Second Chance Baby

“Yes,” I said, not really knowing what else to use to fill the silence after he stopped talking.

“We went over the other applicants, and all of us decided you’re the best candidate. You’re officially hired.”

Getting a reliable job was exactly what I wanted, but now that I heard it coming from him, I hesitated. “Can I have a couple of days to think about it first before I give you my answer?

“Sure,” he said. “That’s not a problem. But I hope you’ll choose to work for us, because we think it would be a great fit.”

I got off the phone and found Stephanie staring at me.

“What?” I asked.

“You should just take the job,” she said. “Why are you hesitating?”

“You know exactly why I’m hesitating. I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to work with my ex. Not even with my ex. For my ex. That can’t possibly be a good dynamic,” I said.

“The two of you were always a good dynamic,” she said. “Even during difficult times. And even if you weren’t, it’s been a long time. Years.”

Hearing that made my stomach turn slightly, and I looked away to fight the emotion that still burned the back of my throat and bubbled up in my eyes when I thought about those hopeless, helpless last couple of weeks in Astoria.

“Were we?” I asked. “I don’t know if that’s really true. There were definitely times when we were not good. But that’s not the point. Regardless of how long it’s been, there’s still awkwardness between us. Seriously palpable tension. I just don’t think we could work together without it becoming overwhelming.”

“Think of it this way. You haven’t even been called back for another interview yet,” she said.

“I only just put in the applications within the last couple of hours,” I said. “They probably haven’t gotten to it yet.”

“The Andersons have. And they want you for the position. You said you were looking for something quick that you could depend on to help you take care of your parents. They offered you the job. All you have to do is accept it.”

I sighed and looked out over the pristine calm of the park. “That’s the thing. There’s a lot I don’t know if I can accept.”6Mason“She asked for a couple of days to make a decision,” Tyler said.

I looked at him incredulously it. “She asked for a couple of days? She’s the one who put in an application for the position. She came in for an interview. Why would you need a couple of days to decide if she was going to take the position?”

“I don’t know,” Tyler said. “She didn’t give me an explanation. All she said was she needed a couple of days to think about it. I figured maybe she put in applications other places and wanted to consider her options.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head, “during the interview she told me the only reason she was even applying to be a bartender when she has as much experience and education as she does is because she really needs the job. Her parents need her help. The whole reason she came back from Michigan is to help take care of her father after his accident. Now she realizes they need more help than she thought, and the only way she’s going to be able to give them that is to have a job.”

After a few silent seconds, I turned to look at my brother. He was staring at me from the corner stool at the bar.

“What’s going on?” Jesse asked, coming out of the kitchen with a pile of fresh fries mounded up on two plates. Tyler saw them on the bar and snagged one to eat.

“Mason is having a meltdown,” Tyler said.

I rolled my eyes at my brother. “I’m not having a meltdown.”

“You just gave me a full in-depth analysis of why Ava is back in town because you’re freaking out over her not saying whether she’s going to take the position or not,” Tyler said.

“I was giving you an explanation,” I said. “You wanted to know why I thought it was strange she asked for a couple of days to think about it.”

Tyler shook his head and reached for a bottle of ketchup. “Actually, I didn’t. I didn’t ask anything.”

Letting out a breath, I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. The point is, we haven’t heard anything from her, and time is ticking. We really need to get that position filled, and she was the only applicant that came even close to being right for the position. In all reality, she isn’t even right for the position. But she is the best we can get and has the opportunity of helping the business more in the long run.”

“So, you’re just motivated to keep the business going?” Tyler asked.

“Of course,” I said. “What else would it be?”