out for a breath of fresh air. “Where do I sign? I’m Madge. Don’t suppose it would be all right if I brought Bruiser in with me, would it? Even though the rain cooled things down, he can’t be left in the car very long.”
“Over my dead body,” Jayden whispered.
“This won’t take long, and we can’t have animals in the dining hall,” Elijah said. “You ladies come on inside, and we’ll talk. Jayden has a pot of coffee made and there’s a plate of fresh cookies put out for y’all.”
“That’s right sweet,” the first lady said. “I’m Ferry, by the way, and I had a late dinner, but I might take a dozen home with me for my boyfriend. He does love sweets. You won’t mind if he moves in with me, will you?”
“We’ll visit about all that when we get inside,” Elijah answered.
Had Elijah lost his mind and gone nuts? Jayden wondered. Why in all that was good and holy would he even entertain notions of hiring either of these two women?
“Where does your boyfriend work?” Jayden asked as she led the way into the dining hall. She motioned for the two women to sit down at the adult table. When they were seated, she and Elijah both took their places across from them. Elijah opened a folder and laid out two pieces of paper with very little writing on them.
“He doesn’t work. He’s on disability,” the woman answered, “but the marijuana sure helps the pain in his back. He’s got a medical card, so it’s all legal, and on his good days, he could help me out here,” she answered. “As you can see by the papers I filled out at the employment place, I was the fry cook down at Bob’s Burger Barn in Del Rio for three years and I seldom ever missed work. How much does this job pay?”
She batted her lashes at Elijah as if a little flirting might get her more money. Jayden fought the urge to accidentally kick her bare shins under the table.
“We can talk about that later. We have several applicants to interview before we make a decision, and the wages will be determined by experience,” Jayden answered.
“That’s me”—Madge reached for a second cookie and talked with food in her mouth—“right there on that left-hand résumé.” She gave Ferry a dirty look. “I worked in a school cafeteria for two years back maybe fifteen years ago. And since then, I’ve been in home health care, fixin’ meals and working for homebound folks. I like this kitchen and this place. My kids are all grown, and only two of the six have moved back in with me.”
Jayden thought that she would choke. “Well, ladies, it’s been real nice of you to come by so we could put your faces with the names on these résumés. Ferry and Madge. We will give you a call in the next two to three weeks if we need a second interview.”
Madge tucked a strand of bleached blonde hair behind her ear. “You mean you ain’t hirin’ me today? I drove out here for nothing, and even made Bruiser wait in the car.”
“Like Jayden said, we’ve got several more applicants to interview over the next two weeks.” Elijah stood up.
Jayden followed his lead, hoping that they would take the hint and leave so she could fumigate the kitchen.
Ferry got up so fast that her chair fell over backward. A clap of thunder hit about the same time, doubling the noise. “I can’t believe you’ll get anybody to come out here in this godforsaken place that will be more qualified than I am. Didn’t you understand that I’m a fry cook, and what does a bunch of outlaw girls want to eat anyway but french fries and burgers with some onion rings every so often, maybe?”
Jayden ushered them to the door. “If we don’t call you, then feel free to call us after three weeks. Y’all drive safe now on the way back to town.”
The minute they were out of the dining hall and she could hear the rattle of their vehicles starting up and driving away, she turned around and pointed a finger at Elijah. “What in the hell were you thinking? You can’t have people like that around the girls.”
“Résumés looked pretty good.” He shrugged. “They both had experience in cooking.”
“From now on, maybe we’d better ask for mug shots.” Jayden marched across the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk. She would have