Chapter Four
Brach
Jones was the best. He insisted I stay at his place until I found one of my own. In exchange, I’d been doing handyman jobs around his house, things that had been neglected over the years. I’d have loved to do more, but until I found a job, it was the best I could manage.
My first order of business was finding a job and then an apartment whose management didn’t care that I had an eviction on my record. Both were proving to be a tall order.
All my work experience had been in hospitality, and not at the management level.
I was good at what I did, but so were thousands of other people.
I’d applied for every job I came close to being qualified for and so far heard nothing but crickets.
I didn’t blame them. Who wanted to hire someone with no permanent address and no current job.
I was feeling good about all I’d been accomplishing for Jones. So far, I’d repaired his garage roof, caulked his tub, and painted his bathroom. It didn’t feel like enough for all he was giving me. But it was a start.
The cot he gave me to sleep on and the food to eat and a place to regroup were all great. But what meant the most to me was probably something he hadn’t thought twice about. It was going for walks with him and Leroy and drinking tea together as I listened to him talk about his late wife.
We were two lonely people who’d each found each other at what felt like the perfect time.
This morning, he seemed a little off, and I wanted to surprise him with a treat. On my way back from the hardware store, where I grabbed some liner paper for his pantry, I pulled into a little teahouse to pick up a special blend for him.
Jones wasn’t the kind of guy who had the same tea every day. One of his cabinets was filled with boxes of random teas he’d collected over the years. He had everything from herbals to black tea to teas from around the world.
Jones had told me story after story about him and his late wife, and every one of them included tea. It had been their thing, and I felt honored that he had made it our thing too.
I was shocked at how busy the shop was. I’d thought of tea shops as quiet and laid-back, but this place was hopping.
There were people in line to get cups of tea to go.
Another line for people to get seats to be served.
And a third for those wanting to bring tea home to brew. They were very efficient.
It was good that I was forced to wait, though, because there were a lot of teas to choose from, and I wanted to get the right one.
“You a tea fan?” a woman behind me said.
I turned to face her, and there was something about her that had me feeling like I should know who she was. Maybe she was famous. I didn’t think movie stars lived out this way, but she was larger than life, yet also safe and comforting. I instantly liked her.
“I’ve learned to appreciate it, but I’m looking for a gift today. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Tell me a bit about who it’s for, and I might be able to.”
I found myself standing there telling her the entire story of leaving a toxic partner, being evicted, showing up to a job that didn’t exist, and now staying at a kindly neighbor’s house while I tried to regroup.
“Well, as for the tea, I suggest Barbara’s Love.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
The varieties in one of their collections were named after people and something positive about them. Love was a common one, but there were also Curiosity, Intrigue, Kindness—the gamut. It was a cute idea, but it made choosing more difficult than if they just said Apple Pie Tea.
I could have gone with a standard tea. They did have some of those. But what was special about that?
“Now, as far as your other issues,” she said, “I might be able to help you there, as well.”
“Are you a landlord?”
“Yes and no. Have you heard of the club Animals?”
I hadn’t and told her as much. “But I’m new here,” I explained.
“Well, it’s a pretty big club. There’s food.
Dancing. Music. Events. But, also, in the cliffs behind the club, there are some units for our employees.
If you were going to be an innkeeper, I’m thinking you would be pretty good at helping us with large bookings as well as some tasks at the front of the house. ”
She went on to explain the responsibilities of the position. It could have been created for me. I’d be so good at it.
“Do you have any apartments available?”
“No,” she said. “They’re all full right now.” She probably should’ve led with that.
“Oh. Well, I’d still like to come and apply for the job.”
“I didn’t say there wouldn’t be a place for you to live, if you’re up for a side hustle.”
“Honestly, I’m up for anything.” I quickly tacked on, “As long as it’s legal.” She didn’t seem like the type to be into sketchy shit, but I didn’t have the best track record when it came to judging people.
She laughed. “I don’t know. This cat is too cute to be legal.” She tapped on her phone and showed me a picture of an adorable kitten in the middle of making biscuits on a pillow. “One of my employees is needing to leave for a while to do some filming.”
“Are they a movie star?”
“Not yet, but they will be. Anyway, this little sweet fur baby is his, and he needs somebody to stay at his place and take care of him.” She flipped through her phone, sharing picture after picture.
“It’s a two-bedroom, and you’d have your own space. It’s on the property, so it’d be easy to get to and from work. Best of all, the only thing you have to pay for is food if you eat somewhere besides in our kitchens.”
It felt too good to be true, and I probably should have been more hesitant than I was. But there were only two people ahead of us in line, and I wanted to seal the deal.
“I’d love to schedule an interview.”
“This was your interview. We’ll fill out paperwork tomorrow. How does that sound?”
“Next,” the woman behind the counter called out. Next was me. I held up my finger, letting them know I’d be right there.
“Thanks so much. I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.”
“It’s Karma. You just ask for me when you come in.”
“Thanks, I will, Karma.”
I went up, bought the tea she’d suggested, along with two others I heard one of the servers recommend, and fled back to Jones’. I couldn’t wait to tell him the good news. I had both a job and a place to live!