The next morning, all the employees of Buzzy Bee Books and Bakery showed up. Meg was in charge of cooking and serving all the food, which made Mel extremely nervous. Mel, Abraham, and Kassie sat on the couch with a laptop and some paper.
"So, where do we begin?" Kassie said, looking at them both. "How do we interview people?"
"Well, shouldn't we look at their experiences? They should know—"
Kassie tuned Mel out and pulled out her phone.
Kassie Harris: Gonna start interviewing people today. Ahhhh, help!
She looked up and nodded a few times while Mel and Abraham talked.
Aaron Adams: I've never had to hire anyone before, but I have been in charge of many people. I'd say experience would be important, but not the most important. People can learn new things, but personalities are harder to change. Their work ethic and attitude would be what I would look at. If they are lazy or cause strife among workers, it will create more problems than solving them.
Kassie Harris: Thanks ☺ You sure I can't just hire you?
Aaron Adams: Alas, your beauty would prevent me from actual work.
She gave a happy sigh. What a dork. She started her reply before an obvious throat clearing had her looking up.
Mel looked frustrated, and Abraham looked amused. She thought. Maybe. It was really hard to tell with him.
"Can you focus, please? We have people coming in today and no idea what we're doing!"
"Calm down, geez. Let me reply, and we'll work it out."
Kassie Harris: G2G Mel's head is about to explode. Thank you for your sweetness. Message you when I get the chance.
"Okay, so experience is important, but so is work ethic and personality. We don't want to hire someone who pisses us off, right?"
Kassie and Mel decided that the bookstore would be the best place to have the interviews. They pulled a chair over to sit in front of one of the couches. They had three people coming in today for interviews, and Mel and Kassie were twitchy with nerves. Abraham was a calm, reassuring presence.
"We need to make sure we're on the same page, you know? I don't want to give good marks to someone you hate," Mel said, and she tugged on her shirt. She was usually dressed down while working. Baggy shirts over shorts, tank, or cropped tops, all dusted in flour or sugar by the end of the day.
Today, she looked respectable. Her long, blond hair was out of its usual braid, falling in loose curls. Purple streaks peaking through. She was wearing a nice button-up and was constantly tugging at it uncomfortably.
Kassie slapped her hands away from her clothes. "It will be fine. Follow the questions, be professional, and we can talk about them when they leave. They aren't strangers. They're people one of us knows."
The bell above the store rang, and both girls shot up. A handsome, dark-skinned man walked towards them.
Mel stepped forward. "Hello, you must be Drew! I'm Melody," She shook his hand with a smile before gesturing back at Kassie.
"This is Kassie and Abraham. Please have a seat".
They sat down in front of Drew. There were a few seconds of silence before he nervously cleared his throat and handed them a paper. "This is my resume, uh, there's only one."
Kassie took it. "That's fine, we can share." She sat in the middle of the three and held it up, and gave it a glance. He had no work experience, and one of his references was listed as "father". She met Mel's gaze and gave her a nod.
"Well, Drew, it says here that you have no work experience. Have you worked somewhere before?"
"Nah, man, after high school I did some traveling. I just got back to town. My dad said I needed to get a job, and Meg said you guys were looking."
He said this, leaning back in his chair as if he were talking to friends and not in an interview.
"Right," Kassie said, crossing her legs and propping up her clipboard, angled so Mel could see it. She wrote, "man"? and saw Mel's lip twitch.
Abraham looked completely unimpressed. " Drew, if you got the job, you would be working in the bookstore. What type of books do you read?"
This was Abraham's question. He loved the bookstore and loved to read. He said that he didn't want to work with someone who didn't appreciate literature.
Drew looked around the store as if he was just realizing he was surrounded by books. "Uh, I don't read much. Hey, do you guys sell those 50 Shades books? Those are sexy." He waggled his eyebrows at them.
The girls looked at Abraham. He had his head down in shame.
They asked him a few more questions before politely dismissing him. He said "man" several more times, and Kassie was pretty sure he admitted to smoking pot.
Abraham spoke up first. "If you hire him, I'll quit."
Kassie laughed. " I say we just throw out anyone Meg picks." She checked her phone. "We have twenty minutes before the next person comes in."
"I'm gonna go check on Meg," Mel said before leaving the bookstore.
Abraham took his and Kassie's cup. "I'll go get you more tea."
She thanked him before stretching out on the couch and pulling out her phone.
Aaron Adams: I find it very easy to be sweet to you. Good luck with the interviews. I hope Melody's head is still intact.
Kassie Harris: It is, just barely. The first guy called us "man" and asked if we had "sexy books."
Kassie Harris: and your sweetness is always appreciated.
Aaron Adams: He sounds delightful. Hopefully, the other two will be a better fit.
Kassie Harris: Hopefully. Or Abraham will stage a revolt. The next one is a girl, Mel, and I knew from high school, so it shouldn't be too bad.
Aaron Adams: I hope you find your people. I know this is causing you stress.
Kassie Harris: Yeah it is stressing me and Mel out. Maybe Abraham. I'm not sure he feels all emotions, and Meg's evil. Mel is all twitchy. She's gonna need to score soon.
Aaron Adams: Melody is on drugs?
