Taming His Montana Heart(6)

She nodded. “They’re running right now, but I wouldn’t recommend doing any extensive repairs. There’s something else. I’m hesitant to bring it up because it’s expensive.”

“Don’t ever hesitate bringing a concern to me. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Yes, it is. I’m just used to only having myself to consider.”

“Sorry, folks.” A tall, skinny teenage boy wearing a stained sweatshirt dropped a couple of menus on the table. “I was in the kitchen. Didn’t see you. What you want?”

Where had this kid come from and was he their waiter? Too bad he hadn’t waited until Shaw had found a way to get Haley to expand on her comment about handling everything on her own.

“Hot chocolate for me.” He made a mental note to tell someone to teach the kid basic manners. “Haley, what about you?”

“That sounds good.”

“That’s all?” the boy asked. “You don’t need these menus?”

“No.” Haley drew out the word. “Thank you very much.”

The boy nodded, smiled, and scooped up the menus. He muttered something about getting the chocolate to them in a few and left.

“He’s going to have to get a lot better if he hopes to hold onto his job,” Shaw said. “I don’t put up with incompetence.”

“I’m sure you don’t but he’s trying, kind of. I think his mother is one of the housekeepers. Shouldn’t he be in school?”

“Maybe he dropped out.”

She frowned. “He’ll regret it for his whole life if he doesn’t at least graduate high school.”

She sounded somewhere between concerned and sad, her voice faint, as if her thoughts had taken her from the here and now. As much as he wanted to know what she was thinking, even more he needed to remind himself of their relationship. He shouldn’t have said anything about his expectations of employees to her, but he had.

“A few years of part-time work at minimum wage will make that clear to him,” he said.

“I’m sure it will. I can’t help but feel sorry for him.”

“Sorry? People make choices. They have to live with the consequences.”

She shook her head. “You’re being rough on him. He’s still a kid. Only a few years older than your niece. If it was her, you’d be lovingly encouraging her to get her education.”

“Of course I would because she’s who she is, but, Haley, I’ve seen too many people screw things up. I’m not the one who’ll be able to change them.”

“What brought you to that conclusion?”

Taken aback by the landmine he’d nearly stepped into, he shrugged. “Life did. Don’t get me wrong. I want to see that kid succeed, but he has to do the work.”

“Yes. He does.” She looked where the teenager had gone. “Maybe something is taking place in his world that makes going to school unimportant.”

Had that happened to her? He strained to remember what she’d told him about her background, but the bulk of the job interview had focused on the skills she’d be bringing to the job. As she’d described what she’d done before applying to work at Lake Serene, his initial doubts had given way to admiration. Starting when she was fourteen, she’d worked at a family-owned snowmobile sales and service company. That had lasted until she’d opened her own business repairing and maintaining the machines. She also helped people choose the best snowmobiles for their needs.

“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Of course. He’s too young for life to be kicking him.”

“You can’t live his life for him.”

“You’ve made your point.” She pressed her finger against a mark on the table until her flesh whitened.

Damn it, let it go. She doesn’t need a lecture.

They didn’t speak as the teenager placed their steaming mugs on the table. When they thanked him, he responded with a thumbs-up. Then, because he held himself responsible for the awkward turn the conversation had taken, Shaw told her he’d heard nothing but positive things about how the snowmobile operation was being handled.

“I’m glad to hear that. A few people, men mostly, haven’t taken kindly to my questions about their experience.”

“That’s one of the things I wanted to bring up with you. Let me know if a customer gives you a hard time.”

“I don’t need rescuing. Believe me, I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“You’re a woman doing a man’s job.”

She groaned. “I’m so tired of hearing that.”

“Sorry. I’m sure you are.” For a moment he wasn’t sure what to say.

Just because he hadn’t had time to talk to Haley Walters didn’t mean he hadn’t thought about her. Those thoughts came at random, unexpected moments like when he was in his apartment looking out at a new day or the afternoon he’d spotted a buck with a huge rack and a rut-thickened neck and wished he’d been able to share the sight with her. However, those thoughts had nothing to do with reality. He was her boss, not her lover.

Lover? Get real.

“Why did you choose what you did for a career?” he asked.

She started to look down, then met his gaze. “It wasn’t a choice so much as doing what was necessary.”