Chapter 6
Eric
I sip my coffee as I go through some bills. Tossing them on Joy’s desk, I stare out at the sun that’s still low in the sky. Earl and Buck are already busy working. Joy is coming late with her grandson who has the day off from school.
I feel like a king looking over his kingdom. God, I hope I can save this place. I can’t imagine life without it. Then again, I couldn’t imagine it without Tori but I’ve somehow managed. I feel the darkness creeping into my mind but then the door flies open and in walks my newest employee. I watch her cross the room and look around.
“Good morning, Ariana,” I say.
She jumps and clutches her chest. “You scared the crap out of me,” she says in a breathless voice.
I hold up my coffee mug. “Coffee?” I ask.
She smiles and sets down a box of macaroons from Elisha’s café. “Yes, please. I brought some of these. I couldn’t resist, they looked so good when I stopped there yesterday.”
I grab a mug and put it under the coffee maker as I pop a new coffee pod in the top. “Elisha’s baked goods are the best. We’re lucky to have her here.” I pause and turn back to Ariana. “I cleared this table for you. I know it’s not much of a desk area, but hopefully, it’ll work for now.”
She tilts her head to one side. “Well, maybe I can run into town and pick up a few things to make it…more functional.”
I’m about to suggest she rummage in Joy’s storage closet in the hallway to see if we have any supplies at all, but then I hear the tractor outside and it doesn’t sound good. We both turn to look out the window.
“Oh no,” I mutter as I head to see what the problem is today.
Earl kicks the tire as I approach. “Damn thing just crapped out on me. I think we’re gonna have to get Marty out here to look at it.”
I groan. Marty runs the one gas station and service shop in town. He’s great with anything on wheels with a motor, but he also comes at a price.
“Yeah, kid. I know. But this repair is beyond me. Anyhow, sorry, but I think I just blocked in our new employee,” he says as he motions to Ariana’s car.
“Oh,” she says from behind me. I can hear the disappointment in her voice.
I pull my keys from my pocket and toss them to her. “You can take the truck. She’s old, but she’ll get you there. Make sure to save the receipts if you’re buying stuff for the office. Joy can reimburse you.”
“Thanks. I’ll be right back,” she promises as she looks around. I point to my truck, a pale blue 1973 Ford F-100. It’s seen better days but it’s a reliable vehicle and does great in bad weather.
I watch as she figures out how to unlock the car. I fight a grin as I wonder if she’s ever seen a car with manual locks on it. She starts it and then the truck makes the worst sound as she tries to put it in reverse. Shit, does she know how to drive manual?
I walk over to the car and lean into the window. “You know how to drive a manual?”
She grimaces as she turns the car off and turns to me, looking for how to roll down the window. I make the motion of turning the old lever and she figures it out.
“I…it’s been a long time since I learned to drive manual,” she admits. She bites her lower lip and my gaze is drawn to her mouth. Damn, she’s cute.
I shake my head a little. Can’t think of my employees that way. Plus, she’s way too young.
“Looks like our first order of business is to teach you how to drive this thing,” I state as I walk around the car. I motion for her to unlock it which takes a moment for her to figure out. I hop into the passenger seat and buckle up.
“Now what?” she asks as she stares at it.
I laugh. “Now, you have to turn it back on. We won’t get far without the engine on.”
She giggles. “Right…” She turns it on, and I give her a quick tutorial on driving Sheila.
“You named it Sheila,” she laughs.
“Hey now, be nice. She’s sensitive.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t make fun of you. I named my navi system Norris,” she says, giggling.
She follows my instructions as I coach her down the drive and out onto the main road. She manages to come to a stop and go again without stalling the truck which is impressive for a newbie.
“Turn left at the stop sign,” I instruct. “And then there’s an office supply store next to the farm supply store.”
She whips her head toward me. “What?”
“There,” I point at the entrance to the parking lot.
She pulls in and parks, turning to me with a grin. “Not bad for a novice, huh?”
I shake my head as I watch her look at the two buildings in front of us. “This is weird.”
