Chris stood near her, waiting to escort her into the store.
“One more thing, Fred,” she said.“When you’re done with Prissy, my husband said he wanted to talk to you.”
Fred blinked.What did the boss want to say to him?He couldn’t think of anything he had done that would land him in the boss’s office.
“Oh, don’t worry.It’s nothing bad,” she said before she left him.
“The boss wants to talk to you?”Parker had come over to where Fred was while the car he had finished was waiting to be backed out.And now he was taking a turn around the underside of the Mustang to admire it.
“Apparently.But it’s nothing bad.”Or so Mrs.Drummond had said.
“Let’s hope so.It wouldn’t be the same around here without you.”He shrugged when Fred shot him a what-do-you-mean glance.“I’m pretty sure none of the others play guitar.”He grinned and left Fred to chuckle over that as he set up what he needed to service Mrs.Drummond’s car .
After he had drained the oil, changed the filter, filled it, topped up all the other fluids, tested the lights, checked the tires, switched out the wiper blades, AND had Chris back the car out of the garage BEFORE anyone told Mrs.Drummond her car was ready – just to make sure she didn’t try to come do it herself – he cleaned his hands and headed toward the main office area.
Upon reaching Mr.Drummonds’ door, he paused to straighten his uniform.Then, he knocked.
“Come in, Fred,” the man called.“Can I get you anything?Coffee?”He smirked as he made the offer.
“You know I won’t pass up a good coffee.”And the man knew his coffee.They had had more than one conversation about best roasts, grinds, and methods of brewing.
“I’d be worried if you did.We have to settle for the pod style stuff around here.Hope you’re okay with that.”He nodded to the chairs in front of his desk.“Have a seat.I’m not the queen.You don’t have to wait for me to sit first.”
Fred chuckled and sat down.“I’m pretty sure the pods of coffee you have here are better than the stuff we drink down in the garage.”
“You’re probably right.”He leaned next to the coffee station on the left wall of his office.“I’m surprised you drink it.I’d have expected you to bring your own coffee.”
“I do.Most days.Sometimes from home and sometimes, I stop at my sister’s café and grab some of hers.But when I’m desperate, the garage stuff is tolerable.”
His boss laughed at that.“What’s the name of your sister’s café?Henry’s mentioned it a time or two and I keep meaning to stop by – but now that I know you pay to drink her coffee… well… that there is an added incentive to visit it.”
“It’sTheBaked Apple Café, and if you want something sweet to go with your coffee, get any one of her cinnamon buns.They are seriously good.”
“I’ll make note of that.Ginny has a sweet tooth for anything chocolate-y or cinnamon-y.She unfortunately does not care for coffee in any way, shape, or form.”He placed a cup in front of Fred and then, took his mug from the desk and set it up to fill.
“So, what can I do for you, Mr.Drummond?”Fred asked before he took a sip of his coffee.
His boss was once again leaning against the coffee station.“You know we have a small store over in Marydale, right?”
Fred nodded.So, this was about a store?Not a performance review.That was good to know.
“We’ve run some data on the garage numbers – did that at the beginning of last year, and we made the choice to open a small garage at that store.”
“I heard about that.”
Mr.Drummond smiled.“Good.Then, this won’t be completely out of the blue.I need someone to help Scotty train new mechanics in January and February – maybe even into March.”He held up a hand.“I also know your brother is getting married in February and that you have a house to move into before then.Both Scotty and I would make sure you have time off for those things.”
Him?A trainer?He had helped a few guys get used to things in the garage, but he had never officially trained anyone.
“I initially thought that Scotty could do it all himself, but you know his wife is pregnant and struggling with some illness because of that.So, I just can’t ask him to put in a mountain of overtime and look at myself in the mirror.Family is important.”He looked around the office.“More important than even this.Grandad and my father both drilled that into me, and they were right.”
That was one thing that he loved about working at Drummonds.They even treated their employees as family.
“So, let me get down to it.You’re the best one to help him according to Scotty.He said you have an understanding and gentle spirit that allows for questions and fumbles but that you also hold firmly to doing things the best way possible for the customer.With that in mind, I’m also considering moving someone from here to Marydale to be the manager of their garage, and by someone, I mean either you or Scotty.If Scotty goes there, there will be a vacancy here.If Scotty stays here, then, the offer of Marydale is yours to accept or decline.”
Again, he held up his hand.“I know; when I brought this up with Scotty, he shared with me that you’re not really looking to manage anything.But he also sees your potential – just like I do – so all I’m asking right now is that you’ll consider it.”He picked up his coffee mug.“I could sweeten the deal with better coffee in the garage.”He chuckled as he made his way back to his desk.“For now, all I need is to know if you’re willing to help Scotty do the training.There is a slightly higher pay amount for that, of course.”
Fred blew out a breath.This was a lot to absorb.He had never considered leaving Hatfield Falls before.In fact, he had always said he’d never leave.But if this was where God was moving him… “Can I have a day or two to think about it?”
