APRIL
Will smiled as he looked at the screen in front of him. Rick Jablonski was on Zoom. They had scheduled interviews for the manager position. Will's camera was off, and Rick sat too close to the screen.
The first candidate appeared. Gary had long hair. Rick explained he was retiring and The Landing, LLC owned the business. The deal had gone through a few days before, and the new millionaire had agreed to stay on until a replacement was hired and trained.
Will stayed silent (anonymous) as Rick questioned his work history. "I work at 7-Eleven."
"Do you have experience in food preparation?"
"We sell food."
Will spoke up. "Isn't it reheated frozen food?"
"Yeah, but I know what temperature to keep it at and when to throw it out."
Rick nodded. "Food safety is important. Have you managed people?"
He froze for a moment. "I'm kind of in charge of my band."
Will smiled. He looked like a rocker. "What instrument do you play?"
"Guitar, man."
He deserved the man since he hadn't introduced himself. Rick thanked him and waited for him to click off. Will clicked his camera on. "At least we have four more."
Martha, the second one had sandwich shop experience, but no managerial or ordering expertise. Somewhere in her fifties, she was friendly and would get along with everyone. Again the two spoke briefly. Rick said, "I'd hire her to work behind the counter, but not run things."
"We'll need someone." Will knew their manager couldn't work the hours Rick had.
"At least Nick and Ivy are coming back, but Sophie isn't."
Will shook his head. "I can't believe the twins are so old."
"They have another year of college. Nick wants to go to grad school just like his old man." Rick laughed. "I must be ancient if I'm calling Peter old."
"Forty is the new thirty." Will stole the line from Ryan.
His brother-in-law had been guiding him through the tedious process of setting up a business. Between red tape and his workouts, he hardly saw his friends. In the midst of it, he moved into his condo which required furniture, but Jen offered to help as a thank you for saving The Landing.
The third candidate had appeared over qualified on paper, Katherine had attended culinary school at a community college and had worked as a chef in restaurants. Most recently, she had cooked for a restaurant in a Boston neighborhood. "Why did you leave the restaurant?" Will asked right away.
She looked towards his box on the screen which was a picture of The Landing. "The manager mismanaged it and it closed."
"The Landing isn't a restaurant. You are overqualified." Rick shared Will's concerns.
"I'm looking for a new experience and location. I enjoy baking and I like the beach."
"You would need to relocate?" Will felt skeptical. Portland was a foodie town. How long before she dumped them to work at a restaurant in the Old Port? Oliver might even steal her.
"I would need to find a place to rent."
Maybe if her rental was tied to her job, she would have the incentive to stay. He hadn't decided what to do with the apartment Rick and Alice had lived in for more than thirty years. It was in good condition although it looked like seventy-year-olds lived there. They did and hadn't moved into their new cottage yet. Alex had assured him that once it was empty, it would only need some cosmetic work. He had kept the building in good repair.
"There is an apartment that could come with the job."
She smiled and looked excited. "I'm a hard worker and used to long hours."
After she clicked off, Rick said, "At least she understands the hours required."
"But will she get bored and leave?"
He shrugged. "That's a gamble, but she liked it when you mentioned the apartment. Too bad there's no oven for baking." He purchased the muffins and other sweets frozen in bulk.
They had one more candidate. The man appeared to be about forty and was a manager at Starbucks in Portland. At least he had experience with coffee, but The Landing didn't serve fancy drinks, just the best coffee in the world.
"I drove down to see The Landing. It is so adorable. I loved the bell. So quaint. My head was spinning with ideas. Lattes. A menu refresh. Gouda and Egg sandwiches. You'll be stealing all Starbucks customers in no time."
Rick didn't say anything, so Will asked, "Did you try the coffee?"
He shook his head. "I only drink lattes."
Rick groaned when Mr. Starbuck clicked off. "And those were the ones worth interviewing. Martha would fit in perfectly, but the learning curve would be too long."
"I know you want your first summer off in how many years?"
Rick laughed. "Too many to count. I joined the Coast Guard at eighteen."
"I didn't like the rocker, Gary's experience, and if I wanted The Landing turned into Starbucks, I wouldn't have bought it."
"That leaves the chef or Martha." Rick sighed looking his age.
"I think you need to meet them in person. Who else would be good at evaluating them?"
Rick shrugged. "Any of my star veterans. Nick, Phoebe, Lily, Lana, Megan." He went back through generations of employees.
"Did Jen work for you?"
He smiled. "Way back when she sure did. We can ask her."
"I can sit with my coffee and observe. We should plant John Harris to see if he can get them talking."
Rick laughed. "He could get the life story out of an earthworm, but I don't see him enjoying the conversation with the long-haired guy or the last one."