“What is?” I ask, scratching the back of my head.
“Like, do people really go shopping for their office and then decide to get farm supplies at the same time?”
I feel my lips twitching, but I try not to laugh. She has no clue about small-town life.
“I mean, they both needed space and all the stores here are sort of clustered in the same eight blocks.” We get out and start walking to the office supply store. Then she does a double take.
“Are they owned by the same family?”
I nod. “That they are. The Miltons own both stores.”
“Ohhhh…OK, that makes more sense. I mean, real estate-wise and all,” she adds as we walk inside.
“Hey, Eric!” Heidi Milton calls out from the register.
“Hi, Heidi.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do,” I reply as I follow Ariana through the store.
“Uh, do I have a budget for my office supplies?” she asks as she surveys notebooks.
“How about two hundred?” I suggest.
Her eyes widen. “Two hundred thousand?” she asks, her voice rising an octave with each word.
This time, I can’t stop myself from laughing. “Very funny,” I reply.
Her wide eyes tell me she’s not joking and I stop laughing. Is she for real? What type of money does she come from exactly?
“Two hundred dollars,” I restate.
She grimaces. “I don’t think I can get much for that,” she laments.
“Let’s start with the basics. I’ll tell you what we have and you tell me what you need,” I offer as I text Joy and get a rundown of what’s in that supply closet.
She shrugs as she runs a finger along some binders. Her nails are neatly painted and her hands look like she’s never worked a day in her life.
We slowly begin to walk through the store. She ends up with a notebook, a variety pack of pens and highlighters, some drawing paper, a sketchbook, a lamp that she said was desperately needed, and a monitor for her computer which put us over four hundred dollars, but I let it slide.
“Oh, can I get a chair?” she asks as she looks longingly at one of the leather chairs.
“You can get that one,” I state, pointing at a decent one on sale for fifty dollars.
“Fine,” she agrees as she rolls her eyes.
“Do you know anything about budgeting?” I ask.
“Sure. I just don’t normally work on such small budgets,” she explains. She looks at the cart I’ve managed to grab for us and then up at me. “Is this OK to get? I feel like we went way over your budget.”
“It’s fine. Honestly, we probably needed some of that stuff anyhow,” I admit as I shove a credit card across the counter at Heidi.
We load the truck and head back to the office. She parks and turns to me.
“How’d I do?” she asks.
“Not bad for your first lesson.”
She glances over at the tractor. “Maybe I should try driving some farm equipment next.”
I take the keys from her hand. “Uh, maybe another day.”
Giggling, she heads inside, where I sit and watch as Ariana creates a functional workspace out of seemingly nothing.
“Wow, aren’t you the interior decorator,” Joy says as her grandson, Lennox, comes waltzing into the office.
“Who are you?” he asks.
“Lennox!” Joy scolds. “Manners.”
“Sorry, excuse me, miss, who are you?” he restates. We all laugh at that.
Ariana stops what she’s doing and walks over to Lennox, extending her hand. “I’m Ariana. What’s your name?”
“Lennox,” he replies as he shakes her hand. “Are you working for Mr. Eric too?”
She nods. “Yep. Just started. Hey, Lennox, do you know the farm well?”
“Heck yeah, I do. You want me to show you my favorite place here?” he asks.
“Sure. I could use a good tour guide,” she states as she follows Lennox out the door.
“She’s cute,” Joy says as she watches her grandson lead Ariana over to the side barn where we keep a few animals.
“She’s got a lot to learn, but she may work out,” I declare, not wanting to address the fact that I agree she’s cute. Hell, she’s more than cute, she’s gorgeous. But I can’t linger on that thought. I suddenly wish I had time to visit a nearby town for my several-times-a-year hookup with a woman who’s an airline pilot. She’s not here a lot, which is just fine by me, but right now, I wish she was around so I could get rid of this sudden urge I have. I need to keep my head straight. No distractions. I look back at Ariana. God, it’s going to be hard to keep myself from getting distracted.