Chapter Ten
A drop of water smacked onto the back of Lynn’s hand. She looked up at the darkening clouds above her and thought to herself yet again that she should head inside. She didn’t exactly need much of an excuse to quit work early, but she had a lingering thought in the back of her mind that a spattering of rain wasn’t enough of an excuse to cut out.
The people she passed were getting more and more sparse, whether it be a customer or another face character. If the rest of the staff truly did head inside, and she was the last woman standing, that would be a big slice of irony if she turned out to be the most diehard face character in the company. She should get some kind of award for it, something shiny and in the shape of an umbrella.
Even one of those would make it more bearable—the umbrella, not the award. She thought about looping by the saloon to pick up that parasol prop. It wouldn’t be great for keeping dry, as it was more for shade than anything else, but every little bit would help, and it would fit her character to carry around. Besides, she wasn’t even sure it was still there anymore. She probably should’ve turned it into the prop department but instead she’d decided to leave it where she’d found it.
She turned the corner and came upon a decently-sized group of people. Being so close to the saloon as she was, there were many other attractions nearby, so it made sense. The rain had created a checkerboard pattern in the dirt, making it impossible to step somewhere that wasn’t wet. A customer walked by with a garbage bag over his shoulders with a hole cut in the end for his head to poke through. Smart. He must’ve brought it in and carried it around in his pocket. It was cheaper than a raincoat from the park’s store.
As if the rain clouds decided to wait until people were clustered as much as possible, they opened up, and rain poured down on top of them. People scattered in all directions, heading for the nearest shelter. Someone bumped her shoulder, but in the confusion, she didn’t see who.
The trick was, and not everyone knew this, not every building offered access. Most of them were basically props without workable doors. Only about a third of the buildings were up to code enough to be usable, and the other part were buildings that had been converted into storage, mostly for set pieces and concession stand equipment. She’d discovered that when she’d opened the door to one of the buildings and found seven popcorn maker carts.
As she reached the front of the saloon, her shoulders were already drenched. It was a farther run than anyone else had attempted, but it was also the closest unlocked building with a working door. She ran up the stairs and yanked it open. It creaked to a close behind her, and the room got significantly darker.
“Hello?”
Nobody answered. The only other rooms, if one could call them that, were the upstairs closet space and the way to the back door. Other than that, one could make quick work of a search.
Her shoes left a trail of water behind her. She shook her body, not unlike what a dog might do, which only shed a little bit more water. At that point, the only solution was changing into dry clothes, but that was on the other side of a long, wet run, and she wasn’t ready to commit to that yet.
With nothing else to do at the moment, she wandered around the room and eventually rediscovered the parasol in the corner. She picked it up and fingered the lace, remembering back to the performance where she’d first seen Luke in action. He’d look so dashing in his costume, with blue fire arching from his striking eyes.
With an even slower pace, she walked over to the very spot he’d entered, squaring her hips over the exact same spot, scanning the room for evildoers. She couldn’t help but be one part jealous that he got to play the role and she didn’t, and the other part admiration for how well he’d handled it. If she were the sheriff, she might attempt to add in some combat and high kicks before the shootout, which she’d inevitably win, of course.
Then he’d taken a step forward, which she reenacted, and in that spot had been where he’d pulled his pistol. She pulled out her imaginary one and went through all the motions he had, including the slow preparation and quick draw. She tried to imagine what it had been like back then, in those days, to be staring down the barrel of another man’s pistol, with no automatic action, just raw skill and manually pulling back the hammers. If old Western movies were any indication, they hadn’t even used the sights. They had all shot from the hip—where she guessed the expression had come from.
Just then, the door behind her opened and slammed shut. She whirled around, expecting to see a customer or random park employee, anyone other than the man who stood before her. Water dripped down the edges of Luke’s ten-gallon hat, pooling in the tiny puddles her shoes had left. He walked into the same spot she’d just marked on the ground before she’d taken her step forward. His eyes in that moment reminded her of how they had looked during the performance.
“Hi,” she said, checking his face for his reaction.
He shook his arms and shed a bit more water from his sleeves. “I didn’t expect you to be here. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
“I ran in because it was raining.” She realized how stupid that sounded. Of course that was why she ran in. It was an empty building without anything on the schedule for that day.
“Yeah, me too.” He paced to one of the windows and rested his hand on the frame. Silence descended between the two of them as she wondered what else to say. If she was going to follow Vanessa’s advice, this was the prime moment to do it. She had his undivided attention—if he wanted to give it and if she wanted it. He was essentially trapped there by the rain to listen to her truth. This was her moment.
“How’s your day been?” She convinced herself that opening with small talk wasn’t taking the easy way out. It was just to get him talking.
“Not too bad.”
Well that didn’t go anywhere. “Did you do any performances today? I didn’t see any on the schedule.”
“No performances today.”
