Chapter Four #3
To her surprise, he joined in, his deep voice complementing hers and blending perfectly with Amanda Marshall’s beautiful voice. When the song faded to the announcer’s voice, he turned the radio down slightly.
“Wow. You really can sing,” she praised.
“Thank my mother for that. She made me sing in the church choir from five to fifteen. I’m pretty sure I know every hymn ever written. You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Thanks. No choir experience here, but I do love to sing. I can’t hit the high notes, but a friend once told me just to stay in my range. A lower note, well sung, is better than a screech.”
As the announcer’s voice morphed into an old rock ballad, Eric said, “Are you sharing those snacks, or what?”
Laughing, she lifted the bag onto her lap. “What’s your pleasure? Pop-Tart? Jerky? Chocolate?”
“Didn’t I see red licorice in that pile? I haven’t had licorice in years. Maybe decades. I’d love a piece of that, if you don’t mind sharing your bounty.”
“I think you mean your bounty, since I haven’t repaid you yet. But your wish is my command.”
He turned and grinned at her, a tiny dimple highlighting his cheek.
It was probably the cutest dimple she’d ever seen.
Too bad he was way, way, way out of her league, because she could probably go for a guy who looked like him and who had his easy-going attitude.
He didn’t get upset about missing the bus, just took it in stride and found a solution.
Plus, he seemed to have a decent sense of humor.
A lot of guys would have grumbled about the lottery ticket lady.
But so far, he’d taken everything in stride, and his idea to stop and visit the RCMP facility had turned out to be fun.
She handed him two Twizzlers and took one for herself.
The sugary-sweet strawberry scent filled the small car.
“I wonder what they’re doing on the bus?” She was genuinely curious. As much as she hadn’t wanted to be on the trip, she had resolved to make the most of it and maybe come out with a few new friends.
“Probably some crazy ‘get to know you’ games.” He answered without taking his eyes off the road. He was focused on driving, and she appreciated that he was taking their safety seriously.
“We should play one of those. I’ll go first. How did you start your employment with Varner?”
“Really, you’re going with that?” He shrugged.
“It sounds stereotypical, but I literally started in the mailroom when I was fifteen. I sorted and delivered company mail. Every summer, I took a different job within the company…including scrubbing floors. The summer I washed windows was the worst.” He said it with grumbling fondness.
“I never would have guessed that. I figured Daddy’s the CEO, so you just went to college and stepped into some management role.”
“Ouch. That would have been easy. I had to take dual degrees in accounting and business management. I have two doctorates.”
“Geez, how old are you?”
“Thirty-seven, not that it matters. I got the doctorates while working full time. How did you get started in business, and who hired you at Varner?” He checked his mirrors and pulled around a semi.
“I looked after my neighbor’s outside plants when I was twelve; she paid me five dollars a week for the summer.
She had a broken leg and had difficulty moving around.
I loved every minute of it, even the weeding.
I used part of the money to buy my first houseplant.
A spider plant. I love how they grow little babies.
It just grew from there. When I turned thirty, I decided I was tired of working for other people and used my savings to open a greenhouse. ”
“Impressive. And how did you get on at Varner?”
He sounded genuinely interested, so she answered.
“Actually, your HR department approached me about plants for the lobby of your main office building. We struck a deal. I come in once a week to water all the plants in the building. I also take care of any I notice that need attention, even if they aren’t the ones I was hired to supply and care for.
I can’t stand to see an unhealthy plant. It hurts my soul.”
He was so silent she wondered what she’d said wrong, and was about to ask when he said, “You know what, that impresses me. I admire your dedication.”
“Thanks.” She opened one of the two bottles of water they’d purchased and offered it to him. He drank deeply and handed it back.
“Those are so sweet,” he said out of nowhere, shaking what was left of his licorice. “I love them, but I prefer black licorice. Especially salted licorice.”
She mock gagged. “Black licorice, yes. Those candy-coated licorice bits are delish, but salted or double salted. No way. No how.”
Something about her comment must have struck him as funny. He burst into loud laughter, totally shocking Wanda.
“It’s not that funny.” She chuckled. His mirth was contagious. They laughed together for several minutes. Her laughter faded, and she glanced at him. His grin set her off again, as they traveled around the back of Innisfail toward Sylvan Lake.