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Kerry swung back around and willed her gaze to return to the snake. There was some comfort, anyway, in knowing where the thing was. “How big is she?”
“Ten feet. She weighs sixty, maybe seventy pounds.”
“Um...would that be part of the job? Taking care of...Mitzi?”
Snoozy sagged. Even his moustache seemed to wilt. “This is why I’m not crazy about going away. No one appreciates Mitzi like I do. But Audrey has her heart set on a honeymoon.”
Eugenia crossed the room again, giving Mitzi a wide berth. “The good news is, you won’t come home and find out she’s been barbecued, since the person who suggested eating her is the same person sharing your honeymoon.”
Snoozy brightened. Kerry hugged her sweater closer, no longer enjoying the smell of that chili.
Eugenia clapped her hands. “Let’s get this show on the road. I need to get back to my shop.”
The door swung open, letting in the sounds of traffic. A heavyset man with a bushy gray beard stood blinking at them.
Snoozy waved him away. “Not open yet.”
“C’mon, Snooze, I’m hungry.”
“And it’ll be my pleasure to feed you, Dale. At eleven-oh-one.”
The man stomped back outside.
Kerry aimed a tentative smile at Snoozy. “So. Not being a big fan of snakes is strike one against hiring me.”
He shook out the towel and folded it in half. “There a strike two?”
She nodded. “Harris Briggs is my father.”
Snoozy went still, and scrunched his forehead. “That means...”
“Yes. I was convicted of a felony and spent six months under house arrest.”
He cast a furtive glance at Eugenia. “Had something to do with money, I heard.”
Kerry managed a nod. “Receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit fraud.”
Eugenia opened her mouth, then closed it. A familiar flush of shame heated Kerry’s cheeks. There were no extenuating circumstances. No defense for what she’d done.
“When do you leave on your honeymoon?” she asked the bar owner quietly.
“Ten days.” There was no mistaking his reluctance, and Kerry’s heart sank. “We’ll be out of the area for three weeks,” he continued.
“What if I work the first week for meals only?” When the sides of his mouth curved downward, she pushed her shoulders back. “I’m desperate for this job. I hurt a lot of people, financially and emotionally. I have amends to make, and I intend to make them. But I can’t do it without a job.”
“A lot of folks would say you should have thought of that before spending money you didn’t have.”
“A lot of folks would be right. There’s nothing about this situation that doesn’t shame me, except for my resolve to fix it.”
“This place is all I have,” he said gruffly.
“I understand.” Kerry forced a smile. “Thank you for even considering it.”
“Well.” Eugenia sighed the word as she adjusted the buckle on her purse. “At least Harris will be relieved.”
Snoozy’s gaze sharpened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The man is being his usual pigheaded self. Not only did he dismiss Kerry’s plan to pay back her debts, he refused to let her stay with him. He sent her to Joe’s instead. She’s been there since Monday.”
Snoozy regarded Kerry with a combination of disgust and speculation. “Harris sent you to Joe’s motel?”
“To be fair, he had no idea I was coming to town.”
“Your own father sent you to a motel.” Snoozy’s mouth tightened. “You know, he mocked my Mitzi.”
“No.” Eugenia gave the word enough lingering, horrified glee to make a daytime soap star green with envy, and it was all Kerry could do not to roll her eyes.
Snoozy nodded emphatically. “He asked if Audrey would be making her own wedding dress. Out of snakeskin.”
“He didn’t.”
Snoozy pressed a fist to his mouth, made a gurgling sound and nodded again. Eventually he held up a hand and cleared his throat. “Tried to patch things up by offering to put together Aud’s bouquet using Parker’s specialty tulips, but the bottom line is, doing that man a favor ain’t exactly my priority.” His somber gaze settled on Eugenia. “You’ll vouch for her?” When Eugenia answered with an unequivocal yes, Snoozy slid the towel from his shoulder and dabbed his forehead. “Then I suppose it won’t hurt to give this a try, Kerry Briggs.”
The embarrassingly loud sound of Kerry’s thankful gasp was smothered by Eugenia’s delighted clap. “Thank you so much,” Kerry said. “I won’t let you down. It’s not Briggs, though. It’s Endicott.”
“Okay, Kerry Endicott. You’re in for some long hours. I’ll expect you to do things my way and not question why. The sheriff’s a good friend of mine. I’ll be asking him to check in regularly. No telling when he’ll stop by.”
“I understand.”
“Good. You can start tonight.”
Kerry blinked. “Tonight?”
“I need time to find someone else if you don’t work out.”
Relief warred with panic. “Fair enough.”
“Just who else do you think you’re going to get?” Eugenia demanded.
“Liz, maybe.” Snoozy hesitated. “Or Hazel. She offered to help out for free.”
“Liz is far too busy working with Parker at the greenhouses and raising that baby boy of hers,” Eugenia said. “And Mayor Hazel doesn’t have time for anything but that community center she and her sister are determined to finally make a reality. Besides, give her any control here and the first thing she’ll do is install a condom machine in each of the bathrooms.”
Snoozy’s face glowed red and Kerry fought not to smile.
Eugenia crossed her arms. “The second thing she’ll do is organize a wet T-shirt contest. Only male contestants need apply.”
The extra color faded from Snoozy’s cheeks. “Might bring more ladies in,” he said thoughtfully. “Which in turn would bring in more men.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Eugenia dropped her arms and bopped Snoozy with her clutch. “Hazel Catlett doesn’t know a Woo Woo from a Snakebite.”
Snoozy tugged at his moustache. “Don’t get much call for Woo Woos here. Beer, whiskey and wine. Even old Mr. Katz can handle that.”
This time Eugenia thumped Kerry with her clutch. “What’s in a Woo Woo?”
“Vodka, peach schnapps and cranberry juice.”
“There you go,” Eugenia said smugly. “Anyway, can old Mr. Katz or even Hazel handle drink deliveries, or cleaning up this place the morning after payday? Think of the business Kerry will bring in. Once people find out the new bartender is Harris’s daughter, you’ll be in danger of violating the fire code.”
Okay, that was a cheerful thought. Not.
“Guess I’ll see you tonight, then.” Snoozy sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ll find someone else to look after Mitzi.”
“Thank you,” Kerry said.
“Glad