Big Pickle: A Secret Boss Romantic Comedy - JJ Knight Page 0,35
so we don’t have too much sitting out when the customer flow drops. As he walks by with the stack of metal bins, he bumps my shoulder. “What’s stuck in your craw?”
“Mom was out all night. I had to bring Leah.”
“Oh. That woman.” Lamonte knows all about my issues with my mother. “She has seriously got to grow up.” He heads to the back.
Jason passes him and holds the door. “Is it a good time to go over the register?” he asks me.
I glance over the deli. Only three tables are filled, and no one is in line.
“Sure.”
I show him the ordering system, and how to key in the sandwiches, drinks, desserts, and extras. “There are two coupons on the national website. Here’s how you put that discount in.”
“We have coupons?” He seems surprised.
“Sure. The website is maintained by the chain.”
“Huh.”
We practice an order, and then I cancel it out. The cash tray slides open and I bump it closed.
“Is there a way to open this if you accidentally close it when you’re trying to give change?” Jason asks.
“Yes, you have to key in a certain sequence.”
I show him how it works, and the tray opens again.
“How do we make sure we have enough change?”
“I keep a fair amount in the safe,” I tell him. “If the stack of twenties gets too high, lift the bottom tray and shove them underneath. I rarely have to do a refill run, because I’m solid on what we need. But every once in a while, something strange happens, like a bus full of kids who all have twenty-dollar bills. That will require opening the safe for more small bills.”
“Are you the only person who can get into the safe?”
“Currently. We should probably assign someone else in case I get hit by a bus.”
“Hit by a bus? That’s cheerful.”
“It’s a business thing. Every company should have a plan for what they would do if the most important player is hit by a bus. Could the doors be unlocked? Could they operate the business? Take money? Or would everything fall apart? It’s the best test.” I lean on the counter. “Didn’t you learn this in business school? It’s a 101 sort of topic.”
“Oh right, yeah. I remember. But right now, if you were hit by a bus, Austin Pickle would fall apart.”
I shrug. “I guess Jace Pickle would have to come down here and handle it.”
“When Susan was manager, did we pass the bus test?”
“I don’t know. It was a different crew then. I seem to recall an assistant manager type person who filled in for her. But I was a part-timer then.”
“So, you went from part-timer to running this place?”
I shove the register closed. “Not right away. We had some other crew in the middle. I was able to work full-time over the Christmas holiday, and then it all happened.”
It was a hot mess, but we made it through.
An elderly couple walks through the door. “You want to try?” I ask him.
“Sure,” he says. “They don’t look too scary.”
Jason stands with me as we take the couple’s order, and I make the sandwiches.
When we head to the register, I watch him go through the process of ringing it up and accepting the credit card.
When the couple has settled down to eat, I tell them, “Perfect. You learn quickly.” I glance at the clock. “Only fifteen minutes till closing time. Can you go check on the back and see what the dish status is?”
He nods and heads out. I watch him push through the door, and his butt definitely looks good in those jeans. I remember the moment when he took off his shirt, and all the intense daydreams I’ve had since then.
The way he worked with my sister this morning hasn’t hurt anything.
He seems trustworthy and smart. He picked up this new skill easily.
He’s willing to come in early. He’s pulling as many hours as me these days. And he doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere anytime soon.
Maybe I ought to reel him in.
17
Jace
I absolutely do not expect the message that comes through on my iPad late Sunday morning.
Reviewing books later today. Want to come?
I fall back onto my bed, shocked.
Nova can’t be that impressed with my cash register skills.
But maybe something’s started to give.
I lie there a full five minutes, my head whirling with possibility, when I realize I haven’t written her back.
I quickly tap out a message: Absolutely. What time?