River of Implications

Janice Lynn Haley waited at the main dock for her friend to appear with her prospective helper. She sat at one of the round tables that dotted the entire dock and scanned the people passing by. Eventually, she spotted Scarlett's car as she parked near her SUV in the visitor's spot. She exited the vehicle with a shorter woman. She sure doesn't look mid-forties, Jan thought to herself as she shielded the sun from her eyes with one hand and studied the woman. Short, thin, casually dressed in jeans and a pink tee, the woman seemed closer to her early 30s. Perhaps it was her diminutive size and the long, thick, wavy, sandy brown hair that cascaded all the way to her buttocks that gave off that illusion. The sides of her hair were brushed straight back and secured in back, exposing a face that was becoming more and more familiar with each step she took in her direction. Oh, wow! Venita! Cute little Venita, who used to shop in her store every so often for incense. Petite, adorable, and someone she'd wondered about from time to time over the last few years. "Hi, Jan," Scarlett said cheerfully. Venita glanced at Jan, and recognition crossed her own features as well. "Oh, my God, Jan!" Scarlett looked from Venita to Jan. "You mean you two actually know each other or something?" Jan smiled warmly. "Actually, we have met before, but it's been a long time. You still an incense junkie?" "That it has," said Venita, "and yes, that's the one guilty pleasure I still can't live without. I'm so sorry I turned you onto that wholesale incense company, though. Had I known their service would go downhill like it did, I never would've referred you. I buy from another site now, that's much better." "Oh, well, you'll have to give me their address sometime then," Jan said. "I actually turned my place upside down one day looking for that pen you gave me with your own site address on it, but I never could find it." Jan and Scarlett laughed, and Jan said, "Well, as they say, it's when you're not looking for things that you find them." "That is very true," said Venita. "It is," Scarlett chimed in. "Same rule applies to love. Seek and you shall not find." Jan laughed and said, "You still having shitty luck in that department?" "Don't ask," said Scarlett, rolling her eyes. "I thought you owned a duplex, Jan?" Venita said a minute later. "I did, but I got tired of it and sold it." "I don't care for living attached to others myself, but renting a room in Klamath Falls, Oregon is about as cheap as it gets for those of us trying to save money." "Yeah, it is," Jan said. A flock of seagulls flew noisily overhead. "Well, Venita, I don't know much about you since you only came into my store like maybe four or five times. So how would you describe yourself?" "Weird, eccentric, liberal – a bit bold and blunt at times, but with a good sense of humor – and definitely experienced with computers." Scarlett chuckled silently as Jan slowly smiled as she chewed on a piece of gum, eyes never leaving Venita's face. "Really?" "Well, I'm no Bill Gates, but I do my best." Jan glanced at Scarlett, and they exchanged smiles. "And if I disagree?" "Then I guess you don't hire me." "Would you say you have a good memory?" "I would, yes." "What was one of my favorite fragrances?" "China Rain." "Damn!" Jan said with surprise. Scarlett laughed, and for a moment, Jan remained still, arms folded across her chest, still chewing her gum slowly. Venita wondered if she'd said too much, and Jan was hesitant to hire her because of it. "You good with numbers?" "No, I'm afraid that's not one of my strong points." "What have you been doing throughout the years?" "Many things. Winning contests and sweepstakes, singing, dancing, studying languages, writing, and finding people that sometimes don't want to be found." Scarlett laughed again, and Jan said, "Finding people that don't want to be found, huh?" "I'm a bit of a detective at times, you could say." "You carry a gun?" "No, ma'am." "Know how to shoot one?" "Nope. Only thing I'm good at shooting off is my mouth at times." Scarlett burst out laughing, and Jan even laughed too, though not as heartily. She shook her head, obviously not sure what she was dealing with, but curious enough to learn more. "You won some contests and sweepstakes, huh? Did you work during that time?" "No. I mean, why work if you can just win?" "Well, then why work now?" "Because I stopped winning." More laughter. "Any illnesses I should know about, despite how healthy you look?" "Nope." "Ok, let's give you a try," said Jan, much to Venita's pleasure. Especially since her crush on the woman had never quite worn off. It had simply gone dormant with the