need a couple of people to come in for a few hours on Monday to restock.”
“I need the hours.” Matt lifted his hand. He looked across the table at Hope. “What about you? You aren’t in school yet, are you?”
“No, but my family is going to Coeur d’Alene for the week. It’s the only time all of us could get together. I’ve already taken the week off, right, Angie?”
“Yep. You’re off the schedule. And I want you to train Bleak in running the dishwasher this week so she can cover for you.” Angie and Felicia had decided earlier that they’d use the new employee to cover for Hope’s vacation rather than bringing in a temp whom they’d have to train anyway.
“I thought I was just cleaning up tables?” Bleak’s eyes widened as she thought of the enormity of the job.
When Bleak turned her way, Felicia added, “After Hope gets back, you’ll be busing tables. By the time we have you fully trained, you may know every job in the restaurant.”
“Also, I’m taking you with me to the fair on Friday and Saturday. I won’t be able to have you in the trailer, but I think we can keep you busy. And you’ll have time to explore the grounds when we don’t need you.”
“And once we’re off, we’ll go play on the rides!” Hope clapped her hands together, bouncing in her chair. “It will be a blast. I’ll drive you home so Angie doesn’t have to wait around for us.”
Matt shook his head. “You weren’t that excited to go on the rides with me.”
“Stop being a baby. You’ve had your fun. Now it’s girls’ night,” Hope said.
Bleak sank deeper into her shoulders. “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t have any money for rides.”
“Oh, I’ll pay for the wristband.” Angie hoped that the other two wouldn’t complain, or at least that they wouldn’t do it in front of Bleak. “It’s part of your benefits for the day. We do extra things like this all the time, so I just appreciate you all chipping in. And since you don’t have school or anything, you’re the lucky one to be scheduled.”
Bleak seemed to accept that. For her being homeless a few days ago, the girl had standards. Angie couldn’t understand how anyone would let her run away. Or disown her once she was found.
Angie glanced around the table. Most of the people were finished eating, so she thought she’d go over the plan for the week while they finished. “Okay then, we still need someone to work with Matt and Estebe on Monday. I’ll pay for pizza to be brought in as an added incentive.”
“If you show me what to do, I’ll come.” Bleak raised her hand a little, then dropped it when Angie looked at her. “I’ll probably just be reading anyway.”
“That’s awesome.” Angie glanced at Estebe, who nodded. “So now it’s a vote on the new menu items. You aren’t going to hurt anyone’s feelings if you vote against an item. Except remember—I sign your paychecks.”
“Hey,” Nancy chimed in, “no fair. I just want to say I will cry and hold it against you if you don’t like my dish.”
Chuckling, Estebe stepped in. “I’ll explain the voting for our newest team member. I’ll ask for three votes for a dish. The first time I’ll ask if you liked it. Raise your hands and keep them up. The second time, I’ll ask if you would order it again at a restaurant. Again, keep your hands up. Then finally, I’ll ask if you would recommend this dish to your grandmother if she came into the County Seat. You have to have at least three-quarters of the room’s votes in the last question for the dish to go on the menu.”
“That’s crazy.” Bleak shook her head. “What if I just don’t like soup?”
“Then you don’t raise your hand. Not everyone likes everything. But we only want the best for our menu.” He held up a portion of the soup that had been plated and set aside on a table for the voting process. “Who liked the chowder?”