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She gave me a skeptical look as if she wasn’t sure what to do with the question. She had seemed like a woman who knew her own mind and could handle a random question thrown at her. I didn’t think the question was too off the mark. I wanted someone who had experience and could handle anything that was thrown at them. If she couldn’t handle an off the wall question by me, then she certainly didn’t deserve to be a host in my restaurant.
“Oh, that would have to be when Trent Brown and Peter Douglas came in with their families one night for dinner at my parents' restaurant. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal but Trent and his team had just beaten Peter and his team in the conference hockey championship. Needless to say, there was some bad blood that hadn’t remained on the ice.”
“Did they start something? Did you have to break anything up?” I asked.
“There were a few words that were exchanged not only between the two men but their fathers as well. It started to get heated so I quickly found both of them tables.”
“Did seating them across the restaurant from each other put an end to it?” I asked.
It was what I would have done in that scenario and I was curious how this was the most interesting situation she had ever been in and how quiet and respectable her parents’ restaurant was. Maybe she wasn’t actually ready to handle what I would need.
“Not in the least. I sat them right next to each other. I made sure the men were less than five feet from each other,” she said with a smile.
“And you thought this was wise?”
“Yes. I told each family as I sat down, if they so much as raised a ruckus, or said anything that was inappropriate or rude to any of the other patrons, especially the other family, they would have to buy their meal, and that I had informed the other family of the same.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“Both hated the idea of having to pay for the other’s meal, they kept their mouths shut. They were both convinced that the other wouldn’t be able to stay quiet and that they were getting a free meal so they bought appetizers, a couple of desserts, and even a nice bottle of wine. They racked up some nice bills,” she said.
“Which they had to pay for when the other didn’t say anything or cause a problem.”
“Exactly. Everyone got to enjoy a nice meal and my parents got a nice boost in their sales for the night. Everyone won. Sometimes the best way to diffuse a situation is to make it impossible for the parties to do anything more than have a good time.”
“Interesting. I never would have thought to do that.”
“Neither did my father and he almost fired me that night; but it worked out for the best,” she said with a shrug.
“Did you think it would?”
“No, but I sent my little sister to be their server and both guys had a bit of a crush on her. That helped keep them on their best behavior.”
“Ah, the secret weapon of the little sister,” I said with a laugh.
“Used that one yourself a few times, have you?” Alexandria asked.
“My family and especially my sister are not open for discussion. We are here to discuss you,” I said coldly.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No. I’m the one who should apologize to you. I’m a little protective of my family, especially my sister. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I have to say, you aren’t what I was expecting and think you might be a little too qualified for the job.”
“That’s interesting coming from a man of your standing and lifestyle,” she countered.
Her eyes held mine when she said it and I could tell she didn’t think that I had ever worked a day in my life and certainly never had to work hard at anything. It wasn’t the first time I had seen that look and it wasn’t going to be the last. I never would have thought it would come from a potential employee.
“As I don’t have a resume in front of me, why don’t you tell me why you think you’re right for this job,” I said.
I felt like she was egging me on when she spoke. I might have said to her I didn’t want to talk about my family but it didn’t seem to stop her from continuing to try to get me to open up to her. For some reason, I wanted to. I didn’t get the impression she was asking because she wanted to gossip about me, but that she honestly wanted to know.
“What qualifications are you looking for?” she asked.
When she did, her eyes lit up and she got a slight mischievous look on her face. It immediately made me want to know what she was thinking and what other ways I could get that look to come on her face. She was an attractive woman with unique features. If this had happened three years ago, I would be working on finding a way to have the interview end in a more intimate way than a handshake.
I was putting my player ways behind me; I had a restaurant to run and it needed all my concentration. I didn’t have the time and felt like I didn’t always have the energy to put into being with a woman. I was very much thinking of making the time when it came to Alexandria Ricci, and it was the first time I had felt like that in a long time.
When her eyes came back onto me, I could see that she felt the attraction too. I could see it in how her breath shuttered just a little before she took a deep breath. It was in how her eyes moved from my eyes to my lips and then immediately back to my eyes, and how her hands gripped the side of the chair a little tighter than was necessary.
