“And when she comes back?”
Saylor pushes her glasses up on her nose. “You’ll both be working here. I told you I finally got funds allocated for a new hire.”
What she says doesn’t exactly ring true for me. “I don’t understand. You said that you needed another person so you wouldn’t be overextended, but with Leslie going on maternity leave, you’ll be back in the same boat.”
Saylor blushes. “I might have stretched the truth a little.”
“Oh really?” I cross my arms over my chest. “Maybe you should fess up.”
Hesitating, Saylor pulls on a length of dark hair and begins to twist it nervously. “Promise you won’t be mad.”
“I can’t promise that, but I can promise to listen.” What in the world has Saylor done?
“Right before I met you, Hunter mentioned to me that you were new to the complex and might be looking for a job. So when we happened to meet—I swear that was purely coincidental—I mentioned the job to you and embellished things a little in the hope that you were in fact looking for something. I mean, when Hunter recommends someone, I know they are good people.” Letting go of her hair, she grabs my hand and I’m too stunned to react. “Please don’t quit. I can already tell everyone likes you.”
Hunter set this all up? I swallow. On one hand, I hate that he went behind my back and said something to Saylor, but on the other hand, this job is exactly what I need. “Did you tell him that I started today?”
She shakes her head vigorously. “No. He doesn’t even know I talked to you.”
For some reason, that makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I don’t owe him anything in return. Kind of like our mutual car-washing session last night.
Saylor lets go of my hand. “I’d like for you to stay. We really could use you, even if my work schedule is already out-of-the-world awesome. I mean, I work with animals all day long and get paid for it.”
Pointing at herself, she adds, “Luckiest woman in the world.”
The earnest pleading and genuine enthusiasm about her job are so apparent in her voice that I can’t say no. I don’t want to say no. “You can make it up to me by having lunch together today.”
Her brown eyes widen, then crinkle a little at the corners. “Sweet. Our lunch breaks are at the same time anyway, so no conflicts.”
“Great.” I smile, the ball of dread dissipating quickly. “What’s next?”
Saylor grabs a pair of latex gloves, a small shovel, and a small bucket with a lid, then hands them over to me. “You get to clean up poo!”
My smile falls. Seriously? “Now who’s the luckiest woman in the world?”
“Not you, that’s for sure, because Mr. Rigglesworth had a major blowout right after yoga.” She claps me on the back. “Make sure you hose everything down when you’re done.”
Watching Saylor practically skip away, I twist my lips. “Should have quit while I had the chance.”
Two hours later, I’ve cleaned up more poop from one dog with irritable bowels than all the combined kennels. To be fair, Saylor runs a tight ship and the other employees actually keep everything as pristine as possible, but accidents happen.
Lucius gives me a thumbs-up as I pass him. “Mr. Rigglesworth will get you every time, mon,” he says, his Jamaican accent filling my ears.
“Is this a regular occurrence?” I ask, stopping in the hallway.
“Yoga and Bob Marley.” Lucius shakes his head, his black dreads flying. When he smiles, I can count four lip piercings in his bottom lip. “Don’t worry, now that you’ve been fully initiated, I’ll take over Mr. Rigglesworth’s blowouts.”
“Oh, thank God,” I say in a rush. “Wait…initiated?”
“Hope you’re not too angry with us,” Leslie says as she joins us. “New girl or guy always has to deal with Mr. R.”
Leslie and Lucius give me identical, sheepish smiles.
Suddenly, an image of Hunter pops in my head, his smile lopsided as he talks about being the FNG. Oh. My. Gosh. I’m the FNG.
“I’m the fucking new girl,” I practically shout, then slap my hand over my mouth. “Ack. Sorry.” But I’m really not because the thought of being the FNG makes me giddy. It makes me feel like I belong.
Leslie claps her hands together and touches the tips of her fingers to her mouth. “Don’t apologize. We’ve all been there.”
“It’s all good,” Lucius agrees. Another flash of white teeth against dark brown skin and he is walking away, humming as he goes.
“Back to the office for me,” Leslie says before waddling away.
I really like them.
Saylor steps out into the hallway, her usual bright smile out in full force. “There you are! Ready for lunch?”
The thought of food makes me slightly queasy, but my stomach rumbles before I can say anything.
“That’s a yes.” Saylor threads one arm through mine. “Let’s go. I’ll drive. The fresh air will help you feel better.”
“Noticed that, did you?”
“The green color of your face kind of gave it away.”