If only it were that easy.
Pegleg Pete’s Pirate Extravaganza is searching for an experienced boat captain to provide a fun but safe environment for a pirate-themed dinner cruise.
No fucking thank you.
A successful candidate will be fun, enjoy socializing with hundreds of people as they lead them throughout International waters for the evening, and provide exceptional customer service.
Kill me now.
Ability to work outdoors in the Florida heat.
I already do that.
Pay is $1,000 per shift, plus tips.
Ahoy, matey. Looks like I’m about to become Pegleg Kendra, Captain of thePain in my Ass.
Chapter 8
Rowan Rafferty may need to rewrite the HR handbook
“Pete is a pain in my arse,”I grumbled, shaking my head at the towering mountain of paperwork on my polished mahogany desk. The stacks seemed to multiply before my eyes, each page an irritating reminder of everything that needed to be handled. Not only was payroll due yesterday, but now my leading entertainer—the central character to this godforsaken dinner cruise—was calling in sick. Again. I could feel a migraine forming at the base of my skull.
The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mingling with the salty sea breeze from the open windows, a mix of warmth and sharp tang that should have been invigorating but instead felt like the weight of a thousand expectations pressing down on my shoulders as I thought about the large crew working in the kitchen.
“He feels the role is beneath him,” Justin, my First Mate, explained, shifting nervously from foot to foot outside my office. His voice was steady, but I could see the nervous twitch in his hand, a habit of his when he was unsure of my reaction.
“Of course, it’s beneath him,” I muttered, staring at Justin over the top of my readers. I could feel the tension in the room like static in the air. The sharp hum of the fluorescentlights above matched the buzz behind my eyes. “He’s playing Pegleg Pete on Pegleg Pete’s Pirate Extravaganza. A ridiculously overpriced dinner cruise with watered-down grog.”
Justin shuffled on his feet, clearly uncomfortable with the tension in the air. His eyes darted around the room, his posture stiff as if expecting me to lash out. I didn’t have the patience for it.
“Well, he’s refusing to come in today, and we need someone to play Pegleg Pete,” he finally said, his voice a bit more timid now. “And the guys thought?—”
I rubbed my knee, feeling the phantom ache shoot up my leg, and sighed. The physical pain mixed with my frustration, a reminder that I wasn’t at my best—far from it. “You thought I’d be perfect for it.”
Justin’s eyes flickered, the sunlight streaming through the portal windows catching the gold in his dark skin. “That’s right. You know.” He motioned toward me, his hands hovering awkwardly, waiting for me to finish the sentence.
I could feel his nervous energy seeping into the space between us like a low-grade static charge that made the hairs on my neck stand up. I stepped out from behind my desk, my prosthetic boot thumping against the hardwood as I closed the distance between us. I glared up at him, not caring that he was slightly taller.
His posture shrunk under my gaze, and I couldn’t help the flicker of satisfaction I felt from seeing him finally show a little discomfort. “I know. And the answer is no. I captain the ship until we find a new one, and even then, as the kids say—not just no, but hell no.”
“Okay, forget about the pegleg. You could wear an eyepatch.”
“No.”
“It would make you seem mysterious! Women love mystery.”
“I’m not looking for a date.” My stomach twisted at the idea. “And I don’t do mysterious.”
“Do you do happy? Smiley? Those work, too.”
I could feel my temper flaring and my chest tightening as I stepped forward, trying to contain it. “Justin, you’re about five seconds from being fired or worse.”
His hands shot up in surrender. “Sir, I didn’t mean?—”
I raised an eyebrow, the unspoken challenge hanging between us. “You’ll fill the role tonight. And if Pete doesn’t come in tomorrow, that’s three days in a row he’s missed, and he’ll be fired for a no-show. Please convey this to him. And straighten your uniform. You look like you picked it off the floor before you came into work!”
Justin hesitated, his gaze darting nervously from me to the door as if weighing his options. The silence between us was thick enough to cut through. Then, without a word, he turned and fled before I fired him or made him walk the plank.
