Flirting with the HR Girl

Chapter 12

Orientation was packed that evening. They had officially started hiring for the holiday season. Jennifer made it through introductions and talking about what area the employees were working in with minimal embarrassment. They even made it through the game about Peterson's with Austin answering a few questions. Austin sat in a middle row showing that he was not too eager to be there but didn't think it was entirely lame by sitting in the back. He'd taken off his suit jacket and draped it across the back of his chair. His dress shirt was tight enough for Jennifer to see the faint outlines of his muscular chest and arms but not too distracting that she couldn't remember what she was supposed to be teaching. She'd kept her jacket on in hopes that no one would see how much she was sweating. She was more nervous than she had been the first time she taught orientation last year. But she'd combed her hair and applied a fresh coat of make-up before going in, telling herself it would protect her like armor in battle. The class was listening well, asking good questions, and all seemed eager to be working at Peterson's.

"We are going to take a break but if you have any questions about the PTO program, let me know and I will make sure to answer them when we get back," Jennifer said as she handed out another policy for them to read. Each new hire already had a stack in front of them and were looking more glazed over than the donuts Todd had provided. It was the perfect time for a break for everyone to get a saltier snack or use the restroom. Orientation was an hour and a half long but after forty-five minutes of getting to know you, company history, and then company policy, it could feel a lot longer. "We only have a few more policies to go over when we get back and then I will take questions before we're done for the night."

Most of the new hires immediately shuffled for the door. A few hung back, organizing their papers and looking like they might have a question for her. Austin didn't move at all. He sat back in his seat with his legs crossed and his hands behind his head. Remove his shirt and suit pants and he could have been at the beach. Wait, don't remove his pants! Jennifer dragged her gaze away from him as a small woman hired for shoes came up to her.

"I'm sorry to bother you, dear," the woman's voice was barely audible, and Jennifer wasn't surprised that the shoe manager had hired her. The woman was very nice when Jennifer did her new hire paperwork but not very talkative. The thought of this timid woman trying to upsell shoes or the customer loyalty account was kind of ridiculous. But the new hire would do with the shoe manager told her without complaint. The woman had been a school secretary for years but with the changing technology, she decided it was time to retire. She needed something part-time for when she wasn't spending time with her grandkids. "It says here that we are not eligible for PTO if we're not full-time."

"Yes, that's true, but we count full-time as thirty hours a week now instead of forty," Jennifer explained hoping that this was the problem. Some managers tended to stretch the truth about what benefits were available just to get the person hired. Then the person was sorely disappointed and had presumably turned down any other jobs. It made Jennifer extremely frustrated, but she always tried to point it out as soon as possible for new hires.

"Oh, that's a relief because I will be doing thirty hours a week," the older woman smiled and looked much more at ease. "Thank you, dear." She went back to her spot and picked up her bag before leaving the room.

The room was completely empty except for Austin sitting there still in his tranquil position, watching her. She took a breath and asked, "Don't you want a break, too?"

"Nah." He shrugged. "We get so little time off the floor, just sitting here seems like a break itself."

"I bet that's true," Jennifer said thinking of her short time on the sales floor. Her legs and feet had ached so much the first day, she doubted was going to survive the shift. When her manager wasn't around, she would sneak into the dressing rooms and find a spot to sit to rest her legs. She would invariably get caught and get sent to fold more clothes or empty out the fitting rooms. Moving around did make it better, though, and after a week her body had adjusted. But she knew if she had to go out on the floor and work all day tomorrow or as she did on the day after Thanksgiving every year, she would be exhausted all over again. "That's probably why sometimes I can't get managers out of my office."