Stealing Taffy (Bigler, North Carolina #3) - Susan Donovan Page 0,25
Cadillac before she lost it completely.
The instant her heel hit the sidewalk, she felt Candy’s grip on her upper arm. “Tanyalee.”
“I have to go.”
“Please stay another minute. You seem very upset. Is there anything I can do?”
She shook her head, not looking at Candy. “It’s just … nothing seems to be going right since I got back. I can’t find a job. Nobody wants me as a volunteer and I have to get in two hundred hours! It’s like I have leprosy or something! And I made a horrible mistake on my way back from Arizona. I met this man on the plane and now I can’t stop thinking about him.”
At first, Candy didn’t say anything. Eventually, she whispered, “Oh.”
“I know.” Tanyalee hid her face in her hands. “It’s the absolute last thing I should have done. Now he’s stuck in my brain like a burr on stray dog!”
“Maybe if the two of you talk, you can figure it out.”
“Hah!” Tanyalee crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m no psychic, but I know for sure that’s never going to happen. Never, ever, ever.”
“He’s not much of a talker?”
Tanyalee chuckled, staring out across the street, knowing there was nothing left to say about Dan Carnes. She didn’t know if he was much of a talker. They hadn’t done much talking. She didn’t know what kind of music he liked or what kind of car he drove or what he liked to eat except enough room service to feed a whole family. She only knew two things about Dan Carnes: he was the most incredible lover she’d ever had and he was a complete mistake. An eight-hour mistake. And since that was less time than some energy drinks lasted, she shouldn’t be having this much trouble forgetting him.
“It’s none of my business. Sorry.” Candy cleared her throat. “Tanyalee, I have a favor to ask.”
She sniffed, managing to regroup enough to face Candy once more. “Sure. I’ll do my best to help you in any way I can.”
“Would you work for me here at Candy Pants?”
Before she could stop herself, Tanyalee burst out with a laugh. “Candy Pants? That’s the name of your bakery?”
Candy nodded, a shy smile on her lips. “It’s the nickname Turner has for me. Long story.”
Tanyalee blinked at her, trying to get this request to register. She wiped at her eyes. “You want me to work for you? Are you kidding me?”
Candy laughed. “Don’t sound so shocked. I need full-time help at the counter running the register, answering the phone for catering inquiries, and making some local deliveries. I need someone with customer service experience—someone I can trust.”
Tanyalee felt her mouth unhinge. Despite Aunt Viv’s voice in the back of her brain—“close your mouth, Taffy Marie. You’re letting in all the flies”—she couldn’t manage to snap her lips shut. Candy wanted her to operate a cash register? Candy trusted her? With a cash register? How could that be?
“Please say you will. It would take a load off my shoulders to know I won’t have to advertise for help.” Candy rubbed her belly absently. “I’ve got enough to deal with right now.”
“Of course! Yes! When do I start?”
Candy smiled at her. “Well, I can’t hire you full-time until a few days before we open, but if you’d like to get some part-time hours in right away, it would be great if you could help me with setup.”
“Yes! I can be here tomorrow morning!”
“That’s fabulous. Now, what’s the deal with volunteering? I can’t believe people don’t need help around here, with the economy the way it is.”
Tanyalee rolled her eyes. “They need help, all right, but not from me. Maryvelle Spickler Wilcox over at the soup kitchen just turned me away because I was mean to her in kindergarten.”
Candy smiled. “Well, Maryvelle might love Jesus but I hear she hates pretty much everyone else since Dale ran off with the Piggly Wiggly cashier.”
Tanyalee began to laugh, but figured it would be unkind. But it was a relief to know that Maryvelle was nasty in general and not just to her in particular.
“Do you like kids?” Candy asked.
“Of course! Do you want me to babysit?”
“You’d have to fight my mom for that job, but thanks.” Candy grinned and rubbed her tummy again. “I asked because I know they’re always looking for women to volunteer at the Girls Club of Cataloochee County. It’s mostly at-risk middle-school and junior-high girls who don’t have mothers. I know the volunteer coordinator over there, and I could