“You want me to coach a high school team?” Cam pulled into a space and hit the brake. Two mechanics heading toward the workshop turned to look at the Audi, their eyes widening as they saw the dent in the side.
“No, I want you to be seen with a high school team. Community work, that’s the thing. I want your hair cut, your best smile on, and you to continue working out like you’re still playing. You need to be a force to be reckoned with on the sidelines, the same way you are when you’re in the game. Leave it with me. I’ll get my people to speak to some local schools and teams. We can make this work. And in the meantime, keep your nose clean and keep your body in peak condition, okay? I can probably get a lot of sponsorships for us after this.”
Cam rolled his eyes. “Sure. Got it. Listen, I have to go. I’m at the dealership.”
“You buying a new car?”
“Reparing the old one. It’s a long story.”
“Okay. Go and get it repaired. I’ll call you this afternoon.” Derek didn’t say goodbye before ending the call. He never did. His time was money, and extraneous words cost dollars. Shaking his head as he turned off the ignition, Cam walked into the dealership and headed for the reception desk, pretending not to notice the staff members staring at him, and elbowing each other as he weaved his way through the cars in the showroom.
“Hi.” A young man with a bright smile greeted him. “Mr. Hartson, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Cam passed him the car keys. “I have my car booked in for repairs. While I’m here, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, shoot.” Another wide smile.
“Do you have a phone number for a Honda Dealership? I need to buy a new wheel for a Civic.”
Chapter Six
“Your presentation was impressive,” the older woman said. “And your résumé, too.” She turned over the piece of paper with Mia’s work history printed out on it, placing it on the table. “Why would you want to come work for a company like ours when you’ve been running your own for years?”
Mia smiled. She’d rehearsed this answer in her head ever since she’d received the invitation to interview. Before that, even. Because it’s the same question she would have asked if their roles were reversed. “I ran the company with my ex-husband. I took responsibility for the sales and marketing, while he ran the operations and finance. We dissolved the business last year and agreed to divorce, and now I’m looking for a new challenge here in Hartson’s Creek.”
“So you’re planning to stay here?” the younger man who’d introduced himself as Nathan, asked her. She knew from reading about the business that Nathan was one of four siblings involved in running the distillery, which was owned by their mother, Eliana Scott, who was sitting next to him. Nathan was the operations manager, and if she got the job, he’d be her boss. But she got the impression it was Eliana she really needed to impress.
“Yes. My children are happily enrolled in local schools, and I’m staying with my uncle while I look for a permanent home for us. I love it here, and have no plans to relocate.”
Eliana nodded. “Have you applied for any other positions?”
“A few,” Mia told her with a nod. “But can I be completely honest?”
Nathan raised an eyebrow, then nodded.
“My heart is really set on working for you. You have an amazing product, and that’s a dream for a marketing executive like me. While your whiskey sells itself once somebody has tasted it, I know that I can introduce it to so many new consumers. As I said in my presentation, there are a lot of different strategies we could follow, depending on what you think fits best with your brand. But I’m passionate about making your market share increase. About finding untapped markets not only in the US, but abroad as well. I can make your product stand out and make G. Scott Carter the brand that everybody asks for when they want a glass of whiskey at the end of a meal.” She took a deep breath before looking them both in the eye. “You’re great at making whiskey, and I’m great at marketing. I feel like this could be a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Nathan bit down a grin, and looked at his mother. “Any more questions?” he asked her.
Eliana shook her head. “I think I have all I need.”
“You should hear from us within a few days,” Nathan told her as he escorted her out of the interview a few minutes later. “But I can tell you I’m impressed. And my mother was, too.”
She was? Mia blinked, because Eliana had looked thoroughly unimpressed. But she’d take it anyway. “Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. You have a very special business here.”
Once she’d walked out of the building, Mia let out a long, deep breath, feeling her muscles relax for the first time that day. Despite the days of practicing her presentation, and the near-miss thanks to her tire blowing, the interview had gone well.
Or at least, it had felt that way.
It was only as she opened her car door that she noticed a note stuffed between her windshield and the wiper. She pulled it out, the paper flapping in the breeze as she unfolded it.
It was a complement slip, with Lawson Honda, Shawsville VA printed in red swirly letters at the top.
Dear Ms. Devlin. As instructed, your tire has been replaced, and your spare tire has been placed next to the trunk. Thank you for paying in full over the telephone.
She blinked at the words. She’d been planning to drive to a garage on her way home. Not a dealership, because she knew they charged an arm and a leg. A local garage selling generic brands would be fine. She wanted to feel annoyed, because she was perfectly capable of doing this.
But instead, a little fire sparked deep inside her. Because the tall, muscled football player had gone out of his way to help her. And it made her feel a little gooey.