CHAPTER 21
Shar
Mealtimes have become the hub of the clubhouse lately and I swear are more popular than the bar. Lira has made the kitchen her own little piece of heaven and has the brothers wrapped around her little finger, though I don’t believe she realizes it. Watching them rinse their breakfast dishes and place them in the dishwasher has me smiling.
Chatting to her, she seems settled in her role and tells me that Josie has, so far, taken to her new role too and excels at everything that is asked of her. Although not yet having run a suppertime alone, she has taken care of breakfasts and lunches successfully.
“Have you got any changes in mind for the kitchen or meals?”
I ask, because although everything is running like clockwork, I haven’t noticed anything different.
“I’m going to speak to Pres about implementing a deadline for the mealtimes. Sort of ten a.m. cutoff for breakfast, two p.m. for lunch, eight p.m. for supper. At the moment, I don’t know when it’s safe to switch off from one and prep the next. Brothers are still expecting breakfast at eleven a.m. and at that time, I’m prepping for lunch to start at twelve noon,”
Rolling her eyes she has me smiling because that would frustrate me, too.
“I’d say that was reasonable. If anyone has a good reason to be outside those hours, they can always let you know and arrange something. How’s your room coming along? I haven’t seen Trip in a while to ask if he’s finished it for you?”
“Oh, you haven’t seen it? You must come and see.”
Taking my hand, she pulls me to her room, and I have to say it looks gorgeous.
The walls have been repainted in pastel colors, and the furniture has been done in contrast. The bedding is all flowery and feminine, something I’m not used to seeing in this clubhouse, I must admit.
“Wow, Lira. You’ve certainly made this your own space. It shouts you wherever I look.”
I don’t know Lira that well, but this is what I would expect her home to be like.
“Can I let you into a secret, but you must promise not to tell?”
She looks at me with enormous round eyes.
Sticking out my little finger, I giggle at her serious look. “Pinky promise.”
Wrapping her little finger around mine she echoes, “Pinky promise. It was all Trip. Crack told him to get his ass back and do a proper job. He did it all without me saying a word, even the bedding and throw cushions. Isn’t it just so good you could die here?”
“He nailed it. He’s got you down to a tee, I have to say. I don’t know what to say, Lira. It is fabulous.”
“I love it, too. I don’t want to go home. It’s so beautifully perfect.”
I swear she has tears in her eyes as she says this.
“I can only wish everything was so perfect in my world, Lira. I guess there’s nothing I can do to improve yours, eh?”
I turn and head back to the kitchen. I have an appointment with Zara soon and her interviews for the salon manager's position. Despite the fact that I thought she had the perfect candidate, she has arranged interviews for them both.
“Before you go, there may be something you can help with. Could you look at the fridge with me? I think it’s leaking from the back somewhere and some days it's worse than others.”
Not seeing a puddle of water near the fridge, I can see where it has been mopped regularly by the marks on the tiles. “Let’s see if we can drag this out and have a look at the back. It might be something that we can sort ourselves.”
Taking a side each, we try to wriggle the fridge forward, but after several minutes of grunting and sweating, we haven’t moved it a fraction of an inch. Just as we bend our backs to have another go, a voice pipes up from behind us and we both shriek girly squeals.
“What on earth do you two itty bitty girlies think you’re doing?”
Atlas stands there with his arms folded across his chest, shaking his head. “You’ll get yourselves an injury trying to move that beast. You have a clubhouse full of biker testosterone and muscle, yet you insist on trying to do things that are clearly beyond your physical capabilities. Just ask and we will obey. Now, the pair of you. Get out of the way.”
Stepping out of his way and looking sheepish, I have to admit, we let him get to grips with our nemesis. Only a few seconds later, and the damn thing is out far enough for Lira to get behind and have a look.
“I think it just needs a good cleaning, Shar. There’s dust that’s built up and looks to be blocking some drain hole. The water’s running onto the floor instead of into this drain thingy.”
Another problem solved, I leave Lira and Atlas to it and go in search of Zara and my next challenge.
Finding Zara and Gunner with Sharp in his office, I don’t think I’m required, but both men get up to leave as I walk in. Giving Zara a kiss on the cheek as they leave, they both give me a smile and look very smug.
Once the door’s closed, I take a seat at the table with Zara and she too, looks like the cat that got the cream.
“So. What’s happening?”
I look at her curiously.
“They both went over my interview questions and were impressed with what I thought I should be asking.”
She beams with pride.
“Your dad is trying hard to be a good dad, isn’t he?”
I watch as she looks at the door.
“He was an ass for a long time, Shar. I didn’t think he loved me for a while. He has turned himself around now, though, and is there whenever I need him to be, and sometimes when I don’t, too.”
“Good for him, and I’m happy for you. Now let’s see what they were so impressed with, eh?”
Taking the papers that Zara hands me, I see that she has a list of questions for the interviewee and space for her to note their answers and any thoughts she may have.
“I researched on the internet, and I liked the way this was laid out. It made sense to me and so I’ve stolen the idea.”
She looks happy with herself and I have to agree that it is something that I would happily copy for my own benefit.
Our first interviewee is Natalie. She was the one that I thought Zara had already decided on since she had brought her resume to the clubhouse, and it read very well. Her experience is excellent, and she presents herself well, too. I notice the way that she directs herself more to Zara than to me and I have to wonder if she hasn’t done her homework, and is aware that Zara is the owner and not me. She answers that question for me when she asks Zara what made her want to own her own salon at such an early age.
I must say, they get on extremely well and I think Natalie would show Zara a lot of positives in both the stylist role and that of being the owner. Our second interviewee will have to go a long way to beat Natalie to the post. Zara tells Natalie as she leaves that she will be in touch later today with an answer for her. Grabbing a bottle of water each from a stack under the table that Zara had brought in earlier, we discuss Natalie’s interview and share our thoughts.
When we sit down with August, who didn’t make the greatest first impression with just a phone call, I am pleasantly surprised with how she comes across. She sells herself well, and in a genuine way. Not so much as ‘look at how great am I’ but more the ‘look what I can bring to the business’ way.
The interview, again, goes well and we ask her to give us a few minutes. Leaving her in the rec room with Joel, the first person we came across, we have a quick chat and again compare notes.
We both agree that Natalie has the edge on August for the manager's position, however, we both think it would be a shame to let August slip through our fingers. During her interview, August told us of her qualifications and amongst them were certificates in nail care. Zara and I both have that same look on our faces and smiling, we see the opportunity to increase the salon’s client base from just hair to nails as well. There is room upstairs to have a couple of nail bars if the idea took off and room for a third stylist position downstairs. It looks like a win-win situation.
Putting the idea to August, she thinks it over, asks a couple of questions, one of which involves salary if she is going to be multi-skilled, and hey presto, we have the makings of a business.
Zara contacts Natalie, confirms her position as manager and agrees on a date and time to meet her at the salon to go over the employees and the business plan. I’ll be present for the first meeting, but I will be quietly bowing out from then on and letting Zara take the reins.
I sense, once again, my time here is almost at an end.