“So, she got the job?” Colleen asked.
“No, oh, it seems like the board members of the hotel had decided that maybe Liam's choice of caterer was too progressive. They ran around the block to say they weren't sure if I fit their public image.”
“Those sleazy snakes!”
“I was so disappointed and embarrassed.”
“So they brought you out there just to tell you you don't have the job?”
“No, they brought me out there to say I could compete for the job against Flora. They gave us two weeks, and we have to come back with a fresh menu that is representative of the Butler hotels.”
“Why did you accept the offer to read you the menu?”
Elissa shrugged her shoulders. “I thought this was the only way I could get Aunt Becky's money back. You need to be patient because I haven't said the worst of it.”
“There's more? Maybe we won’t have to marry him to get his money?”
“On the way out, Flora stopped, and she wanted to talk to me. Flora told me that the interviewer told her that this was going to be a comparison of traditional Values versus a fresh look.”
“I could give her something traditional all right,” Colleen said, tapping her nails on the kitchen table.
“Colleen, what am I going to do?”
* * *
“It’s a yes or no decision. What’s taking so long?” he muttered to himself. Travers was already on the phone, talking to operations about some issues that had come up. That left Liam leaning against the car and waiting. It was one of the few things that Liam wasn't good at.
Liam looked at the streets and remembered this was where he grew up. Three girls caught his eye. It looked like they were all talking and about to play jump rope, but then one of the girls just shook her head and walked away. It sounded like the two girls called out to the third one, but she didn't turn back. The two girls who were left appeared to be friends, and one put their arm around the other while they dragged their rope behind them. When they noticed him at the car they stopped and then one smiled.
“I saw you on tv. You’re Grandma Butler’s grandson,” the girl said as if he had just guessed the lottery. Liam had to admit it had been a long time since someone hadn’t called him by name and had identified him by his family.
“I am,” he replied. “ how are you two doing?”
“We were going to be playing double-dutch, but our friend left,” said the girl wistfully. She had a high ponytail, blue jeans, and a polo shirt that had so much sparkle and glitter on it Liam couldn’t even read the words.
The other girl who had her hair in ponytails looked up at Liam.
“Do you think that you are balanced?” the smaller girl in pigtails asked.
Liam was at a loss. “Balanced?”
The ponytail girl nodded her head. “You are so smart,” she said to the pigtail girl. Then the ponytail girl took one end of the rope and gave it to Liam.
“Okay, if you are balanced, then we can jump rope. Our friend said we weren’t balanced so she couldn’t play with us, but we can show you, and then we can jump rope,” she said excitedly.
Liam looked over his shoulder to see Travers on the other side of the car. Travers smiled and waved him on. Travers vigorously pointed to the phone at his ear and walked away. He could see that Travers wasn’t going to help, so he turned the girls and nodded.
“I don’t think I’ll be any good at this,” he warned them.
The ponytail girl smiled. “Don’t worry, I saw you on television. Everybody who wears “Pepa pink” can do this.”
“Pepa?” Liam asked. The girl in pigtails started laughing.
“Pepa, the pig, everyone knows that. You are so silly.”
Liam felt a lot of things right at the moment, but he couldn't’ believe his competence was being judged on how well he selected a pig.
“Okay, let’s go!” ponytail girl said.
Liam looked up, hoping to see Elissa and Colleen coming out but to no avail. He did the only thing he could do. He smiled and began turning the rope.
“Okay, we are doing singles now. When you get that, we’ll show you how to do double dutch, okay?” the ponytail girl told him. Liam nodded. Surely everyone would be out before that, right?
* * *
“You have got to see this,” Colleen said.
Alissa walked over to the window in the front yard. Liam was outside two girls turning the rope.
“How do you think they got him to do that?” Colleen mused.
“They didn't have to do much, that is just Liam,” Elissa sighed.
Colleen snapped her fingers and closed the curtain.
“Hey, hey, let’s not go looking for the good in the bad guy, remember.”
Elissa went back to her seat. “You know that’s the problem with Liam. He’s not all bad. He adores children. I know he gives to charities. He goes to events and mentors. He doesn’t just give money. He gives time. He once told me that he wished he had more people to give him confidence when he was growing up. He said he only had expectations but was never confident.”
Elissa remembered that it was the same day they had volunteered in a soup kitchen for families. She had thought then he was the kind of man she wanted to marry and build a life with.
Chapter Six
Liam watched an agitated Travers come around the car. The ponytail girl saw Travers and looked between him and Travers and Liam thought she was about to leave.
“Hello, are you, his friend?” ponytail girl asked Travers. Liam saw Travers nod and then try to step around her. When he saw she was going to block him, Travers stopped and gave the little girl a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, young lady?”
“I’m thinking I’d like to jump rope with my friend. Your friend is turning one end, so I want to know if you’ll be a good friend and turn the other end?”
Liam had to smile as Travers took a step back.
“Your luck with women today is going downhill,” Liam joked.
Travers bent down to be eye-level with the girl.
“How about we make a deal?”
The little girl shook her head as the ponytail went from left to right.
“No deal, you’re a stranger,” she said.
“But you just asked me to turn the rope,” Travers said.
The girl sighed and folded her hands over her chest. “I can ask a friend of grandma Butler because her grandson is here.”
“Ahhh,” Travers said.
Travers stood up and eyed Liam. “Can you step away from your friends?”Travers said in a tight voice.
Just then, the melodic tunes of the ice cream truck came out. Both girls looked at the truck and then sighed. Travers smiled.
“Little lady, I think Liam wants you to get some ice cream while he talks to me for a minute is that okay?”
The girls looked at one another, and then Liam was faced with two eager girls. He smiled and then reached into his pocket to pull out a couple of bills.
“How is it that I’m doing this?” he muttered to Travers.
“Because they’re your friends,” Travers said with a smile. A moment later, the cash had been transferred the girls left, and Liam looked at Travers frustrated.