Chapter Eight #2
Walt rested the container of chili in his lap and met Chad’s gaze. “You want the real answer, or the one that will keep the peace around here?”
“Real. Always,” Chad said seriously.
“Your dad never wanted to spend the money on an inventory system. Said it wasn’t necessary.
That the three of us knew what we used, what we had, and what we needed.
He wasn’t necessarily wrong, but over the years, we’ve had more and more business .
.. and for the last few, things have gotten kind of out of control around here. ”
“Wait, you guys don’t have a computerized inventory system?” Chad asked, sounding incredulous.
“No. The responsibility falls on us to just take notes and keep up with what we use, but at the end of the day, we need a way to account for what we’re using and what we need.”
Britt listened intently.
“What do you suggest?” Chad asked.
“An inventory system that creates itemized invoices at the same time. I know it won’t be cheap, between buying software and hiring someone to use it, but it’ll save Barry and me a ton of time.
Time that we could use to service more customers,” Walt said.
Then he glanced at Barry, who gave a slight nod.
“And that’s not all. Just to clear the air .
.. sometimes when we’ve tried to order parts, we haven’t been able to because of unpaid bills. ”
“What?” Chad asked, his brows shooting upward. “Are you shitting me?”
“Sorry, but no.”
“Fuck,” he said, putting his chili to the side. “We need to fix this shit. Lobster Cove will not be known for being flaky about paying our bills.”
“Um ... Chad?” Britt said tentatively.
“Yeah?” he asked, obviously distracted.
“Before I moved to Maine, I worked in retail for years. Department stores, fast food, and even convenience stores. I worked with inventory software all the time.”
“What are you saying?” Chad said.
“Maybe I can help?”
“You’re already run ragged with cleaning, dealing with the guests, helping Mom with reservations, and returning phone calls and emails and baking for guests, and being Mom’s companion,” he told her.
“I know. And there would be a learning curve for me, since I don’t know the names of any of the things you guys use to fix cars.
But I’m sure with Walt and Barry’s help, I could pick it up fairly fast. And I’ve even taught new employees how the systems work, the invoicing and inventory.
I could probably help Walt and Barry figure out that part. ”
Silence filled the office, and for a moment, Britt thought she’d overstepped. She wouldn’t be here forever. And the last thing she wanted was for Chad or anyone else thinking she was trying to get more money out of the Young family.
But apparently the men sitting with her didn’t think that. Or they didn’t care one way or another.
“That would be great!”
“That’s just what we need.”
“I don’t know.”
It was Chad’s response that worried Britt.
“I promise that I won’t mess things up. And I don’t even want more payment.
I just want to help. I don’t think it would take long, actually.
Just a couple extra hours each day. I’m not an accountant, and I don’t have any kind of business degree, but I’m pretty good at data entry.
If there’s a program, it’s just a matter of plugging numbers and descriptions into the appropriate fields.
And I wouldn’t need to know bank account numbers or anything.
Otis can input the financial info, and once the system is set up, he should be able to download figures directly into his spreadsheets. ”
“Breathe, Britt,” Chad said, gently reaching over and taking her hand.
“I trust you. And if you really don’t think it’ll be too much, we’d love your help with inventory and other light admin stuff for the shop.
It would be a huge help. But if you find that you can’t keep up with that on top of everything else you’ve taken on, you need to say something.
I can talk to my brothers and figure something out. Maybe hire a part-time admin.”
“I can do it,” Britt said firmly. If the shop actually had unpaid bills for some reason, she hated the thought of the Youngs having to hire yet another employee to do something she was sure she could handle.
It wasn’t as if she was busy all day, anyway.
She had plenty of downtime, and her salary was already enough, when she factored in her free room and board.
“And I’m not sure if we can raise your salary,” Chad told her. “Between my schedule and Otis’s, I still haven’t been able to sit down with him and figure out what’s up with the money situation at Lobster Cove. He seems to be making himself available to everyone but me.”
“That’s more than all right. You pay me generously enough as it is. I’m happy to help!”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Chad said, as if she hadn’t spoken.
Britt frowned at him as he went back to eating his chili.
“It’s no use,” Barry told her. “I used to tell Austin that he was overpaying me, but he just ignored me. Said that if he wanted the best, he needed to pay to get it. And ... just saying ... Walt and I are the best mechanics around. Except for the Young boys, that is.”
“Boys?” Chad asked with a raised brow.
The three men chuckled.
Getting a raise wasn’t what she’d expected when she offered to help.
There was no way she was taking more money from Evelyn.
Britt was working hard to build her bank account from the zero it had been when she’d started.
And while she didn’t have enough to rent her own place yet, especially not with the first and last month’s rent and security deposit most places required these days, by the end of the summer, she should have that and more, even without a raise.
It felt great to be earning money again. To know she could support herself. It quieted the voice of her mom and Cole, who’d insisted she couldn’t make it on her own in Maine.
“I’ll talk to Camden and the others and let them know what’s up. That we’ll be setting up an inventory-and-invoicing system,” Walt said.
Britt’s mind spun with ideas for improving the organization of the shop. The computer system would help immensely, even if it would take the mechanics some getting used to.
“You know, Austin ran this place the same way for years. I’m thinking it’ll be good to have some fresh blood ... someone who can help set up a more efficient system. Something we have no clue about,” Barry said as he wiped his mouth.
His confidence in her felt good. Britt gave him a thankful smile.
“With that settled, how about we get back to work tackling that piece-of-shit monster in the bay,” Chad suggested.
The others agreed and quickly cleaned up their lunch.
