“As you can see, Alexis is taken by you, and it appears Clara has nothing but good things to say about you,” Damon said with another perfect smile that filled his rugged face.
I mentally crossed my fingers that he would offer me the job. Alexis appeared to be a dream to work with and was absolutely gorgeous in every way. Paying the bills would be much easier if I was hired and would lift a weight off my shoulders. I needed to pay some bills before I got into the red. Being laid off hadn’t been part of my plan.
“Alexis, what do you think we should say to Miss Karly here?” he asked. “Should we offer her the job now, or should we hold a family meeting about it?”
Alexis walked up to the kitchen counter and pouted her lips as she cocked her head from side to side. She lifted Clara up and over her shoulder. She nodded a few times and then turned to her dad.
“Family meeting. Three of us,” she answered as she lowered Clara and walked off.
She paused and turned around in the archway of the kitchen. She looked at her dad and raised her arms. Clara the ragdoll hung with her face staring at me, and Alexis’s face beamed with the cutest smile she could muster. She turned and vanished into the living room, Damon following after her.
When they came back, Damon led me with a kind, arm-length gesture through the living room toward the door as he grabbed hold of Alexis’s hand. He explained it was courteous to show people out after they’d visited.
“Hear that, Clara? It’s good manners.”
“If it was up to me, I would make the decision straight away,” Damon said as he opened the closet door and reached inside for my coat. “Alexis and Clara have a couple other candidates to interview, so I’ll be in touch with you as soon as I can.”
“It’s not a problem. I fully understand.” I crouched as Alexis held out Clara’s hand for me to shake and mentioned that her arm didn’t ache anymore. “Clara, Alexis, and Mr. Jacobs, it was a pleasure to meet you all,” I said truthfully.
Alexis looked up as I stood. She screwed up her nose when Damon picked her up with his strong arms, accidentally lifting his shirt and flashing his flat stomach. Wow.
“You want me to hail a cab?” he asked.
I stepped from the doorway into the easterly breeze and pulled my collar up close around my neck. The cold disguised the pink flush covering my face.
“It’s fine. I’m going to walk a while. The fresh air will do me good.”
I turned and started to descend the steps. “You look good from where I’m standing,” I heard from behind me.
I paused and turned. “Say again? Sorry, the wind.” I was blushing like a tomato.
Damon grinned. “I said your chances look pretty good.”
I smiled and waved as a rush of wind caught me again. What an interview. I felt good, really good.
Chapter 3
Damon
“Okay, Rhonda, tell Derringer I’ll be giving him the biggest bonus this year. I might even take him to see a show,” I said. Silence settled on the other end of the line as Rhonda realized my meaning. I wasn’t talking about cabaret; Derringer was well-known for his love of strip clubs—the expensive kind.
“Oh. Yes, Mr. Jacobs. I will pass the message on. Um, Mr. Chan had another request while he was here too. He asked if he could go back to Cerro’s again tomorrow.”
My heart skipped a beat. Chan was in. He had to be. He never requested anything unless he was in. “Of course, and if he wants, he can go to a show. Give him anything he damn well pleases. Actually, book a private one for him. Send Benson to his motel room for that. He knows what to do.”
The line went silent, and I waited for Rhonda to scoop her bottom lip from the floor. She was always shocked when I asked her to arrange a show for the male clientele. “Um, yes, sir.”
“Use Candy’s for that, and put it on the corporate.” I heard her breathe out again, probably wishing I’d never said the words. Rhonda was quite a prude but brilliant at her job, even if it didn’t always align with her Christian religion.
“Um, yes, sir.”
The pinch of her moral code was getting to me, making me feel guilty for bringing it up. “Get Rani to book Candy’s. Then she’ll learn how to do it in the future.”
I pictured a smile forming on Rhonda’s face. Her words practically danced as she spoke. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Jacobs. I’m sure she’ll do that very well indeed.”
“Bye, Rhonda. See you in a few days. Any issues, tell me straight away. And keep Derringer fed and watered.”