The Whole Package by Cynthia Ellingsen

Author:Cynthia Ellingsen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-four

ON THE SAME DAY THAT THE PAPERWORK FOR MILLSTINES WAS processed and Betsy delivered the keys, the girls held the interviews for their managers. Since it was their first time setting foot in the restaurant, Doris ran around the room with a spray bottle and dust cloth, wiping the place down. The Millstines had left everything in great condition, but there was still a lot of work to be done and Doris was eager to get started.

“We are hiring cleaners,” Jackie told the stripper with the accent, “in spite of what it looks like.”

Jackie, Cheryl, and the stripper sat in the office, watching Doris. She was on her hands and knees, ample bottom pointing at them. Were she wearing a polka-dotted skirt, she easily could have been mistaken for one of those lawn ornaments designed to titillate passersby.

Jackie whispered, “She likes playing Cinderella.”

The sexy stripper laughed. Leaning back in his chair, he said, “Good for her. Listen, I think this is a gorgeous space. A gorgeous space. Perfect location for a restaurant.”

Cheryl looked up from her clipboard in surprise. “Anthony, where’s your accent?”

Jackie regarded him with interest. Had he been faking it?

Anthony shrugged and stretched. As he did, the tight black T-shirt he was wearing crept up and exposed his perfect abs. “I’m from New York,” he admitted. “I’m an actor. Was. Women like accents. So some nights, I have one.”

There was a sardonic tone to Anthony’s voice, a slight lisp. “Darling man, are you gay?” Jackie asked.

“Don’t answer that,” Cheryl hissed, glaring at Jackie and smiling too big at Anthony. “We’re sorry, Anthony. She’s been living abroad and forgets that asking questions like that in an interview is illegal.”

Fluffing her hair, Jackie pursed her lips and sat back in her chair. She was just making conversation. Half of her friends from the art world were gay, and she’d lost touch with so many of them. Anthony even looked a little like Mathieu, one of the gorgeous men she used to hang out with. He had driven Robert batty with jealousy.

Just like Anthony, Mathieu had black hair shaved close to his head, a strong jawline, and dark eyes. He was a tortured artist who read poetry, smoked cigarettes by candlelight, and danced with her on his roof. Robert hated that Jackie would let another man hold her close but she just laughed, saying, “Give me a break. He’s really not getting anything out of it.”

At the question, Anthony smiled. “Nice call,” he told Jackie, winking. “You nailed it.”

Jackie beamed, pulling a pack of pink bubblegum out of her purse. After offering some to Cheryl (who declined), then Anthony (who accepted), Jackie unwrapped a piece and popped it in her mouth, chewing softly. She was already starting to like this man.

Deliberately, Cheryl cleared her throat. When Jackie looked at her, Cheryl raised her eyebrows and made a chewing motion. It was clear Cheryl thought that gum chewing should be saved for non-interview times. Jackie waved her off and popped a tiny bubble.

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