Page 6 of Help Wanted

Chapter 2

“Sidney!” Zane called for his sister as he looked around his desk. She’d covered the entire surface with crap. Trays and other matching things, with the sole purpose of organizing his stuff. He hated when she messed up his system. Not that system was really the word for it, but he knew where things were.

“What?” she bellowed rather than get up.

“Where is the bid for the Wheeler job?” he yelled.

“It’s not Wheeler, it’s Weller, and it’s in your In bin,” she yelled back. They sounded like their parents—yelling from room to room instead of actually going to speak to the other person. And he knew it was Wheeler. As organized as she was, Sidney couldn’t remember anyone’s name.

“Which one of these bins in my In bin?” he shouted.

“The one that says in on it.”

“None of them say in.” He held up his hands in confusion as she tromped into his office, looking indignant and huge.

“This one!” She pointed to the side of the bin facing the door, away from him. “Right here.” She pulled out the file and all but threw it at him. “Have you looked at any of the résumés that have come in?”

“Um, not yet. I haven’t had a chance.” He’d not had a chance for the entire month since she’d placed the ad.

“You promised me you would look at them last week. You don’t seem to understand the urgency here, little brother. I am going to have this baby whether you’re in denial of that fact or not. If you don’t stop dragging your worn-out work boots and hire someone, you’re going to be doing everything on your own. Do you understand what I am saying?” She had The Tone. She meant business.

“Yes. I understand. Can’t you just interview the people who seem the most like you and then let me meet them? You know, so I won’t be so overwhelmed.” He wasn’t as worried about being overwhelmed as he was about the impossibility of finding someone who could replace his sister, but he couldn’t tell her that or her head would grow to the size of her enormous belly.

“Right.” Sidney narrowed her eyes at him as if she knew he was playing her. “You’d better like who I pick.”

“I will. If they’re anything like you, I’m sure I’ll love them.” He gave her a grin.

“You should stop talking now.” Her stony look silenced him as she walked out. She’d thought he was joking, but he was actually being honest that time.

“Yes ma’am.” He knew when he was pressing his luck.

* * *

Kenley was almost at the end of her rope when she finally got the phone call on Valentine’s Day. After moving in with Vanessa and her brother—with their exuberant child and vocal mating sessions—she was just about to ask her father if she could wear a disguise and move into their place at the senior community.

Hope was restored when Sidney, from New Haven Custom Boats, called. She had an interview.

It had been a month since she’d sent them her résumé. The woman apologized for the time lapse, blaming her brother who owned the company.

“I have an interview!” she screamed as soon as she found Vanessa in the kitchen.

“Yay. With who?”

“The boat place in New Haven. The one with the occasional travel.”

“Awesome. I knew that would be the one.”

“I don’t have the job. I only have an interview, but it’s a start. Freakin’ Ruth has me job-blocked from every opening in Manhattan.” Kenley was still in contact with her friend and coworker, Alyssa, who’d told her Ruth still had it out for her.

She’d also fired another person for sleeping with her husband. Alyssa’d had the right idea when she’d suggested Ruth fire her husband instead of her employees.

“Maybe this will be better. My last two interviews went well, and then they didn’t call. Hopefully her evil hasn’t spread to the New Haven area. I have my fingers crossed.”

“This is it, Ken, I feel it.”

“It would have been handy if you would have had a feeling that going to that party was going to cause a problem for me.”

“Don’t question the force.” Great. Vanessa was channeling Yoda now. “What are you going to wear?”