The sun shines bright, making me squint and cover my eyes. “I need to get my sunglasses and purse.”
“Sure thing.” She lets go of me. “I’m the Jeep Wrangler.”
Once I grab my purse and shove my sunglasses on, I get in the Jeep with Saylor. It’s bright red and has a stick shift. “You know how to drive stick?”
“Every girl should.”
“For sure, but most don’t. A lot of guys don’t even know how to drive stick,” I say as she puts the windows down. A warm breeze stirs through my hair as we leave the parking lot.
“True. Gosh, the last guy who took me out drove a smart car. Do you know how hard it is to take a guy who drives a smart car seriously?” she asks. I can’t tell if she’s teasing or not. “His knees were practically in his chest. How smart is it to drive like that?”
“At least you can keep close for warmth in the winter?”
Saylor bursts out laughing as she shifts into third gear. “He tried that line on me.”
“Didn’t work, huh?”
“Ah, no. Plus, he hated my cat.”
“Oooh.” I wince. “That’s a hard one to get past.”
“To be fair, she did sink her claws into his testicles, so…”
“Omigosh,” I say, laughing. “Do you normally have first-date disasters?”
She nods. “Unfortunately, I rarely get an invitation to a second one, and never a third.”
“Never?” I turn to stare at her in shock. “But you’re…so—”
“Odd,” she says firmly.
“Sweet and friendly,” I disagree.
“Thanks, but I’m an oddball…who happens to be girly, too. I know just enough about Star Wars for a hardcore fan to think I’m a poseur. So those guys are out. And, I’m a pop-culture buff, especially the eighties and nineties decades, so hipster dudes think I’m all about consumerism.” Glancing at me, she smiles, but there’s an air of sadness behind it. “I’m okay with that because I’m comfortable with who I am as a person.”
“There are other guys out there, you know. You just need to find the right one,” I say, as if I have any business offering dating or relationship advice.
“If you meet him before I do, be sure to send him my way, but make sure he likes animals first.”
Our lunch date is quick, since we get only thirty minutes. Saylor keeps the conversation going by talking about some of her favorite TV shows. A plus for me since I have about eight shows to add to my watch list.
The rest of the day flies by as I take turns at manning the front desk and bringing the cats out to play. Cats playing mostly consists of them running and flopping down in the middle of the room or climbing up towers of carpet. It’s oddly mesmerizing.
“You’re done for the day,” Saylor says as I herd the last cat into its room.
I check my watch. “But it’s only four.”
“You came in at eight, which means four is quitting time.” Saylor grins at me. “You can always clean Mr. Rigglesworth’s kennel again, if you’re that keen on staying.”
My eyes widen. “First, no. Second, he had another blowout?”
A snort leaves Saylor as she shakes her head. “Just kidding.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime. We love when the new guy cleans up poo.”
“I bet you do,” I grumble.
She bites her bottom lip. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Yes.” I head for the door, waving as I go. “Bye.” As soon as I get in my car, I text Piper.
Me: Can you meet in thirty minutes? I got off work earlier than I thought I would.
Piper: Absolutely. Same place?
Me: Yes.
—
Piper is waiting for me at a table for two by the time I arrive at the Tea Shop. The smell of cakes and cookies in the small café reminds me of home. My momma would love this place.
“It’s so good to see you,” Piper says, rising to her feet to hug me. I try not to flinch, but my body tenses anyway. She lets go immediately and I feel like a loser for reacting that way. “Sit down and tell me about your new job.”
Trust Piper to not mention my behavior. I think it’s why she’s so good with people. She doesn’t push and she can tell when something makes them uncomfortable.
“It’s at Forrestville Animal Shelter—I started today.”
“Wow. That’s great!” She expertly pours two cups of tea and hands one to me. “I’m not sure how you take it, so you’ll have to add whatever you’d like.”
“Thanks.” Adding three cubes of sugar and then stirring, I stall for time, unsure if I should talk more about my job or get right to the point of why I asked her to meet with me.
After a couple of minutes of silence, getting right to the point wins out. “I need someone to talk to.”
Piper nods. “A professional, or would you like to talk with me?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“If you need more time to decide, that’s fine, but maybe, in the meantime, you can talk about what made you reach out to me?”
My face heats and I feel like a loser again for not texting her sooner. Although she never made me feel like I had to talk to her, she did make it clear that she wanted to be my friend. “I…uh…There’s this guy and he’s interested in me, but I’m not. Except my”—I draw circles with my hands, trying to find the right words—“parts of me are interested.”