Even though Walt threatened to go back to the house and get more, he seemed content for now.
Before she could blink, Britt had the now much lighter bag in hand, ready to take back to the house.
It was time to head to the cabin and see if there was any damage from the last renters and get to work setting it to rights for the next guests.
“Britt?” Chad asked as she turned to leave.
“I just wanted to say ... I might have only met you recently, but I knew then, just as I know now, you’re good people.
I sensed it in that lumberyard, and you’ve proven it time and time again with your work ethic and how good you are to my mom.
Lobster Cove was lucky to have snagged you before anyone else could. ”
She wanted to cry at Chad’s words. They meant the world to her.
“Two more things ... one, it’s my mom’s birthday next week.
And she doesn’t like to be fussed over, but I wanted to do something nice for her.
There’s a spa in town where I’ve made reservations for her to get her nails done, her hair, and I’ve arranged for some longtime friends from the area to join her there, and then for dinner afterward.
But first, I thought it might be nice to start her day with a nice breakfast she doesn’t have to make herself.
Would you mind helping me with that? I can hold my own in the kitchen, but I’m not an expert.
I’d ask Zach, since he’s the chef in the family, but he’s been working his ass off trying to get the lobster shack he refuses to call a lobster shack up and running. ”
“Of course I’ll help,” Britt said. “When’s her birthday?”
“Next Tuesday.”
Britt blinked in surprise. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, why?”
“That’s my mom’s birthday too.”
“Wow! That’s quite a coincidence.”
Britt nodded. It was, but the differences between the day Chad wanted to give his mother and the birthdays her mom celebrated were immense.
“Mom’s an early riser, so it’ll be hard to surprise her, but I was thinking if we got up and started working on things around five, maybe we could finish before the time she usually appears in the kitchen.”
“Sounds good,” Britt said. She had no problem getting up that early. She was a morning person as well. She’d learned to be one growing up, since her mom was usually too tired after working the night shift to get up and make sure her daughter had breakfast before heading to school.
“Thanks. I appreciate it. And the second thing ... if you could maybe help me think of something other than scrambled eggs and bacon, that would be awesome.”
Britt giggled. “I think I can manage that. Do you want me to go shopping?”
“No. You do enough around here. Just give me a list, and I’ll grab what we need. I can keep the stuff in the fridge here at the shop, so Mom doesn’t see it and wonder what we’re planning. I’ll bring it up that morning.”
Making plans with Chad felt ... homey.
As if they were a couple. Which was crazy, but Britt couldn’t help the thought.
In just three weeks, she’d spent more time with Chad than she had with any guys she’d dated.
They ate just about all their meals together, watched TV at night with Evelyn.
He usually went to bed around the same time as she did, so he was the last person she said good night to in the evenings, and many times they crossed paths in the hallway in the mornings, when they were getting ready for their day.
Even though they weren’t sleeping in the same room—or bed—she felt closer to him than she had most of her past boyfriends, as well.
Feeling awkward all of a sudden, and kind of sad that he couldn’t be more than a friend and coworker—because getting into a relationship with one of the men who had a say over whether she could stay at Lobster Cove or not wouldn’t be smart—Britt gave him one last nod and headed for the door.
The more she integrated herself into life at Lobster Cove, the more it would hurt when she left.
This was a temporary job. They both knew that.
She knew they’d offered her a job out of pity, despite Chad insisting otherwise, but she’d continue to do right by them before she left.
Britt Starkweather wasn’t one to flinch away from hard work.
No, the work was the easy part. But this place just might break her another way by the time she left.
Somehow, in just a short few weeks, she’d fallen in love with Lobster Cove.
With Evelyn. With the smell of the ocean breeze, the sound of the birds obnoxiously singing, or bitching, in the mornings . .. and with Chad.
That last thought had her tripping over her feet, but thankfully she didn’t face-plant onto the ground.
Chad was everything she’d ever wanted in a partner. Kind, strong, compassionate, funny, hardworking, and understanding. And he wasn’t hard on the eyes either. She’d decided after the fiasco with Cole and the way he’d ditched her in Maine, taking all her money with him, that she was done with men.
But life had a way of laughing in her face. She loved Chad Young, even though she had no idea what to do about those feelings. She suspected she’d end up seriously hurt in the long run if she tried to pursue them.
Therefore, the only thing she could do was pretend nothing was different. That he was nothing but someone she worked with. And when the summer was over, maybe she’d leave after all, head west toward Portland.
Because staying in Rockville and running into Chad and his brothers all the time would be too painful.
Deep down, that didn’t feel right. She adored Rockville and the whole Midcoast of Maine. The people, the climate, the beauty of the land. Being by the water was a new experience, and one she loved.
Surely she could find another town, though. There was a lot of water in Maine.
But it wouldn’t be Lobster Cove. This place was special. And even if it felt as if she’d been steered here specifically, she couldn’t stay and pine for Chad. It would hurt too much.
Her decision made, Britt straightened her shoulders.
She had stuff to do. A cabin to clean and a birthday breakfast to plan, and she needed to think of something she could give Evelyn for her special day.
The woman had been more a mother to her than Britt’s own, and she deserved to have a beautiful day full of love and no stress whatsoever.
A day to forget her sorrow and revel in the joy of being with friends.
But as much as she attempted to turn her attention to Evelyn’s upcoming birthday, Chad’s face wouldn’t completely fade into the back of her mind. It was burned there, and Britt was afraid it would never fade.
Swallowing hard, she pushed open the front door of the main house. Being in love sucked, especially when the person you loved had no clue.