Xander
I’m not sure if I should be offended or not. Kate was doing everything in her power to keep from riding with me. Secretly, though, I’m excited it’s her. I mean, I would have been fine with anyone, but this gives me time alone with her. Who knows…maybe we’ll even get to know each other a little better. At least, enough to where she isn’t freaking out every time we’re alone together.
“Where do we keep the van keys?” My eyes bounce around the walls to see if there is some sort of hook holding them.
“Crap. They’re in the office,” Kate holds up a finger, “I’ll be right back.”
“Y’all should probably put something out here to hold them so the drivers aren’t constantly going to the office.”
“Probably,” Samantha shrugs, “we’ll get around to it. It’s not like it’s ever been more than us.”
Emily motions for me to come closer to them at the work station. A few donuts are still in the box in the middle. It’s a wonder there aren’t any flower pieces inside it.
“A few tips. Don’t come off too forward. Kate is used to being the one in charge. Also, any sort of serious relationship sends her running for the hills. She has this thing about them because of her parents. Don’t ask, she’ll tell you when and if she’s ready.”
“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.” Am I that easy to read?
“I know you didn’t expect her to be your boss, but this is one of those time fate is working in your favor. Don’t screw it up.” Emily glances toward the hall to make sure Kate isn’t coming. “Let her lead the way. She’ll come around.”
“How do you know? She seems pretty set against it.”
“Because we can all see the way she looks at you when she thinks nobody is paying attention.” Samantha adds before picking up one of the donuts. She opens her mouth to take a bite but stops. “Just don’t screw her over. She’s precious with her heart and only lets those she trusts in.”
“Got them,” Kate calls from warehouse entrance, “do you have the delivery orders?”
Emily hands me a stack of papers. “They’re right here.”
“Thanks, Em.” Kate smiles. It’s real and genuine. The same one she gave while we were watching infomercials and mocking them. I’ve missed that in the times we’ve seen each other since then.
“You ready to go?” I gesture toward the door.
“Yep.” She walks out in front of me. Emily gives me a thumbs up before I follow after Kate.
She’s already sitting in the passenger seat when I make it to the van. My fingers are gripped around the papers as I open the door with my free hand. This wind is ridiculous, and I hope it stops soon. “Samantha loaded the van while I was getting you. It doesn’t look like there are a lot of deliveries.”
“Where are they at?”
I start the van before I leaf through the papers. “It looks like five of them are in Dallas, and there’s a few here in Asheville. Where should we start?”
“Asheville,” she nods toward the exit, “it’s best to get these out of the way before we hit traffic.”
“Shouldn’t that be the other way around to avoid traffic?” None of these are time sensitive. They just need to be delivered today.
“Nope.” She shakes her head and holds out her hand for the orders. “I like to start with our locals. They’ve kept us in business all these years so they get top priority.”
“Makes sense.” I glance over them one more time before handing them to her. “I’ll start with the ones furthest from the highway and work our way toward it.”
“Now you’re thinking like us.” She gives me a wide, real smile. “It’s best to do it that way so we don’t have to double back. Make sure to note the time on the page here.” She points at a line on the paper. “Then we note the times as we go along. It gives us an idea of how long we spend at each location.”
“Alright.” I grab a pen from the cupholder and make a note of the time. “Let’s do this.”
“You got that done in record time.” Kate smiles as we get back on the highway. Eight stops in a few hours isn’t too shabby. “Keep this up and Kai might get jealous you’ve outdone him.”
“Delivering pizzas gives a sense of urgency.” I check my blind spot before getting in the next lane. “People are not happy if they don’t get their pizzas quickly. It turns into this whole thing. I’ve learned to be quick.”
“I can appreciate that.” A quick glance at her and she’s pulling out her phone. I don’t let my eyes linger much longer than a second. Traffic is heavy and the last thing I want to do on my first day is get in a wreck.
“It looks like there’s a lot of brake lights up ahead,” I nod to show my point. “Is there anything on the map?”
