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Duke didn’t know what that meant and wondered what drama he could be opening himself up to, but if Hadley had the same work ethic as her parents—even half that—then it’d be worth it for now.
“I can always use the help,” he said. “If you want to have her come in today, I’ll be here all day.”
If Hadley couldn’t make the time to show up today then she wasn’t that interested.
“She’ll be here,” Stan said. “We don’t live that far and she’s staying in our guest house. I’ll just send her a text to come over now if you have the time.”
He wasn’t sure how much of this was Stan trying to save his daughter from being a bum on his property or actually helping her out.
Maybe this chick didn’t want to work here.
No, he couldn’t think that. Not when Stan said she came here on her vacation and spent the time working.
“Sure,” he said. “Let her know. I’ve got time.”
He wasn’t opening for another two and a half hours. He’d get some work done while he waited. He was going over the menu and looking at food costs and what was available this week for specials. He ordered a few times a week, but most of the food had to come over on the ferry. He’d get a shipment on Tuesday and Friday. If he needed another over the weekend, he’d do it, but he tended to plan well enough to not worry.
Plus he could always cover with stuff from Duke’s. He’d figured it out as he always did.
He continued to work, Stan having left to go outside after he said he’d introduce them when Hadley arrived.
He’d try to keep an open mind but wasn’t holding his breath either.
4
Her New Boss
“Thanks, Dad,” Hadley said ten minutes later. She’d known her father was coming here to talk to Duke Raymond this morning and wanted to be prepared in case the guy wanted to meet her.
Any embarrassment she had over her father getting her a job had to be pushed aside.
Even though she’d known she was moving here a few weeks ago and was looking for jobs and sending out resumes, she wasn’t getting too many bites.
She found it odd since they were always looking for employees on the island. And though she said she’d take any old job, she knew she would at some point. If she could make enough to get by here, that would buy her time to find something more than a filler job.
And it’d let her get her wedding cake business going. She hadn’t said anything to her parents about that. They didn’t even know she did it.
It was something she started years ago for fun. Making cakes for parties and weddings of friends. She’d charge a little for her time or supplies but not much more.
The better she got, the more people wanted them and she kept doing it on the side for extra income.
Taking care of Eddie hadn’t allowed her to take on too many jobs, but she was hoping she could get back to that here on the island.
Her research showed her there were only two bakeries on the island that did it or people were buying their cakes off the island and having to get them here on the ferry.
That might work to her benefit to not worry about that.
“You’re welcome. Duke is nice. I knew he’d agree.”
“I feel like you probably put him on the spot,” she said.
“No,” her father said. “He’s not that way. Trust me. He’s a good guy. I think it helps that you’ve worked here before.”
She thought that might hurt. In her experience, if someone was starting something over or new they didn’t want old employees to stick around.
“We’ll see,” she said.
Her father went in the back door where it was open. She’d seen the big SUV parked back there. A black Escalade. It had to be Duke’s. Her four-year-old Honda looked tiny in comparison. The only thing she could be happy about was in one year it’d be paid for. One less bill to have.
