"Ruth, thank you for coming." Jackson offered Sylvia's mother his hand.

He'd put the ad on the clan's virtual bulletin board weeks ago, but had gotten no calls. Ruth was the first and only applicant to respond.

She shook it. "I saw your ad on the bulletin board, and then Sylvia mentioned that you need help around here because your buddies are leaving for college."

"I do. Let me show you around."

She glanced at the empty booths and the Naugahyde covered benches that had seen better days. "I see that you haven't done any renovations."

"I'm not the owner. Nathalie, Andrew's wife, is. She should get here any minute."

Ruth looked uncomfortable. "I thought I was meeting just with you."

He arched a brow. "Do you have a problem with Nathalie?"

"No, of course not. But I have never been on a job interview before. Having to do it in front of two people stresses me out."

Sylvia had warned him that her mother was emotionally fragile. That was why Ruth had never worked a day in her life, depending on her share of the clan's profits to provide for her and her daughter.

Now that Sylvia was a grown woman and ready to fly the coop, Ruth was panicking. She needed to get out of the house and have contact with people other than Sylvia and her friends.

Except Jackson wasn't running a charity project, and if Ruth couldn't handle the pressures of the café he had no use for her. He was willing to give her a chance, though. Not only as a favor to Sylvia, but because everyone deserved one.

"To start with, you'll need to work with Gordon in the kitchen and learn how to make the sandwiches and the cold salads that go with them. We make the salads in the morning before we open. It's nothing fancy. A potato salad and a coleslaw, which are easy to make."

He led her to the kitchen and pointed to the recipes Gordon had stapled to the wall above the prep table. "Here are all the sandwiches on the menu, what goes inside them and in what order." He turned around and opened the fridge. "Each cold cut and cheese is sorted in a labeled container, so there are no mistakes. We slice them up in the morning, and again at lunch if we run out."

Ruth kept nodding.

"Are you going to remember all this?"

"It's not complicated. Everything makes sense."

He snorted. "Wait until you get ten orders at once. Things get hectic in here at breakfast and lunchtime."

"I think I can manage." Her voice sounded more confident now that she knew what was expected of her.

"Let me show you the cappuccino machine. When I'm here, I make it, but everyone working here needs to know how to operate it."

"Okay." She followed him behind the counter where he turned the machine on.

"Have you ever made a cappuccino before?"

She shook her head.

"It's not that hard unless you're trying to make fancy shapes. Took me forever to master the basic ones like a heart and a leaf."

He put out two small aluminum cups and pressed a button. "This part is automatic. The frothing is what takes skill."

She watched him do it. "Do I have to know how to make shapes?"

"It's not necessary, but it's a nice touch. Take your time with that. There is no hurry."

The bells on the front door jingled as Nathalie pushed it open. "I'm sorry I'm late, guys. I had to wait for Andrew to come home before I could leave."

She offered her hand to Ruth. "How are you doing?"

"I'm well. How about you? How is motherhood?"

Nathalie smiled. "The best thing that ever happened to me. But sometimes I feel that I'll go crazy if I don't get out."

Ruth smiled. "I remember those days well. Enjoy it while you can. You have no idea how quickly they are over. One day you have an adorable baby in your arms, and the next your little bundle of joy is all grown up and doesn't need you anymore."

Jackson and Nathalie exchanged glances. The woman was in serious need of a new focus in life.

Nathalie threaded her arm through Ruth's and led her to a booth. "We have big plans for the future, and I hope you are the right person to help us bring them to fruition."

Ruth's bitter expression turned into curiosity. "In what capacity?"

Nathalie sat down. "We have this location, the one in the keep, and a new one in the village. And there are not enough people to run all three. Once Jackson opens the one in the village, this one can become your baby if you can handle it."

Ruth shrank in her seat. "I thought I was applying for a waitress position."

"To start with. In time, you can become the manager and hire human help. It's much easier for an immortal female to pass for human than it is for the males."

Ruth's eyes darted around the empty café. "I never had a job before. I don't know if I can do it."

"Neither did I," Jackson said, placing three cups of cappuccino on the table. "I learned on the job. Vlad learned how to bake, and Gordon learned how to make sandwiches and keep the kitchen organized. If we managed with neither of us ever working or preparing food before, I'm sure you can do it as well."

"You'll get to keep forty percent of the net profits," Nathalie added.

Ruth took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "I think we are putting the cart before the horse. First, I need to start and see if this is what I want to do, and if I'm any good at it."

Nathalie nodded. "Yes, of course. I just wanted you to be aware of the big picture. Thinking like an entrepreneur is very different from thinking like an employee. The sooner you adopt the mentality that you are in charge of your future the better."

Watching Ruth's panic rising again, Jackson decided to lighten the mood. "What Nathalie means is that you'll be working longer hours and harder than your employees, and sometimes your take-home profits will be less than your servers' tips. But, hey, you're the boss."

Nathalie glared at him. "You're supposed to be encouraging."

He winked at Ruth. "You should know what you're getting yourself into. But let me tell you this. Being in charge of your future is worth the hard work and the occasional disappointment."