Page 55 of Tumbleweed Temptation
Ah, hell. He should have known. Of course Matt would be pissed off after Friday night. But why had Melissa waited until this morning to quit? He was going to be in a damn bind again. Thanks a lot, Matt.
No, be honest. It was his own damn fault.
He tapped an empty file against his thigh. “I’m sorry, Melissa, but I thought you needed the job.”
“I do. I did.” Melissa’s pale face was drawn, tense. “But he doesn’t want me working here with you.”
“I get it, but can you at least,” He gestured to the reception desk. “Give me a week to find someone to replace you?”
She shook her head vehemently. “I can’t. Matt was very clear on that. He wanted me to tell you, then come straight home.”
“Melissa, you didn't have any experience and I gave you a chance, then you left me in a rough place last week and this week. I think you owe me a couple of days.”
Something flashed in her eyes that he didn't think was fear, but definitely alarm. “I can’t. I’m really sorry, Austin.”
“You’re really leaving me in a bind here,” he said, but knew he couldn't blame her. His own impulsiveness, his own need to be right, had landed him here.
She turned to leave. “I’ll see about getting Marianne to cover until you can find someone else.”
He didn't want to do that to the retired teacher, but who else could step in? Sofia had given up time last week, Ginny hadn’t had a day off last week because she’d come in to help him. He couldn't ask her for more.
After Melissa left, he scrawled a note to his patients, asking them to sign in when they got in, to just wait patiently because he was on his own. He hoped he could count on them to fill out the paperwork without questions.
Damn, he was going to have to train someone from the beginning. Who had he interviewed that he thought could stick around? He was going to have to give Maria a call when he had a break between patients, and hope she was still available.
Everything was actually running pretty smoothly when Marianne got in, and Austin was able to pass on the job of calling in his second choice as Melissa’s replacement. He was trying to think about why he’d passed on hiring her when Marianne poked her head in.
“She got a job as an aide at the elementary school, so she’s not available anymore. She asked if you wanted her to put in her two weeks’ notice.”
“I need someone here sooner than that. It’s been hard enough here being a two-person operation. I need someone I can count on.” He needed some consistency.
He wanted Ginny. His first thought had been to call her. But he didn't want to cause the rift between her and Janine. He understood Janine’s attachment to Ginny, and Ginny’s own feelings toward Janine, but he didn't know how coming to work for him was going to change any of that.
“You know, maybe let Ginny know the position is open again,” he said to Marianne. “I don't think she’ll take it, but she might. And we’ll never know if we don't try.”
Marianne gave him a look that conveyed her doubt. “I don't know if it’s a great idea for you to work with someone who you’re interested in. That can cause some frustration, if you ask me.”
“I’m offering it to her because she’s probably the most qualified person in town,” he countered. “She’s attached to Janine, so that’s why she’s reluctant. I just want her to know she has a second chance at it, if she chooses.”
Marianne shook her head. “Janine wants her to run that place when she retires. She doesn’t have anyone else to leave it to. She hasn’t retired yet because she doesn’t know what else she can do, but that’s her plan.”
“Huh. I mean, that makes sense.” He wisely closed his mouth on the rest of his reaction to that news. Did Ginny want to run a restaurant in Broken Wheel until she was an old lady?
His head was starting to hurt. He needed to start making decisions for himself alone, not for everyone else in town. His life would be a lot less stressful.
“You still want me to call her?”
There was no one else in town he would rather work with. “Just call her and let her know it’s open, and leave the rest up to her,” he said, and followed Mr. Johnson into the exam room.
