Chapter 17

"I'm looking for an assistant," Sandy said, as they walked down the beach in the morning sun. "Someone who can look after the store when I'm away for some reason. I put an ad in the paper and talked to the Labor Ministry. How about coming while I do the interviews?"

"No, I don't think so. It's your thing; I don't belong in that. But tell me what you're up to."

"I've got three people coming. Two girls and a guy."

"Tell me what you're looking for."

"I need someone to handle the office when I'm not here. Answer the phone, rent units, handle any problems. Need reliability, honesty."

"No moving stuff?"

"No. I'm not in the moving business. I do storage. That's all."

"What about the selling side? What do you expect there?"

"They need to be able to convince people their goods will be safe here for the long term and that they have full access."

"Do any of these people have prior experience? Telephone sales, retail operations? What certificates do they have?"

Sandy grinned. "They have the certificates they need for retail work and there are references — all that. Experience in this business, no; there isn't any of this business around here. Not much in France. But, what I'm looking for is someone with initiative and imagination."

"Good luck," Helen replied, "you're going to need it to get anything more than the basics."

"I hope I can motivate them a little, too."

"Come by when you're through. Tell me about it"

When the doorbell rang, Helen closed the drawing she was working on and went to the door. Sandy had pulled off his shirt, draping it over his shoulder. She put her arms around him and pressed herself against his bare chest. The orange cat had come to the door with her and rubbed against Sandy's legs, making welcoming noises.

When their lips parted, she said, "I wasn't being nasty or anything, not coming with you. I just really thought it was something I shouldn't be involved in."

"I know. I don't mind." He ran his hands down her bare back, pulling her to him. Helen slipped her hands into the waist of his shorts, working them off. "You're all excited. Does this have anything to do with your interviews?" she asked. He nodded, grinning sheepishly. "Come over here and tell me about it." She led the way onto the balcony and into the sunshine, pressing him down on the wide lounge. When she had settled herself, she hummed contentedly and said, "OK, what did you get?"

"As I told you, two girls and a guy. One of the girls wasn't really serious, I think she just wanted the labor office to think she wants a job — you know, maintain her unemployment eligibility; she pulled out pretty quickly. The other girl and the guy were interested in what I'm doing and seemed eager. The guy had been to school in the U.S. and was familiar with storage units. I talked with him for a while and I hired him. I think he'll be good. Has some background in retail, and he's been studying retail management at the University, so that's a good thing."