She took a step forward. “Look, this isn’t exactly easy to say, but I know you’re mad at me. I don’t think I deserve it.”
At that last part, he turned around. It took all her courage to plow ahead and not take the blame for it all. “I didn’t mean to get Jasper fired,” she continued. “If Samuel hadn’t led with that specific question, he would’ve never come up. I’m not that kind of person.”
He frowned. “I didn’t say you were.”
“Then why have things been so weird between us since it happened? I know you’re mad at me.”
“It’s like I said earlier. He’s a good person. He didn’t deserve for that to happen to him. He seems like the type of guy who would blow his entire paycheck on parties, but a lot of it goes toward helping to pay his parents’ mortgage. His parents worked for the same company, and they both were laid off at the same time two months ago. They’ve been struggling to make ends meet ever since.”
If she felt bad before, now she felt even worse. It didn’t make what she’d done any less of an accident, but it certainly added to the weight of the situation. “I had no idea, Luke. I’d do anything to take it all back, trust me. It’s terrible what happened to Jasper, but if I’m being honest, the worst part of this is about you.”
“What about me?”
“Because now you’re mad at me. And because we don’t talk anymore. I’ve missed talking to you.”
At that, his eyes rose from the ground to meet hers. They’d lost most of their intensity, and now they looked softer—more sincere, if it wasn’t just her imagination.
“I haven’t been trying to ignore you.”
He got a look for that. Not just a look, but a look.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay, you’re right. I have. I wasn’t doing it to be mean. It’s just frustrating.”
“What’s the most frustrating thing about it?”
“I just…it’s like I’m at war with myself. I want to talk to you, but at the same time, I feel like I’m betraying Jasper.”
Somet
hing fluttered in her stomach. She had so many questions. “Why do you want to talk to me so much? Why do you feel like you’d be betraying him?”
He chuckled, probably at her flurry of questions. “I’d be betraying him because if it wasn’t for you, he’d still be working here. Do you know how pissed he’d be if he knew I was talking to you right now? He might throw a punch at me.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” she said, really having no idea if he would or not. She didn’t know him that well.
“No, he wouldn’t. But he’d think about it.”
This was great. It had been so long since they’d connected, feeling like a sip of cool water in the desert. After what had happened, she didn’t think he’d talk to her at all, much less have a conversation. But she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Things didn’t feel back to normal, despite how much she wanted them too.
Between them, there still remained the distance of several steps, as if symbolically showing how distant they felt to her at the moment. They’d taken a tiny step together by even being able to talk to each other, but that small amount of hope was hanging by a thread. At any moment, the rain could let up, and he’d likely walk out into the sun, mid-conversation.
She wasn’t quite sure how to start this next part. “So…I heard something interesting. About you.” She wasn’t sure interesting was the best word to use. Probably closer to disappointing.
“Oh?”
“I heard you’re leaving.”
His slow nod said everything. Not that she had a reason to disbelieve Craig, but it was something else entirely to hear it—or see it—from Luke. “Who told you?”
Oh no. I’m not getting in trouble for this again. “Just something I heard. I wanted to know if it’s true.”
“It is. There have been rumblings about it for a while. My dad had two heart attacks, and he really needs to step back from the company and slow down. I’ve been helping him where I can, but it isn’t enough. There’s no way I can hold down that and keep my job here.”
She walked up to another window and looked out, urging the rain to keep pouring. Sure enough, it was still coming down in sheets, so she still had time. “That’s big of you to quit your job to help your family’s business. I’m sure your dad is proud of you.”
“Something like that. He’s tough. He’s used to doing everything himself, and it’s hard on him to need help now. Once I’m established, I’m going to have more people and support positions. I don’t want to end up with his levels of stress down the line.”
“That’s smart.”
He tapped a finger against the wooden frame. “I’m going to miss this place. It’s a weird job, but that’s why I liked it. It’s going to be very different wearing a necktie and sitting behind a desk.”
“You could always come back and visit.”
He paused for a moment. “I could. We’ll see how it goes.”
She felt the pacing of the conversation start to die down, but she had to ask her question before it was over. “And the wanting to talk to me part?”
“What’s that?”
“Earlier, you said you wanted to talk to me. Then I asked why you wanted to talk to me so much.”
He shifted his weight. “It was just…I don’t know. Something I said at the time.” He glanced outside. “It looks like there’s a break in the rain. I’m going to make a run for it. I’ll see you around.”
He opened the door and dashed out into the pouring rain, which, if anything, was coming down harder.
* * *
Samuel’s foot tapped underneath his desk. “I don’t understand it. One day, you’re telling me why he should be fired, and the next, you’re telling me why I should hire him back.”
Lynn schooled her features. This was definitely the time to keep her diplomatic hat on. “I never said why Jasper should be fired. In fact, I made it clear how I thought it was an accident. I think what might’ve happened is that you drew your own conclusion from what I said, which is why I needed to talk to you about it. I don’t think he should’ve been fired, and I think he deserves to be hired back.”