"He was kind of stuck up for a barista."
Rick shook his head. "What the hell kind of word is that?"
Will laughed. "I'll talk to Jen and see if I can schedule them to come in on two separate mornings."
"You might need to delay your workout." Rick winked.
"You tease but it's all part of the job."
"You have two jobs now. Are you sure you didn't bite off more than you can chew?"
"I guess we'll find out. I can always sell it and admit defeat."
"A good manager will make all the difference."
Will nodded. Katherine might be the best candidate, but his gut didn't trust that she would stay.
Rick had reduced the hours of operation during the winter, but it was mid April and even the clam and ice cream shacks were open on weekends. It was still a few weeks before the colleges let out. Sam was getting ready to start another project. Will should step up his training with three months until camp. His knee felt good and thankfully everyone had asked him about it, so the annoying question had stopped.
A week after the Zoom interviews, Will sat with a cup of coffee when Martha came in. She had a big smile and wore a colorful blouse. After she shook Rick's hand, he introduced her to Jen. "I'll show you around."
Rick started with the grocery section. It wasn't large, but held the essentials. Point residents only ran to Rick's for something they forgot on their weekly trip to Hannaford. Vacationers often shopped for more items ignoring price for convenience. In economics, price and demand depended on one another. If he lowered the prices, could he increase demand? In theory, yes, but his neighbors had a mindset and routines which he doubted would change.
"Grocery is secondary to coffee and sandwiches."
"It must be slow in the winter."
Rick smiled. "Compared to summer when the line is out the door, but we have a steady breakfast and lunch crowd."
"And you'll be the boss?"
Rick shook his head. "I'm stepping down. I'll be a customer."
Jen smiled. "An investment group purchased the entity."
She looked around. "Where are they?"
Rick cleared his throat. "Not here. Rest assured, they'll know when things are going well. Look at our menu."
She studied the board. "Just coffee."
Rick had slipped behind the counter and poured a cup. "Try it. People come in for just a cup. We have summer residents who stop here for a cup the moment they cross the causeway."
She took a sip and looked up. "It's very good. I had heard about people driving over for coffee."
"Now you know why. All employees sign a nondisclosure agreement regarding our coffee and lobster roll recipes."
"It sounds so serious."
Jen nodded. "The lobster rolls have won awards."
Rick said, "Let's sit. Jen will take care of any customers."
Rick chose a table next to Will who sat unplanned with John. Both were equally interested in the visitor. John had leaned in. "Aren't you curious about this investment group?"
Will shrugged. "As long as they keep things the same, I don't care."
Rick smiled. "These are two regulars. John is here every morning. This is Martha."
John nodded. "We're a family. In some cases literally." He laughed.
"Are you related?"
Will smiled. "By marriage. My sister is married to his son. Do you live nearby?"
She lived one town over and before they knew it John had her talking about the years she spent caring for her mother-in-law who recently passed. "She had dementia. It wasn't easy, but now I need to get back to work. The house is a reminder."
Rick cleared his throat. "Would you be interested in a position other than the manager?"
She looked into her coffee cup. "I was feeling apprehensive about everything involved."
Will asked, "How many hours are you hoping to work?"
She looked at Rick. "Forty might be too many. I have been at home for three years."
"We have summer help. Nick has another full year before he plans to come home for graduate school."
John laughed. "Just like his father."
"Not quite. Peter worked two jobs and had two babies." Rick frowned. "Ancient history."
Will stood. "Nice to meet you. I hope Rick hires you."
It was past his normal time at the gym.
A day later, Will sat with his coffee. It was late morning, because Katherine had to drive up from Boston. The first thing he noticed was she was taller than he expected. Maybe not WNBA tall, but above average. She pulled her light brown hair back in a ponytail making her look young. Based on her resume, he guessed she was two or three years older than him.
He watched a repeat of the day before, but Katherine seemed more interested in the food preparation area than the store. Rick had confided that the groceries ran on autopilot. His ordering was consistent year to year.
Will planned to look at sales to see if some items could be discontinued. Minor improvements didn't mean he was changing things. Jack had computerized the inventory and sales data five years before.
When Rick and Katherine sat down, she asked about inventory and suppliers. Then she asked who the manager reported to. She nodded. "A lot of restaurants are owned by investors."
Will was glad she didn't seem concerned. He panicked that she might recognize his voice, something he hadn't worried about with Martha.
Rick smiled. "We need to train the manager to take over before summer."
Katherine smiled. "Would it be possible for me to see the apartment?" Will wished he could be a fly on the wall as Rick showed her the upstairs.
Although he feared she might move on, if Rick's gut told him Katherine was alright, Will would agree.
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