lack of contact. Venita looked forward to rekindling it, even if nothing could ever come of it. "Scarlett, would you like to come up with us for a while?" Jan asked her. "Sure. It's been a while, so why not?" Scarlett and Venita followed Jan along a short dock that extended about five feet over the river's edge. They approached the right side of the houseboat, where two doors stood side by side. Jan opened the second one. "There are two levels?" Venita asked. "Yeah, downstairs is where I store things and keep my store merchandise," Jan said. They entered a narrow, circular stairwell that appeared to have been recently swept clean. The sound of the motor humming and the gentle sway of the boat under the river's swift current took over Venita's senses. Now they were upstairs in the main living quarters. Venita realized she couldn't hear all the people who were still passing by down below. "This is beautiful," she said. "Loud car stereos and barking dogs definitely wouldn't be an issue here." "Nope, not at all," said Jan. "That's one reason I moved here. The windows are watertight. Keeps sounds out wonderfully, and the generator that runs also helps drown out the outside world as well, as close as it still is. It's dead around here at night, though." Venita eyed the interior. It sort of reminded her of a large RV. Everything was laid out in a line. A large, picturesque window covered most of the right side of the boat. A small table for two stood in the front corner. Underneath the window were several controls. "Those are for the lights and speakers," Jan said, noticing her eyeing all the controls. "Oh," she said with a smile, looking upward. Circular speakers dotted the ceiling every five feet or so. Heading left was a built-in couch and hi-def TV, then a kitchen with another built-in table and benches that could seat at least four. The bedroom was at the end, heading away from the dock, and the bathroom was across from it. Between the bedroom and bathroom was a door, which led to a deck. "This is definitely the nicest place I could ever work if I get the job full-time," said Venita. "Instead of paying her, why not just let her move in and give her free room and board and food instead?" joked Scarlett. "Hold your horses, Scarlett. She's not even officially hired yet," said Jan, turning her attention to a large laptop computer that sat on the larger table. "Have a seat next to me, Ms. Venita." Venita slid into the seat next to Jan in front of the laptop. Scarlett slid in across from them. "Ok, I want you to impress the hell out of me, Venita." Venita looked at the laptop's screen. A screensaver of swirling colors was present. She took hold of the mouse and moved it. The homepage of Jan's store was now visible. She spent the next twenty minutes explaining what she knew about the layout and overall way the site was supposed to function, occasionally offering ways to improve things. "Wow," Jan finally said, glancing across the table at her friend, then back at the monitor again. "So you think you can manage all these tasks? Inputting new inventory, answering emails, processing orders, and all that fun stuff?" "I think I can. The question is, what do you think?" Jan, still chewing her gum, said, "I'd be willing to give it a go. If you'd be willing to get started now as far as helping with the re-designing I'd like to do, we can let Scarlett go about her usual business, and I'll give you a ride home later since it'll be dark by the time we get done, as you're probably looking at working way into the night. Would you be ok with that?" "Sure," said Venita. Jan turned to Scarlett. "So where are you off to today anyway?" "Nowhere. Store's closed today for inspection." "Wanna hang around instead and play?" Scarlett laughed. "You know what that sounds like?" They both looked at Venita. "Hey, whatever turns you on," Venita said. "I don't judge." Scarlett laughed again while Jan remained smiling, and a bit of a turn-on to Venita. There was just something about the woman, and she looked forward to having such an attractive boss, older or not. "Ok, come on, Venita. Let's move you to the other table. Do you have your own computer?" Jan asked as she transferred her laptop to the smaller table in front. "Yes. I have a laptop. Want me to bring it from now on?" "If you want to do other things in between store work, since it's not like you'll need to work every single minute, you should. I don't want you doing other things on my computer in case it's anything that could mess up my cookies or interfere with other things." "Ok." "Let me know if you need anything, babe," said Jan. "Want something to drink?" Babe? "No, I'm fine for now. Thank you."