Not Quite Over You
Page 45

“While we’re on the subject, I think I should conduct all the interviews. I have a lot more experience with hiring people than you do. I’ve been doing it since I started working at the bank. I’ve also done performance evaluations and I’ve fired people. I’m the HR expert in the relationship. You should respect that and appreciate my expertise.”
Her emotions told her to take him on and win. Her head said he was right. About all of it. She’d never had any employees at AlcoHaul. She’d contracted help as she’d needed it—party by party. She had a regular list of people she liked to work with and would give them a heads-up for big parties, but there were times she was scrambling because they already had booked other jobs.
She’d toyed with the idea of at least a part-time person, but the logistics had always caused her to put off the decision. It was so much responsibility. What if she didn’t have work? What about all the paperwork and insurance and taxes? In the end, it was easier to simply hope for the best. Easier maybe, but not smarter, and not the best decision for her business.
Drew knew all about that sort of thing. What he didn’t know, he would find out because running a business was what he did. If he didn’t have the answers, he would know where to find them. In truth, she hadn’t just agreed to take him on as a business partner because of the money. Some of it had been because of his experience and knowledge. Not taking advantage of that was just plain dumb.
“All right,” she said slowly. “You conduct the interviews. But I want to be there, too, and if I have questions, I’ll ask them.”
“I hope you do have questions. You know AlcoHaul, Silver. You know what’s needed far more than me.”
She sighed. “Are you annoying on purpose or is it more of a gift?”
He put his arm around her and kissed her. “I think it’s a gift. One of many.”
“Ha, ha.”
They set up a small folding table as a desk and brought in chairs. The rest of the space was finished and Silver had her first bachelorette party scheduled in a couple of days. As the bride had brought in her own catering, all Silver had to worry about was bar service and whether or not the soundproofing would hold up.
Georgiana arrived right on time. She was around forty, pale and slender, with tattoos over most of her body. She’d worn a sundress and heels, with her short hair in a spiky style that had Silver wondering if she should cut her own hair.
“This is awkward,” Georgiana said with a laugh. “I’m not sure what to expect.”
Drew motioned to the chair on the opposite side of the table. He and Silver sat next to each other.
“You know Silver has taken me on as a minority partner,” Drew began. “We’ve bought two additional trailers and will be expanding the business.”
Georgiana smiled. “About time. You’ve been turning away jobs forever.”
“She has,” Drew said. “We’re looking to hire a full-time manager for the existing large trailer and you’re our first choice.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. It’s a job I want. I like the work and I love the days off.”
Silver glanced at Drew, hoping he wouldn’t take that wrong. She knew what her friend meant. The weekends were long, but the days in between were nice and quiet.
“You from around here?” he asked.
Georgiana shook her head. “San Diego.” She held up a hand. “I know, I know. What’s a beach girl like me doing in the middle of the desert, but I like it here and I go home a lot. My parents are still there.”
“You pissed about the Chargers?”
Georgiana sat up straighter and groaned. “What was up with that? Seriously? Because LA needs two football teams? Greedy bastards. And I mean the town and the owners, not the players. The Chargers were doing great in San Diego. We loved them and now they’re gone. And they’re going to share a stadium? How does that work? It’s just plain dumb if you ask me.”
Silver had no idea what Drew was doing. How did talking about football tell him anything about Georgiana?
“I’m a Giants fan,” he said mildly.
“Then your life is one of pain.”
They both laughed.
“Tell me about some of your most difficult customers,” he said.
“I’ll have to go back to my San Diego bartending days for that,” Georgiana told him. “You don’t get the same level of partying here, especially at weddings. Let me think.”
She was quiet for a second, then said, “I have a few who were challenging. There’s the guy who came in naked, the guy who hired a prostitute to blow him in front of his ex-wife. Or the time a bunch of bikers decided to move in on a cop bar.” She smiled. “You pick.”
Silver watched Drew, not sure what he would say. He looked at Georgiana.
“You’re telling me you know what you’re doing.”
She shrugged. “I’ve been at this awhile. I can pretty much read the crowd and I understand what’s expected of me. AlcoHaul is different from a bar. It’s events so the customers aren’t regulars. Nobody wants a relationship with the bar staff—they want to get back to the party. My job is to keep things moving and make sure nobody gets too drunk.”
She looked at Silver. “All the while dealing with the bride, her family and any number of crises.”
“We have had those.”
“Remember the DJ who tried to hold up the entire wedding?”
Silver groaned. “He succeeded, too. Even though he only had a flare gun.”
“It looked real enough to me,” Georgiana murmured.
Drew glanced between them. “Sounds like a good time.”
“It was interesting, that’s for sure.” Silver waited to see what else he would ask.
He surprised her by shaking his head. “Okay, you were right. Georgiana’s great. She has the experience and a good personality. If you want her, I’m in.”
“Yes.” Silver held up her hand to Georgiana for a high five. “You’d take the trailer we have now. The new one is going to be put to work this weekend, then Walter, our contractor, will have next week to work out any issues we find. I’ll talk to Pallas, along with the owners of the other venues, and we’ll start getting booked. We should talk about part-time staff. With three trailers, we’re going to need regulars.”
Georgiana nodded. “For some events we can pull from the pool of waitstaff in the area. When the drinks are simple, we don’t need anyone who is a trained bartender. Not to pour wine or serve a premade cocktail.”
“That’s a good point. It would allow us to be flexible with our hiring.”
“I agree,” Drew said. “As long as we have a core group we can count on.”
“I have some ideas,” Georgiana told them. “Let me put a list together and I’ll get it to you by tomorrow.”
They set up a time to talk. Drew said he would have a formal job offer drawn up by then. Silver knew how much she was paying Georgiana now, on a per-event basis. She would have more responsibilities, which meant more pay. Plus, there would be taxes and insurance.
“She’s going to be a great asset to us,” he said. “You were right.”
“You said that already.”
“I know how you love hearing it over and over again.”
She sighed. “I do enjoy it very much. Maybe we could get a little wall hanging that says I’m always right.”