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“Yes, sir.”
“Fordham, you said your work schedule is pretty tight for the next couple of weeks, so you’ll be assigned wherever you’re needed until you find your niche.” Elias glanced up, cocking his head at a black-haired Dom on the left-hand side of the table. “Do you have a preference?”
“I’m flexible.” As patient and unconcerned as a panther reclining on a branch, Fordham spread his hands wide.“Ropework is a specialty of mine. Teaching is the main reason I’m here. Other than that, I’m happy to do whatever.”
“Excellent.” The papers landed on the wood with a softthwap. “Serenity will operate as a twenty-four-seven resort. All of you have scheduled days off, and for now, we’re giving you free rein on your shifts. This is your home as well as your workplace. We’re aiming for a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere not just for our members, but for you as well.”
“What about additional staffing?” Ericka asked, flicking long brown hair over her shoulder. She ran her thumb over her lip, exchanging glances with her friend.
“We’ve compiled interview lists for each section,” Elias responded without hesitation. “All candidates have already been thoroughly screened and their availability confirmed for immediate hire if you approve. As Masters and Mistresses of Serenity, we’re relying on you to select your teams with care. If you have your own candidates in mind, please give their information to Grit. Hiring and firing falls to you; however, we will intervene if we think a team is not performing to our standards.”
Liam nodded in approval.
Serenity was nothing like Avalon in many respects, but he understood what Evander and Elias were aiming for—the same atmosphere and familial warmth, the inclusivity of a tight-knit community.
“Staff meetings will initially be held on Sunday mornings,” Elias continued. “A little strange, I know, but until we figure out when our quietest times will be, we’d like to avoid pulling you away from your areas when you’re needed most.”
“There goes my sleep in,” someone muttered.
“That’s what your day off is for,” Evander said casually, lifting his eyebrow. “Let me make one thing absolutely clear before we open the doors. We want you to have fun, we want you to bondand work as a family, a team, which means pulling your damn weight.” He lifted a hand toward the door. “If you think this is an easy gig, a job you can just coast through and ride on the coattails of everyone else, I’m sure you can hitch a ride with Blake back to the city.”
Silence blanketed the room, thick and stifling.
“Serenity’s success depends on you. Your experience, your expertise, your desire to make this club the best it can be is what will determine what it achieves. We don’t want the credit,” he told them with complete honesty. “We don’t want accolades or applause. Don’t need them. Serenity was a dream, one that is now a reality. In our eyes, this club is yours.”
“Even though Elias is in charge?” Levi asked, grinning foolishly.
“Only for a short while,” Eli corrected, shooting him a glare. “After we iron out the kinks—pun not intended—we’ll be starting the search for a manager to take over day to day operations.”
Evander picked up the ball again. “You’ve all been chosen to be part of this because of your strengths, whether through recommendations, personal preference, or simply as the strongest candidate for the position. We expect you to reflect our standards as well as your own. To present yourselves in a manner that shows the club in a positive light. You are the faces of Serenity.”
They made an effective team, Liam thought approvingly as he watched his new colleagues. Eli was perpetually dominant, taking charge at every turn, probably because he was used to handling Evander’s schedule on a daily basis.
Evander, however, was smart to appeal to his employees’ sense of pride in themselves and their work. Giving them a personal stake in the success of the club.
“Now if we’ve emphasized the importance of your input enough,” Elias said soberly, seamlessly taking control again, “let’s go over the opening day procedures.”
Sierra
The meeting tookforever.
She listened with one ear as her fingers worked on autopilot, deftly stitching together the limp body she’d had to wash a dozen times to get the stains and grime out. Even her special concoction hadn’t been able to get it done any faster; years of hard loving followed by an extended stay in a cardboard box in a damp basement was almost more than the furry body could take.
Sierra stroked a fingertip over the soft, striped fur.
The child who’d once clutched the plush tiger in her sleep while sucking her thumb had grown up. The woman she’d become, cleaning out that dirty basement after her mother’s death, wanted her childhood toy to pass down to her daughter.
So Sierra would stitch until the two halves were whole again, doing a far better job than the original manufacturer ever did, and fill the stuffie with new stuffing and a lot of love.
She knew what it was to love now; not the young, idealistic version she’d felt for Wyatt in the beginning. God knew that hadn’t been reciprocated in the slightest. Maybe he’d learned to love her back, but not until Liam loved her first, completely and without limits.
It shamed her that even though Wyatt gave her his best effort to earn forgiveness, she’d never allowed herself to love or trust him fully. Not after the way he’d used her, belittled her, brought her self-confidence to its lowest point.
She did mourn him. Dying so suddenly, so violently, while trying to protect a man who’d become a huge part of Avalon had redeemed him to some degree, but she was strong enough now to understand the loss of him hadn’t impacted her life as deeply as losing Liam would.
There was no life without Liam.
Some days, it felt as though they were miles apart. For the past few weeks, they’d been preparing for the move from Arizona to Colorado, the shift from Avalon to Serenity, and all the complications it brought along for the ride.
