcoming smile. “You must be Savannah.”
“Guilty as charged.” I take the hand of the sweet girl with the doe eyes and pixie hair.
“I’m Ari. I’ll be your Assistant Manager.”
A sigh of relief washes over me. I’m a good judge of character, and I believe that first impressions are everything. Ari seems like a ray of sunshine. “Wonderful to meet you.”
“You too,” she says, wiping down the espresso machine. “You’ll love it here. We’re all like one big, happy family” she pauses, scrunching her face, “most of the time.” As I peer around the café, each employee takes turns catching my eye and offering little finger waves. The little butterflies in my stomach stop their head banging long enough for me to exhale.
I jumped at the opportunity to manage the flagship store. Working directly under the founder and CEO, Quinn Strong, is the only way I’ll ever become Regional Manager. Looking around the place, it’s clear that I’ve made the right decision.
“Want to show me to my office?” I brush my hands against my pants.
“Oh my God, yeah.” Ari steps out from the behind the counter. “Where’s my head?” I follow her down the back hall, past the restrooms until we reach a series of offices. “I think Quinn left it open for you.”
My chest tightens at the man’s name. “Is Mr. Strong in today?”
Her energetic smile fades slightly. “He’s in most days, but he’s not here yet.”
I twist the knob and step inside. My eyes nearly pop from their sockets. I’m used to a cramped back room that I share with my assistant manager. This is practically palatial. There’s a full sized window, a desk, a couch, and a full sized refrigerator with a tiny dining table. “You’re kidding.” I throw my purse on the desk and peer out the window to find a babbling creek running alongside the building. “Dreamy.”
It takes all of my energy not to do a twirl and sing a song from the musicalAnnie.
The feeling is short lived though. My grandmother used to say to us, that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I twist my lips and turn to Ari. “What’s the rub?”
“The…what?”
“Sit down for a second.” I gesture to the couch. I sit with my back to the door, giving her my full attention. “Tell me, why can’t this store keep their managers?”
“What do you mean?”
I can tell I’m making the girl nervous. I throw my red hair over my shoulder and lean in closer like we’re best girlfriends. “The last three managers have quit within six weeks of their hire date. So, what’s the situation? Why are they quitting?”
“Oh,” she says. I cut her off before she can continue.
“Is the job too demanding?”
“No.”
“Too much unpaid overtime?”
“No, we’re really good about keeping to the clock.”
“Then what is it?”
Ari looks around the office and scoots closer to me. The vinyl couch squeaks against her bare leg. “They’ve all had a problem with Quinn.”
“Really?” My interest piques. “Spill the tea.”
“It’s nothing crazy, I just think that everyone’s a little bit scared of him.”
I do a double take, squinting my eyes at the girl. “Scaredof him? What, is he an asshole?”