Kassie Harris: No, no. I don't even know if she knows where to get drugs. Uh, I mean, I don't either. Drug-free
Kassie Harris: Sex, she needs to score sex.
Kassie fidgeted with her phone. Maybe she shouldn't be sharing her best friend's business with a guy she met on the internet. It was easy to get swept up in the novelty of the situation.
Aaron Adams: I would hope you didn't know where to buy drugs. Oh, that's much more pleasant than drugs.
Kassie Harris: Not really. Uh, I love Mel to death. She's my soulmate. But she's kind of a slut. I mean that in the best way. She doesn't like going to bars or hooking up with random dudes. She has this friends-with-benefits thing where she gets with like 5 guys at a time. They all pretty much suck.
Her mouth felt dry. She's never admitted that before. Mel made it pretty clear that her activities were not to be judged. But it was hard. It was hard watching Mel attract these guys like flies and then brutally cut all ties with them. She never allowed herself a chance to get attached to anyone, but seemed to enjoy crushing a man's spirit when they started getting attached to her.
Aaron Adams: Having relations with friends is much safer than going home with strangers. Is she not interested in dating any of these men?
Kassie chewed her lip. She was getting into dangerous territory. She certainly couldn't keep talking with Aaron without mentioning Mel. Mel was one of the most important parts of her life. She didn't think Mel would have a problem with sharing general information.
Kassie Harris: uh, well, Mel doesn't really believe in relationships. Her parents had a pretty crappy marriage. He was always yelling at her and her mom and just being a real jerk. Mel is close to her mom so she took it hard. In high school, they got a divorce. She moved in with her mom and doesn't see her dad much. She doesn't want to be in a situation where someone can hurt her that way. So it's easier for her to just have sex with a no-dating policy. It's really kinda sucky.
Aaron Adams: I'm sorry to hear that. It is never easy to see the ones you love in pain. I can see why that would frustrate you. Do you feel similar in regard to relationships?
She didn't. Especially since she's never had sex or been in a relationship. There was Shawn, but they only made out a bit. When she thought about being with a guy, she didn't immediately think of sex. She thought of kissing, cuddling, and doing mundane things together. She looked up when she saw voices. Mel and Abraham were back. She quickly replied:
Kassie Harris: I don't. I've never had sex, so I'm not really into just physical relationships. I've never had a real relationship and I doubt one in my near or distant future, but I'm all about the feels. I'll talk to you soon.
With that, she slid her phone in her pocket and got ready for the other two interviews.
The next interview was with a girl whom Kassie knew from high school. She saw on Facebook that she was looking for work and shot her a quick message.
Millie Johnson was a tiny wisp of a girl. She was shorter than both Mel and Kassie. She was blonde, but not as dark as Mel's. Her hair was so light it almost looked white. She was porcelain with big, blue eyes that always seemed to be drifting closed.
Her resume was glowing. She worked at the campus bookstore a few semesters ago. When they asked her what books she liked to read, she replied.
"I try to give all books a chance, but it would depend on my mood. I don't like to read the same books when I'm happy that I read when I'm sad."
Kassie looked over Millie's shoulder, where Abraham stood against the counter. He had a soft smile on his face and nodded to her. She looked over at Mel, who had her clipboard angled towards her. There was a large YES!! written under it.
Kassie nodded. "Okay, Millie, when can you start?
The next applicant was supposed to come at 11:30 but never showed up. The girls waited, talking on the couch. Abraham was working the register and patiently helped an older woman use the card reader. She didn't take her phone out. She was a little embarrassed. She just admitted to a very hot, older man that she was a virgin.
After waiting long enough, Mel went to help Meg in the kitchen. Kassie worked at the bookstore while Abraham went to his class. After helping a handful of students find the books they were looking for, Kassie sat down in a plush chair and took out her phone.
Aaron Adams: There's nothing wrong with looking for an emotional connection. Is your purity a factor of not having a chance or choosing not to? Do not feel compelled to answer, and know there are no right answers. Your choices are your own, and I respect them.
Kassie Harris: Um, lack of interest I guess? I had one boyfriend. He didn't stay interested long enough for me to think about having sex with him. No one's really wanted me, not that way.
Aaron Adams: I can only assume that you surround yourself with blind idiots. You're a lovely girl who can quite easily hold someone's interest.
Aaron Adams: And I wouldn't say that no one wants you. That's not quite true anymore.
The rest of the day was busy, but Kassie floated through it in a wonderful mood. She kept thinking about what Aaron had written. Mel asked her several times what she was blushing at. The rest of the week went by in a similar fashion. The shop was busy, and the girls were busy with more interviews. Millie started training with Abraham and was ready to start part-time by the end of the week. She fit in perfectly and even got along with Meg. They hired two more people. The first was Tina. She was 35, which made her the oldest person at B's. Her round face was always flushed with laughter. She had years of experience baking and working odd jobs, and now that her kids were in middle school, she was ready to work part-time. She was the opposite of Meg. Charismatic, bubbly, loud, talkative. The interview ended with the three of them gossiping rather than actually interviewing.
She hugged them tight and quickly when they told her she got the job. It was a mother's hug, warm and soft, that left Mel glowing with happiness after Tina left.