29. Xan
Chapter 29
I ’ve picked out the top three applications for the mechanic job to call in for interviews, Kelly has two more printed out that were sent in overnight. And I need to do some research on photo restoration during my break.
It’s not that I mind dealing with the applicants, the garage is pack owned. That makes it is as much mine as Gabe’s, but a lot of people tend to get bent out of shape if they talk to me, assuming I am just some sort of beta assistant. They insist on talking to the alpha in charge. Little do they understand, they’re lucky to talk to me.
Gabe can be an asshole. I love him like a brother, but he doesn’t deal with people well anymore. He feels protective of us, and has a hard time letting anyone get close after what happened to Janey. It’s like the man thinks he can seal us all in emotional bubble wrap if he doesn’t let anyone get close. Now, give him an engine and the man is in heaven, make him have an actual discussion, and it’s like pulling teeth from an angry alligator .
I don’t bother looking at names on these applications, instead looking for education and experience. So it is a bit of a surprise when the first call I make, a woman answers. Normally people give me their cell numbers, but this could be a landline. “Yes, this is Xan from Gabe’s Garage, I need to speak to Sully Andrews.” Rich deep laughter meets my request.
“Sally, Sally Andrews. How can I help you?” I stare at the phone for a moment, but what the hell.
“Yes, sorry, I got your application for the mechanic position and I was wondering if you had time to talk, or possibly time to come down to the shop for an interview?” I push on, looking at her resume again.
No, it shows she has the Vocational certification for automotive work, as well as four years of experience in working in the tire and lube center of the big box store in Springfield. She is the most qualified, I’m just surprised.
“Yes sir, I can talk now, or if you want me to come in so we can meet in person, I can be there in about ten minutes.” Her accent is fairly strong, but not so much that I have trouble understanding her. After working with Trey, this will be a delight.
“Thank you, yes, if you wouldn’t mind coming into the shop so we can meet in person, and I can go over job duties, that would be great. We’ll see you in about fifteen minutes. Thank you.” At least this way I can get a better feel for how she'll feel about our setup and how we work.
Popping out to the garage to start on an oil change, I leave it to drain while I do this interview—then wander over to Gabe and tell him I am gonna need his help in the office for a few right at the thirteen minute mark. If I tell him why, he’ll just avoid it, so it’s better to just surprise him and hope for the best. He won’t agree, but that’s a problem for future Xan, current Xan has his hands full and will use underhanded tactics if he needs to.
The front door opens right as I’m leading Gabe back inside and a tall alpha woman walks in.
Oh, this is a surprise. Alpha females are nearly as rare as omega males. Not unheard of, just like winning the genetic lottery, it is rare for everything to line up just right for that. I wipe my hand off on my coveralls. “Hi, Sally Andrews?”
She takes my hand, she’s close to my own six feet tall, and gives me a firm handshake.
“Yes sir, that’s me.” I give her my version of a professional smile, easygoing, no teeth, and try to relax my shoulders.
People tend to be more honest and straightforward if you give off the impression of being laid back. I’ve been cultivating that outward appearance for most of my life, to put other people at ease. Jacks often accuses me of being a people pleaser, but really it’s just a way to make my life easier.
“Good to meetcha Sally, this here is Gabe, he’s the boss, but I’ll be doing your interview today, sound good?” Gabe offers her his hand briefly, growls at me, and then stomps back out to the shop. “Yeah, he isn’t really a people person,” I say, watching him go. When I turn back to Sally, she’s just looking at me.
“Can’t really say I blame him there, I’m not exactly a people person myself. That’s actually why I became a mechanic, I don’t have to talk to many people, and if the thing I am working on gives me too much trouble I can smack it with a wrench.” She smiles pleasantly, and I am not sure if she is joking or not.
“Nah, I can relate.” I chuckle. “Now moving on, this is Kelly, she works the front desk.” Sally sticks her hand out and Kelly blushes when she shakes it.
Interesting, have to file that away for later.
“Kelly works here in the mornings, she helps us keep up with office stuff, ‘cause Gabe also hates dealing with paperwork.” Kelly blushes more, and suddenly finds something on her computer intensely interesting.
I show Sally the main office and explain various rules and policies, including the no phone at work rule, and the lockbox we all put them in, then out into the garage. Not everyone gets upset about the lack of a cell, but we've had a few people who refused, so better to get it out of the way now.
“As you can see, we have three regular bays. We do sometimes work around back behind the shop, but that’s super rare so don’t even worry about it. Normally it’s Gabe and Trey here full time, and I work when they need me, but we’ve had some family stuff come up lately, and have been leaving poor Trey alone way too much. I’m hoping we can get a couple people in here full time so that neither of us has to be here if we have another emergency.”
We walk around as I tell her about the plan, I point out the supplies, the bay features, and watch for any signs of discomfort or confusion. She seems perfectly at ease, and nothing she does rings any alarm bells. Her scent, a mild woody pine registers as relaxed with a few spikes of anticipation when I show her a couple of our tool stations. The biggest spikes are when I show her the pneumatic drills, they are Gabe’s pride and joy that he splurged on when we opened the shop since they are The Best— so maybe they can bond over power tools.
I ask if she has any questions, and thank her for her time, before going to tell Gabe that we should hire her. He grumbles a bit, then I tell him she was super excited about his drills and he cedes that she’ll probably be fine. I make a quick check with Kelly to ask the same–she’s still blushing—but seems cool with it.
Marking off one new hire, I’ll need to call her and let her know after I check into these other two applicants. The first doesn’t answer his phone, and the next immediately starts trying to negotiate pay. His resume goes into the shredder. I collect the remaining ones I weeded out before, as well as the new ones from Kelly, to go over on my break so I can call Sally back to offer her the job.
Going into the garage to finish up the oil change I was working on, I’m relieved that at least one of our problems is halfway to being resolved. The morning keeps me busy, but I finish another three oil changes and two tire rotations, pick out another two applicants to call in, and leave a message for Sally asking when she can start. Then I tell Gabe I am taking off for lunch. If I stop by the house I bet I can get a sandwich from Jacks. Maybe if I play my cards right, we can make a sandwich out of Candice.