No man in his right mind would have turned down an offer like that. Keyed up, he accepted her invitation and made a promise to be a righteous man.
The owners were preparing Passion for the takeover of the new shop, which would open in two months. She informed them that she knew a business consultant who could be her associate store manager and assistant pastry chef, and he was planning to relocate to Carson City at the end of the year. Of course, she never mentioned he was an inmate who was about to be released soon.
Whether the owners would have approved of an ex-con working at their business never came up during work-related discussions.
Not everyone shared her philosophy of forgiving or granting people a second chance. Some of her co-workers and close friends thought she was too trusting and giving, especially when it came to men.
She always had that eager to please syndrome, which in the end would cause her demise.
In two weeks, Dough would be a free man and on his way to Carson City. Passion instructed the real estate agent to provide a house key for him upon his arrival. It would be another month before she would join him.
When he got to the house, the real estate agent was there and handed him the key. He thanked the agent and let himself in. To say he was not impressed with the house would have been a fib. He could not fathom being in such an exquisite setting. Nicely outfitted with chic furnishings and elegant accessories, it was a scenic place.
After spending five years in a dormitory style housing that consisted of numerous cots in a large room, this is a five star villa, he echoed to himself.
He toured the house, selected his room and was ready to execute his underhanded plan. As he was unpacking, the house phone rang. It was Passion, letting him know that in two weeks the owners were coming to Carson City to check on the shop and wanted to meet with him for an informal interview.
She reiterated, "There was no mention about you serving time."
He reassured her that everything was under control. They talked for about two hours. After getting off the phone, he put together an impressive résumé and listed three references. On his way from the airport, he remembered passing a copy place, which was within walking distance from the house.
The next day, he took a draft copy of his vita to the printer and had it professionally typed. Two days later, the document was ready.