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“Which is ready to roll. Unfortunately, I’m tight on staff today. You got any ideas about who could fill in?”
“Mercedes?”
“Is already here working.”
Carlita rattled off a few more employees’ names, all of which, for various reasons, wouldn’t work. And then she remembered. “I might have a fill-in. I’m on my way.”
She ended the call and tossed her car keys to Vinnie. “I’m gonna see if Paisley wants to make a few extra bucks.”
“Who is Paisley?”
“Steve Winter’s girlfriend. She’s a little rough around the edges, but a good person. He mentioned they were short on cash the other day.” Carlita dialed the number Autumn had given her. Her call went right to voicemail.
She left a brief message explaining who she was and mentioned the job before disconnecting. “It looks like I might be dishing out food this afternoon.”
Her phone rang before she could finish the sentence. It was Paisley who said she would love to give it a try.
“Wonderful. Is now too soon?”
“I’m right around the corner. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Carlita thanked her and ended the call. “Crisis averted. I’m always looking for extra help. If this works out, Paisley might have a permanent part-time job or maybe even full-time.”
Reaching the parking lot, Carlita hopped out of the car and made a beeline for the restaurant. The food truck was already parked out back.
“Well?” Arnie caught up with her.
She gave him two thumbs up. “I have someone. Her name is Paisley. She’s Steve Winter’s girlfriend. She should be here any minute.”
“Does she have a driver’s license?”
“Now that you mention it, I’m not sure.” Carlita blew air through thinned lips. “I hope so. What about the other worker?”
“They don’t have a driver’s license.”
It wasn’t unusual, at least not for Savannah, especially for locals who lived in the heart of the historic district, not to have a driver’s license. They relied on public transportation, including the trolley system, to get around—work, shopping, going out. Not only was owning a vehicle low on the priority list, but fewer vehicles meant fewer parking problems, considering parking spots were at a premium.
A figure at the end of the alley caught Carlita’s eye. It was Paisley, moving at a fast clip.
Arnie made a choking sound as she drew closer. “I hope this isn’t Paisley,” he whispered under his breath.
Chapter 26
“It’s Paisley,” Carlita whispered back, noticing she looked the same as she had the last time she’d seen her at Steve’s shop, except for the addition of a new tattoo which now reached above her neckline. At least the new tat was a wreath of flowers.
As the woman drew closer, her gaze was drawn to the black snake with intense green eyes hissing at her through a cluster of pink azaleas.
“Hello, Carlita.” Paisley smiled brightly.
“Hello, Paisley. Thank you for getting here so quickly.”
“You’re welcome.”
Carlita introduced her to Arnie. “This is my restaurant manager, Arnie. As I mentioned on the phone, we need someone to serve food from our food truck during this afternoon’s music festival.”
“I love the local music festival. In fact, I was telling Steve we needed to get down there later today. Some of my favorite bands will be playing.”
“I’m sure you’ll have plenty to listen to.” Carlita briefly explained the help needed. Basically you’ll be serving a limited number of items to hungry festivalgoers. “To keep it easy, we have a few main dishes, a couple of sides and one dessert.”