6. Trevor
6
TREVOR
S eated behind my desk in the office of the hardware store, I jitter my leg rapidly. I did all right staying relaxed this morning, distracting myself with paperwork and the employee schedule for the next month. Now that it’s four o’clock? I can’t focus on anything for anticipating Kayla’s arrival. I know she said four-thirty, but what if she gets here early? I push out of my chair and head for the door. I should be waiting out front, just in case.
On my way out, I detour into the bathroom to splash some water on my face and make sure I don’t have any of my late lunch stuck in my teeth or adorning my shirtfront.
“You’ve got this,” I say to my reflection in the spotted mirror above the tiny sink. “You bring value to the table.”
I’ve repeated that mantra, a distilled version of the lesson Kayla assigned to me, multiple times over the last two days. It’s too soon to know for sure, but I think it might be working? It feels easier to interact with employees and customers if I keep it in the back of my mind, like a little whisper of encouragement .
I loiter around the front of the store trying to look busy until I finally see Kayla stride inside. She’s dressed like the quintessential teacher today in a black skirt and white blouse, though she makes the look seem so much cooler than any of the teachers I remember having in school.
“Hi!” She waves as she approaches me. “How has your day been so far?”
“Good.” I don’t mention my anxiety over the past hour. “Yours?”
“Meh.” She shrugs. “There’s a stomach bug going around the school. Two of my students succumbed in class today and if I know anything about second graders, they won’t be the last. If you have any air freshener in this place, I’ll go ahead and stock up for my classroom.”
“Ugh.” I grimace. “I’m sorry. Throw-up is the worst.”
“Occupational hazard,” she responds with a grin. “I’m not joking about that air freshener, though.”
I chuckle. “That will be our first stop. Let me grab a buggy and we’ll get started.”
She rubs her hands together in anticipation. “Let’s do it.”
She follows me up and down aisles for the next half hour as we fill the buggy with the items on the list I gave her at the café. I like that she asks good questions and listens intently to my responses. She seems to have a special talent for making me feel like the only person in the store when she gives me her full attention. It seems like that much eye contact would be disconcerting, but instead, it somehow communicates genuine interest.
The time goes by quickly and the next thing I know, I’m handing her a receipt. Kayla folds it up and tucks it into her purse, then eyes the buggy of supplies. “I hope all this will fit in my car.”
I mentally slap my palm to my forehead. I didn’t even consider her vehicle situation. Three full-sized pieces of plywood don’t even register as a lot for me, but that’s because I drive a truck. “What kind of car do you have?”
She bites her lip. “It’s a Camry.”
I’m already shaking my head. I don’t even need to look to know that’s not going to work. “How about if I take this stuff to my house and keep it there? We can do the assembly in my garage and then I can haul it to the school when it’s finished.”
“That sounds perfect. I was a little concerned about how we were going to build this stuff in my living room since my apartment’s pretty small. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Nope. It would actually make things easier since all my tools are there.”
“I didn’t even think of that. Okay, I’m sold. What time should I be there Saturday?”
“Is ten too early?”
“I’m an early riser,” she says, waving her hand as if ten in the morning is kid stuff.
“How about eight then? I’m an early riser too.”
“It’s a date. See you later, Trevon.” She winks at me and my throat goes dry. She’s almost out the door when she turns around. “Don’t forget to text me your address later.”
I give her a double thumbs-up and watch her walk out.
“Dude, who was that?” Garret, a senior associate and probably the closest thing I have to a work friend, nudges me with his shoulder. “And why did she call you Trevon?”
“She’s a friend. It’s an inside joke.”
“Think she’ll be back in again soon?”
“Maybe.” I glance sideways at him. “Why?”
“If she’s just a friend, you mind if I ask her out? She’s kind of a babe.”
“No,” I state firmly, surprising myself. It’s not like I have some sort of romantic claim on her and Garrett is a nice enough guy. But my whole body flashed hot at the thought of him taking Kayla on a date. I wasn’t expecting that kind of visceral reaction.
“I mean…” I scramble for a better response. “I don’t think she’s dating right now.”
I have no idea if this is true or not, but it could be so it’s not a total lie, right?
Garrett looks at me, a slow smile growing. “I see how it is.” He puts his hands up and backs up a step. “I’ll keep my distance. But you’d better act quick before someone who’s not as nice as me snatches her up.”
I scoff. “What? No, it’s not like that…”
Is it?
“Whatever you say, man.” He points a finger at me. “Just don’t wait too long to figure yourself out.”
Before I can respond, the customer service phone rings and Garrett answers, effectively ending the conversation. Or interrogation? Therapy session? I don’t really know what that was, but Garrett’s warning makes me think. Am I interested in dating Kayla?
I ponder this as I wheel the buggy filled with Kayla’s purchases to the backroom. She’s beautiful, smart, kind, friendly…
Sure sounds like I’m interested.
But is there any chance that she would be interested in someone like me? I think back to the comment she made yesterday about me not being so bad myself. I took it as an attempt to lighten the mood after I made things uncomfortable by letting it slip that I’m intimidated by her beauty. But maybe the attraction isn’t just one-sided.
Maybe I should take a shot at asking her out. I could do it Saturday while we’re working. But what if she says yes because she thinks I’ll stop helping her if she doesn’t agree? Of course, I wouldn’t do such a thing. But she doesn’t know me well enough to know that.
Okay, new plan: I’ll ask her out, but I’ll wait until after this project is complete. That way if she says yes, I’ll know it’s really because she wants to, with no perceived obligation.
Now my goal is to finish this project as quickly as possible.