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“Noted.” I glanced around the dining room, noticing it was filling up rather than emptying out. “All good on the floor?”
“I called in the dragon, so what do you think?”
“Gonna be a busy one. Maybe I should reschedule the rest of the interviews.”
Rami waved me off. “We got it.”
“Sure?”
She gave me a snappy salute. “Aye, Captain.”
“Shut up.” I laughed. Ever since I’d upgraded the simple boat to the barge, my staff had been giving me shit. The lake was an untapped resource, I was sure of it.
There were two sets of stairs to the second floor bar and dining area. I took the side stairs two at a time and noticed my staff had started filling the tables on the second level. Definitely atypical Monday behavior. As I’d poured a bunch of money into the barge, I wasn’t complaining.
It just meant I’d have to do even more hiring.
My head throbbed at the thought. Staffing wasn’t as easy as it used to be. People preferred cushy work at home jobs over the manual labor of being on your feet all day in the service industry. On days like today, I couldn’t blame them.
It took an extra five minutes to get across the dining room. Another part of small town living, everyone knew you—especially when you owned a business in said small town. Oh, and that my older brother was the Chief of Police
No big deal.
By the time I got back to the bar, even the ultra polite Carol was drumming her fingers.
“Sorry, ladies. It’s been a day. If you can’t wait around, I don’t mind—”
“No!” Emmaline practically shouted. “I’m good with waiting. Right, Carol? We’ve been doing it this long.”
Carol checked her wrist discreetly. “I do have to pick up my children by half past two.”
Who the heck said half past two? “I don’t think we’ll take that long.”
I glanced at Emmaline and noted she looked pale. “Miss. Hauser, can I get you something to eat?”
“I’m good.” She pressed her lips together tightly enough that they whitened around the edges then gave me a rueful smile. “Full of fries.” She waved me off. “Take care of Carol’s interview. My butt has made a groove in this stool. I can’t move anyway.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
I turned to Carol. “Okay, let’s go see the boat, then.”
“Boat?” Carol finally seemed a little ruffled.
“Yes. The entertainment coordinator’s purview includes The Mason Jar II.”
“Electric Boogaloo,” Emmaline chirped.
I laughed and glanced over at her.
She pinked up. “Sorry. I’m full of obscure references.”
“Are you saying my boat is an unnecessary sequel?” I knew the reference too, mostly because 80s and 90s movies were a staple of my childhood. Since my mother lit out when I was a baby, my father really didn’t know what to do with me. We’d watched many movies together when I wouldn’t sleep.
“Not this girl.Breakin’ 2was a classic.”
I shook my head and resisted the urge to smile wider. I was not going to be charmed by her. I would remain professional. But damned if I didn’t like her already.
