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“Well, they had AC, so it was nice.”
Olivia nodded again. It didn’t seem like she smiled much; nods were all you got. Another surge of liking from Gertrude. “A pragmatic woman, I like that. Are you punctual?”
“Perfect attendance awards in all four years of high school.”
“Familiar with books?”
Gertrude tilted her sharp chin at Dracula. “Enough to ask if that’s a real first edition.”
That drew a smile. “It is. It was my fathers. Care to guess how much it's worth?”
“At least ten grand.”
“Try forty.”
Gertrude blinked. That amount of money would fix a lot of problems. Her mom could get better treatment. They could put a wheelchair ramp on the porch.
Oliva rotated in her chair and looked fondly at the book. “We actually sold a few of my father’s rare books to open the place. He was a collector. The man had more opinions on books than anyone I’ve ever met. Sometimes I think he loved books so much that he hated most of what he read. Everything could be better.” She turned and gazed at Gertrude. “I’ll be honest, I like you and I get a good vibe. Ariana says you keep to yourself, but you seem dependable and responsible. And she speaks very highly of you.”
“She’s a good friend.”
“And luckily for you, she's a good employee who keeps sending people to my store." She tossed her pen onto her desk. "But I’ll be honest. We are struggling. I’ve lost employees because I couldn’t afford to give them enough hours. But, I need people here to run the place—I'm caught in between modes. So, work might be sporadic and sparse. If you’re okay with working part-time, I’d love to have you.” She extended her hand, and Gertrude shook it.
“Okay,” Olivia said. “Can you start Saturday?”
