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I sit in his office in a chair opposite his messy desk.
“So, we desperately need a Girl Friday around here. Do you know what that is? I might be aging myself a bit,” he says, chuckling. I join in. He’s probably sixty years old in that adorable old-man way. Now that Dana is standing, I can see that she’s heavily pregnant as she brings in a coffee for Jonathan and sets it on his desk, ignoring the six empty paper cups scattered around.
“I do. Anything that needs to be done, I’m your gal, as long as it's not construction related. I’m afraid I have no skills in that area, but anything else.”
“That’s great. Just office work and some light cleaning. As you can see, we need the help.”
“Sure. That’s no problem.” I actually love to clean, so this works out.
“I’m about to go on maternity leave,” Dana says, rubbing her big belly. A pang of jealousy hits me. At nineteen, babies should be the furthest thing from my mind, but they are never far from my thoughts. Fashion and babies go hand in hand, right? That’s why it’s always been a bit of a pipe dream because if I had to choose between a job in fashion and being a mom, being a mom would win, hands down.
“So we need you to start right away. Can you do that? We can start at twenty dollars an hour, with room for a raise after ninety days. Monday through Friday, eight to four. Does that sound good?”
“That sounds great. Do you want me to start today?”
“Can you?”
“Yes. I’ve got nothing to do. I could start with cleaning.”
“That sounds amazing. I just haven’t felt like it. This man’s baby is sapping all the energy out of me,” she says, gesturing to Jonathan.
“Oh, you’re married?” I ask, a little surprised. That’s quite an age gap. I’ve never seen one so large in real life. Books, for sure. It’s kind of cool.
“Three months now,” she says, holding her left hand out to me.
“Congratulations. That’s a very nice ring,” I tell her, and she smiles. She’s probably my age, maybe just a little older.
Nope, I’m not jealous at all.
ChapterThree
Kent
Looking down at the text message I just received, I know that it didn’t come from Dana. Dana is my boss’s girl, and she can be a bit abrupt. Downright bitchy even. I know she’s pregnant, and they must have finally got someone else in the office. I still haven’t been in the office in a while, but I’ve got to make the time. Marla’s insurance depends on it.
Unknown: Hi Kent! We have been contracted to upkeep some underwater joints of the causeway. I’ve been told you are the go-to guy for underwater welding. The fifth leg from the Metairie side is what needs to be assessed. I have arranged for Nick to meet you with a boat at the water’s edge at 10 this morning. Is this doable, or should I reschedule?
Me: Who is this?
Unknown: Belle Fisher from Barry Brother’s Construction.
Me: The new receptionist?
Belle: Kinda. Is 10 am okay?
Me: I’ll be there
Belle: It’s good to textually meet you. Be safe out there today.
Me: It was nice to text you too. I’ll be safe, Au revoir, ma chère
Belle: Flirting with me won’t be necessary, Monsieur Beaufoy.
Me: Since when is flirting not necessary?
She doesn’t answer me, and I couldn’t help checking my damn phone for the rest of the day. When have I ever done that? I don’t know the woman. She could be ninety for all I know, but something tells me she’s not.
At ten o’clock, I pull into the parking lot for the beach access to the lake. I see Nick backing the boat down the ramp. I grab my gear and walk over to him.
