Flirting with the HR Girl

Chapter 3

"Good luck beating cosmetics!" Selena loved a chance to brag about her sales.

"That's true, this woman right here is a powerhouse; you could learn a thing or two from her," Todd said leaning towards Selena. "She's saved my year-over-year more than once!"

Jennifer let their sales banter give her a moment to compose herself. She never understood their ability to sell everything, including themselves. She spent one week on the floor before her old store manager decided she would do better helping her in the office. She had customers backed up in line, couldn't figure out the register, let alone open a credit card account, and wouldn't have known what to try to sell them in a million years. She felt much safer behind her desk with her paperwork and computer. She still got nervous when she went across the store to use the bathroom that a customer was going to stop her and ask for help.

"Isn't that right, Jenny?" Todd asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Uh?" Jennifer stalled looking at Selena, whose cheeks were rosy from her drink.

"He said that Destiny was the best seller in the store," Austin explained. "Is that right from the bonus sheets?"

"Ah, yes," Jennifer said thinking of Destiny down in MAC cosmetics. She was the most stunning person Jennifer had ever seen in real life. She had dark hair, perfect skin, and a body that looked like it should be on the cover of a magazine. She was friendly, too, with a deep voice and a sexy laugh. She made you feel good to be around her. Jennifer was sure that Todd had been after her, but she wasn't sure if he had succeeded. "Yes, she actually was the top seller in cosmetics for all of the Midwest."

"That's my girl!" Selena truly loved to support other women. Especially, other women who worked for her and boosted her commission. "I trained her!"

"Of course, you did." Todd clinked her glass and Jennifer suddenly felt protective of her older friend. "Your cosmetic girls are the best in the region because they learned from the best."

Selena giggled and took another drink. Jennifer looked at Austin and he smiled at her again, seemingly content to let Todd lead the evening. She pushed the uneasy feeling out of her stomach and took another sip of her margarita.

"Austin, you should join our store's softball team!" Todd said pounding on the bar. "You girls should, too!"

"Isn't the season over?" Jennifer asked picturing the field nearby her apartment empty.

"And I don't do sports, honey," Selena said with another laugh. "This body wasn't made for running around."

"Oh, come on!" Todd's eyes went up and down her body this time. "We practice year-round. Beating Macy's in softball is serious business."

"That sounds-" awful was what Jennifer was going to say until she heard Austin saying sure at the same time. "Fun!" she finished, and Selena looked at her like she had three heads.

"Fine, I will play," Selena said in her fake pouty voice. Jennifer had heard her use it to get her way in a meeting but never on Todd alone. "But only if Jenny will run the bases for me."

"Sure!" Jennifer said more enthusiastically than she meant to.

"Perfect! It's all settled then." Todd flagged the bartender down and said, "Another round here for my new teammates."

"We really should be going," Jennifer said standing next to Selena's chair. "We have to open tomorrow."

"No, one more drink!" Selena put her hand on Jennifer's arm. "I'm having fun! I rarely get to have fun on a school night!"

"Me, either!" Todd said slapping the bar. "Margo's at some women's group tonight so I've nothing to rush home to."

"Fine, one more drink," Jennifer said as she sat back down. She hated to be the only killjoy in the group. She also didn't want to leave Selena there without a ride if she needed it. "But let's order some food."

"Nachos!" Todd and Selena cried in unison and burst into laughter.

Austin caught her eye and Jennifer relaxed as she saw him chuckle.

"I need to use the ladies' room," Selena announced but before she could drag Jennifer like she often did, Todd offered to escort her. "I could visit the little boys' room as well."

They traipsed off joking and laughing, leaving Jennifer with Austin and awkward silence. She wracked her brain for something to say. Something about Nashville. Why couldn't she think of anything about freaking Nashville? Or anything about anything for that matter. Think, Jennifer, think!

"How long have you worked for Peterson's?" Austin asked saving her from herself.

"At this store or total?" Jennifer asked back still trying to get her brain to work.

"Both, I guess," he said taking a sip of his drink. "I started in Nashville four years ago when I was still in college."

"I started about that time but at another store further north of here," Jennifer said relieved her brain decided to click on. "I was the store admin but wanted to work in HR, so I moved to the Galleria Peterson's two years ago."

"You wanted to be in HR?" Austin asked, one of his eyebrows going up and her heart going down. She was hoping he wasn't going to be like Todd. Someone who didn't appreciate all the things human resources did for them. Someone who said her department title like an insult.

"Absolutely," Jennifer said deciding that if he didn't like it, she wouldn't have to start putting on makeup. "I like helping people."

"I never thought of it that way," Austin sounded like he truly meant it. "I've always seen HR as someone you have to talk to when you're in trouble."

"Well, as long as you're not harassing fellow employees or missing work, that's not true," Jennifer said hoping neither of those would describe him.

"No," he laughed. "I don't have a problem with either of those. Maybe with bending the rules but not to bother anybody else."

Oh, great. Another bad boy on her hands. She knew what bending the rules meant and it was something she wouldn't be doing for him.

"In my experience, if you know how to do things the right way, you never have to bend the rules," Jennifer said hoping her smile made her seem less uptight.

"I guess that's true," Austin drawled stirring the cubes in his drink round and round. "Assuming the rules are right, to begin with."

Before she could answer, their rowdy companions were back, and the food arrived. They ate, drank, and bitched about customers. Jennifer found herself laughing more than usual at Todd's antics and Selena's outlandish stories of women and their makeup woes. But when Todd went to order another round, she put her foot down.

"Selena and I have to go," Jennifer said throwing money down on the bar.

"You can be late tomorrow," Todd said as he picked up the money and handed it back to her. "I'm the boss."

"You're only my dotted-line boss," she said ignoring his stake through the heart pantomiming. "Cynthia is my boss-boss and she calls me at eight sharp every morning. Come on, Selena, let's go."

"That's what we get for inviting HR!" Todd shook his head and Selena laughed.

"It's getting late," Austin said looking at Jennifer. "I want to get in early, too, tomorrow."

She smiled her thanks at him as Selena gathered up her purse and Todd pulled out his wallet.

"A bunch of party poopers," Todd mumbled as he left a generous tip. "Next time, I'm inviting Jim from the homestore."

"You do that," Selena said as she let Austin hold open the door for her. "And you can listen to the stats on the latest model of blender all night."

Selena seemed steady enough on her feet that Jennifer didn't ask if she needed a ride. They ended up only having two drinks even though it seemed like more. The men walked them both to their cars parked side by side in the lot.

"See you in the morning," Austin said closer to Jennifer than she realized.

"Yeah," was all she could think of to say when she looked up at him.

"Night!" Selena yelled and they all separated.

Jennifer was alreadytrying to think of what to wear the next day.