“Can I ask why you’ve had this sudden change of heart? Did you talk to him outside of work or something?”
“No. Nothing like that. I just think this has all been a big misunderstanding, and I want to make it right.”
Samuel sighed and leaned back. With his slumped position, the high back of his chair went quite a bit above his shoulders. It suddenly looked too big for him. “Just because you think I should hire him back doesn’t mean I should. Or that I will. By your own admission, he did violate company policy by ignoring a guest.”
“He’s a good employee, he works well with the customers, and I’m pretty sure he has a good attendance record.”
“Guests.”
“With the guests,” she said. “Wouldn’t you say people deserve a second chance?”
“It’s not that easy. By now, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the employees are aware of why he was fired. If I hired him back, it would show everyone that it’s okay to do what he did.”
She leaned forward. “True, unless he did it by accident, which would mean there’s no behavior to be corrected. I mean, who knows how many of us have accidentally ignored a guest. Hell, I might have in the past week.”
“Oh really?”
She decided to back off of that talking point. “I’m just trying to say that he seems like a good guy and I hope he’s given a second chance. I’m sure he’d be extra careful in the future.”
He steepled his fingers for a moment. “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can say at the moment.”
“Is there anything I could say to change your mind?”
He drew his hands apart and placed them down on the face of the desk. “Lynn, I said I’d think about it. This isn’t exactly something I can make a snap decision on.”
She thought it best not to mention that the firing had been a snap decision. “I understand. Please do think about it. Let me know if there’s any other way I can help.”
“It’s admirable you’re trying to help Jasper, if nothing else.”
She shut the door behind her on her way out. This plan just had to work. She’d been thinking about it all day, really since she and Luke had been stuck inside the saloon during the rainstorm. Luke’s last day was only two days away, and if she didn’t turn things around before then, it might never happen.
Chapter Eleven
Lynn hated afternoon shifts. She could never have a normal day while working second shift. There was never enough time to get much accomplished before work, and there really wasn’t enough time after work to do anything fun. So basically, whenever she worked an afternoon shift, she could kiss the rest of her productivity goodbye.
Before she left for work, she managed to do some dishes and finally hang up her laundry, but that was about it. It was too much of a temptation to sleep in and wallow in bed before she absolutely had to get up.
She and Vanessa had struck a deal earlier. That day, Lynn would help out some more with costumes for an hour before starting street duty. According to Lynn, it was enough of a toss-up which was worse, but as long as the big boss didn’t mind, she was game.
Instead of the usual set-up inside the warehouse, Vanessa stood inside the office area of the costume department. There were more tables than usual, probably to accommodate all the new costumes they’d received recently, including what she’d helped sort.
“Hey girl,” Vanessa said. “You’re right on time.”
“I wouldn’t dream of being late, especially with all the fun costume stuff to do.”
“Oh stop. At least it’s with me, which makes it borderline fun.”
Lynn set her purse down on one of the four tables. “Sure, we’ll go with that. What’s on the agenda today?”
Vanessa pointed around the room. “Today is pretty easy. A lot of what we unboxed from the sister parks needed to be dry cleaned. Apparently some of them weren’t nearly as good a
t keeping an eye on the sweat stains.”
“Yuck,” Lynn said.
“You got that right. So anyway, we just received the first batch back from the dry cleaners, so now we need to fold them and put them into either piles or hang them up. Then after that, the costume department may not need the extra help anymore.”
“That’s handy. Any news back on the costumes that were shipped out by accident?”
“We’ve heard back on about half of them. The other half are lost, still in transit, or simply stolen from the other parks. Or maybe pirates.”
“Costume pirates?”
Vanessa shrugged. “Either way, I’m sure glad we received these extra boxes.”
“What would’ve happened if we didn’t?”
“We’d have to tell half the actors to stay home until we ordered more or have a lot of naked people walking around.”
Lynn tapped a finger to her lips. “Hmm, I wonder which decision Samuel would go for.”
“Right. Therefore, I’m glad we received these extra boxes.”
Lynn went to the nearest pile and started hanging them up on a costume rack. It was simple work, but monotonous. Plus, the only hangers that were available were those thick, plastic ones. The only kind she purchased or used at home were the wire ones, and she loathed any others. Hanging with the plastic ones felt like hammering nails wearing oven mitts—so large and unwieldy.
“So did your plan work?” Vanessa asked.
Lynn popped her head up. “With what?”
“You know, talking Samuel into hiring Jasper back.”
“Oh. To be honest, I forgot I told you about that. I was trying to keep it to myself until I knew if it worked or not.”
“Okay, so you haven’t done anything about it yet?”
Lynn shoved another plastic hanger into the neck of a pale lavender dress. “I talked to Samuel. He listened, but I have no idea if it actually did anything.”
High Noon: A Sweet Romance (Red Canyon Series Book 3) Page 9