The Taste of Home

Chapter 33

Weeks later, Miguel and Alejandro arrived home with a small stack of resumes. Thanks to the influx of customers that had come as news spread about their revamped menu, Mr. Kaminski had expanded their outdoor seating and was looking into lengthening the restaurant's hours so they could meet the demand. More customers meant more work for the staff, so for the first time since Miguel was brought on, Mr. Kaminski was hiring more chefs.

It hadn't been lost on Miguel that Mr. Kaminski had started looking into hiring more chupacabras right after his injury had forced him to spend less time cooking, but his boss had been quick to assure him he wasn't being replaced. Quite the contrary. He'd more than proven that having more people like him could only help the restaurant.

Getting applicants was the hard part.

"Another wise guy." Alejandro crumpled up the resume he'd been reading and threw it in the trash. "Certified goat sucker, my ass. Don't they have anything better to do than waste people's time?"

"This one's a joke, too. Coyote Pack..." Miguel snorted. "Packs never name themselves after animals, only plants."

"Who names the pack, anyway? Do you all vote on it?"

"The founder picks the name. That's why so many packs are named after stuff that grows in Mexico. Lots of desert plants."

The idea of forming a pack of his own still felt foreign to Miguel. Male leaders were uncommon as it was, but with his bad leg, he'd have an even harder time than most convincing anyone to join him, much less defending his position from challengers.

But Alejandro still cared about him. Somehow, despite all the stress Miguel had caused him, Alejandro still shared his home and heart with him.

Miguel just needed to find the right moment to ask him to share something even more, something bigger than either of them.

He smiled as a familiar name greeted him at the top of the next resume, "Looks like Agave Pack is more open to mingling with humans than Saguaro Pack was. Rosa applied."

"She's the one who comes with her partner a lot, right? Seems like she'd definitely make her voice heard in the kitchen."

Miguel chuckled. That was one way to put it. With how assertive she was, it wouldn't surprise him if she tried to lead Agave Pack someday. "Definitely. And that male's her mate now, by the way."

"Good for them! No wonder she looks so much happier these days. No more sneaking around."

They put her resume in the Yes pile. José's resume soon joined hers, with Miguel speaking highly of the young chupacabra's devotion to his family.

The final candidate was a surprise.

"No pack name and a background in customer service. I've never heard of a chupacabra with that sort of job," Alejandro said.

"He's packless, and I don't think he's using the word 'service' in the way you're thinking." At least, Miguel seriously doubted Luis was involved in what most humans would consider an acceptable day job.

"You mean he... That's not something people normally put on resumes. He sure knows how to sell himself, though." Alejandro flushed as he realized what he'd said. "I mean, his skillset sounds good. Attention to detail, interpersonal skills, time management."

"He knows good food, too. Treated me to some very nice pho after I slept in that horrible motel. I just don't know if he'd be the best fit for the kitchen." If anyone ever found out he'd been the one to get Miguel to start using venom suppressant, things were bound to get ugly.