I swallow hard as we look at each other for half a second, neither of us speaks, but I take a few steps toward her.
The woman from The Dusty Spur. Fuck, maybe it wasn’t Sarah after all.Facepalm.It’s Sadie.
Then recognition passes over her face, and she shoves her hand out in front of me.
Clearly she was expecting Iz. Not me.
“Hello. You must be Zane?” She hesitates ever so slightly, a hint of nervousness laces her tone.
I draw my hand out of my pocket and grasp onto hers, noticing the way my large hand swallows hers up. “That’s me. Takin’ it you must be Sadie?”Way to go, genius.
“Yep, that’s me. Um, weren’t you in the coffee shop earlier this morning?” she says as I gesture for her to come in and have a seat. I walk the rest of the way to close the door and head back behind the desk. It’s only when I take a seat that I notice she’s wearing our winter uniform: an official dark blue sweater with our family logo — a Christmas tree donned with ornaments and embellishments. It has ‘Lawless Christmas Tree Farm and Lodge’ swirling around the tree in red lettering.
So she already has a uniform? How?
“Yes.” I answer.
“Well, it’s good to meet you.” She pauses. “Where should I put my things?”
I pique an eyebrow. “Huh?”
“Iz messaged me and said to come in for my onboarding,” she says with a small smile on her lips. “She wanted me to start right away. But first, I just want to personally thank you for taking me on without a proper interview. Bailey did say this was a busy time of year, and I’m up for the challenge.”
My face does a number of things in the next few seconds, from an eyebrow lift, to wide eyes, to narrowing them in confusion.
“To be honest, I had no clue my little sister hired you until she more or less dropped the bombshell.”Fucking Isabelle. “Normally we like to make sure we like the person we’re hiring.”
She stares at me. “Oh.”
That might’ve sounded harsher than I mean it to, but if employees start off thinking you’re a pushover and they’re just here for the paycheck, that won’t fly with me. We have a reputation to uphold.
“Iz should be here soon,” I add as Sadie sits in the chair opposite me.
She glances down at the printed resume of hers I was pawing through earlier. “I see you’ve seen my credentials.”
“I have. No mention of a Christmas tree farm on there.”
“I grew up in Colorado,” she says. “I’m used to the outdoors.”
I note the high-heeled booties she’s wearing, knowing once more that she won’t last a day wearing those. “What about using a snow shovel?”
“I’m also a New Yorker, we get snow there, too.”
I pick up the resume because I need something to do, and cast my eyes down. “Advertising?”
“Yes, I was very good at my job, but it was time for a change.”
I lift a brow, glancing over to her. “What happened?”
She swallows, looking downwards. “Um, the company I worked for was restructuring.”
I frown. “You were fired?”
“Fired is such a strong word. I’d like to think of it as a mutual parting of ways.”
“You were fired.”
She folds her arms across her chest. “Actually, if we’re going to be honest with each other; something I value in a boss and also as an employee, let’s cut to the chase,” she says, surprising me. “The company and I had different value systems, and I felt as if I needed to spread my wings and fly.”
