Chapter 2

"Well, you sure do have a nice set up here, Dr. Lee."

Jonathan hid a grin at the awestruck look Enos had on his face as he look around Jonathan's home away from home as well as a lab away from his main lab.

"Enos, please, it's Jonathan. Can't be formal with the only friend I have in Hazzard County."

"Aw, don't worry about it, Doct--er, Jonathan. People are real friendly here in Hazzard. Don't go judging them by Boss Hogg and Sherriff Roscoe. By the way, did I mention this is a nice set up you have here?"

"Thanks. The lab is in the far end of the trailer. Just a few instruments and such. Mostly I'll be collecting samples, making a few initial tests and screenings and shipping the more promising samples up to Atlanta. But that brings me to my problem. I still need someone to help me who knows the area, and won't have any problem collecting dirt and plant samples. Don't suppose you might change your mind about doing a little moonlighting, would you, Enos?"

Enos laughed. "Boss Hogg and the Sheriff would have my hide if I did. You're Homeland Security agents scared them straighter than a moonshiner in a church revival. But if you want to hire somebody, you just need to put up a few notices. Down in the courthouse would be a good place to start. The Community Center is another good place. And then there's County Bulletin Board. I think I've got the web address for that in my wallet." Enos laughed at Jonathan's look of surprise "Don't look so surprised, Jonathan. We made it into the 21st century here in Hazzard!"

Jonathan grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Enos, I'm afraid your Sheriff and your County Commissioner have put me off of Hazzard a little. Well, let me tell you exactly what I'll be needing, and how much the government will pay."

While Jonathan sketched out what requirements he was going to need for an assistant to Enos, Daisy was picking up the phone in the Duke Kitchen.

"Duke Farm."

"Daisy Duke?"

Daisy immediately recognized the voice on the other end of the line and squealed with excitement. "Lucy Verne! How are you??!! It's been ... well, you should have called me before now, it's been that long!!"

"I know, Daisy, and I'm sorry."

"Oh, I'm just teasing you, Lucy. You know I'll miss you the moment we're off the phone."

"Well, you won't have to miss me for long. Guess who got a job for the summer with the George State Agricultural Development Program and will be working in Hazzard County?"

"Oh, that's great! Listen, you'll have to stay here with me. Uncle Jesse would love to see you again. And so will my cousins!"

"Do they ever talk about me?"

Daisy laughed. "I think Luke sleeps with that picture of you in your prom dress and those earrings your Mom brought back from New York. You know the picture I'm talking about, it's the one you posed for in front of our barn. They're still mad at me for keeping you firmly in the Hazzard High School Abstinence Club."

Lucy laughed. "I'm still in it, too. Do you think that they'll still be willing to pick me up at the bus station when I get in next week?"

As Lucy and Daisy made plans for the summer and generally caught up with each other's life, another visitor made its way toward Jonathan's lab.

Jonathan was getting ... inured, for lack of a better word ... to the constant display of female flesh that was the norm at the The Boar's Nest. Not that he was comfortable with it. But he had at least stopped breaking into a cold sweat every time one of the waitresses bent over to serve him his sandwich or iced tea and showed him an ample amount of cleavage.

The Boar's Nest did become his second home away from home for him, though. For one thing, Jonathan was introduced to the pure pleasure of a properly made barbecued pork sandwich served with plenty of cole slaw. For another, The Boar's Nest was a great place to conduct interviews for his assistant.

He had just finished his last interview of the day and was gathering his notes when Enos walked through the door.

"Enos. I was about to head out."

"Hired your assistant yet?"

"Couple of potentials, but I guess the fair thing to do is to go through the whole list. Looking for someone in particular?"

"Friend of mine from high school. She used to work here, but I think she was ... well, it was kind of a scene a few months ago. It involved the previous manager of The Boar's Nest."

Enos and Jonathan talked for a few more minutes, before Jonathan headed back to his laboratory/temporary home. When he signed on to his computer, an email told him he was going to be getting a call from an intern sent by the state's Agricultural Department, who would be working with him, along with the assistant that Jonathan was supposed to hire.

Sure enough, when Jonathan checked his voice mail, there was a message there from the intern, one Lucy Verne. Lucy left her number, and also asked if Jonathan had hired an assistant yet. If not, Lucy had a local friend that would be perfect for the job.

Shrugging, Jonathan thought it wouldn't hurt to interview one more person. If he was going to have to deal with this intern, it probably wouldn't do to reject her friend out of hand.

For those of you who can't imagine the venustraphobic Jonathan having not one but two beautiful teenaged women working for him during the summer, you just don't know Hazzard County. The Dukes were well liked by the denizens of Hazzard County, and Boss Hogg's attempt to shut down the best moonshiner in the county were not looked on favorably. Plus, Daisy was incredibly well liked, Lucy was the home girl who had made good, and everyone thought that Daisy deserved something good in her life after Huey. Then there was the fact that the stories of Jonathan putting Boss Hogg in his place had made the rounds, and had put him in good stead with everyone who met him.

Until a few months ago, Daisy had been a Plain Jane, rather than the Rose of Hazzard County. So it wasn't that hard for her and Lucy to dress down a little (well, a lot) in order to downplay their country girl sex appeal. And the two girls were not only smart, but knew everyone in the county.

So, with a certain amount of reluctance, Jonathan hired Daisy as his assistant for the summer.

The girls were ecstatic. Both of them would be earning paychecks (though from different sources) for basically going around and talking to their friends and neighbors. Lucy would stay out at the Duke farm for the summer. Uncle Jesse had also laid down the law: since Lucy would be staying on the farm for the summer, she was Bo's and Luke's unofficial cousin, and would be off-limits for romantic interludes. Bo and Luke made some grumblings, but in truth, both the boys had their hands full for the summer (Bo was romancing nearly half the farmer's daughters in the surrounding counties, and Luke was making a name for himself as the best driver in Hazzard County, if not in Georgia).

Gradually, Jonathan had warmed up to the girls to the point that he was comfortable around them, and had even become a regular fixture at the Duke farm for supper and weekends. Jonathan even went so far as to help Uncle Jesse modernize his moonshining business (under the guise of biofuel research), and was able to keep Boss Hogg and Roscoe at bay.

All in all, the summer was going very well indeed.

Well, almost fairly well.

Jonathan was finding himself developing feelings for both Daisy and Lucy. Of course, being a shy young man, he didn't have the courage to act on those feelings. Also, he had come to like Daisy and Lucy so well that he wouldn't want to run the danger of ruining his friendship with either girl, Daisy's cousins Bo and Luke, or Uncle Jesse by acting on something that might blow up in his face.