“Well, I’m calling you right now from the storeroom, soyes. It very much did.” He sighed. “That’s twice now, just so you know.”
“Twice you were shoved into the storeroom?”
He snorted. “No. Twice you’ve quoted poetry to me. I have to say, Deacon, if your intention was to impress me, you have done exactly that.”
“I actually didn’t do it with that intention. I was otherwise unsure of what to say. And your name is Winter, so I thought it was fitting.”
“When in doubt, poetry is your answer. Especially when you’re talking to me.”
“You liked it,” I said, smiling.
“Uh, loved it. So thank you. You made my very busy, very great day even better.”
“Very busy, very great day.”
“Yes. Apparently half the town who couldn’t make it to the grand opening yesterday decided today was the day. It’s been incredible.”
“I’m very glad to hear that.”
He sighed. “I should get back out there. But I’d like to see you,” he said quietly. “Later this week, if that suits you? I’m sure I can steal five or ten minutes of my day, perhaps at the same time as your lunch break one day?”
A rush of jitters bloomed in my chest; a new feeling, and one that I liked very much. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Let me know which day suits you and I’ll make sure Ro is here to hold the fort if I duck out to the diner or the café, or if you wanted to call into the store, that’d be fine too. My evenings run late, and then I have Merry and Bright...”
“It’s not so much if I want to, because I do want to, but this week is particularly busy. Tomorrow we have clinic rounds in the morning and livestock inspections in the afternoon,”I explained. “Tuesday and Wednesday will be much the same.”
“Livestock,” he said. “And there I was thinking you looked after dogs, cats, and ferrets.”
“And horses and alpacas, goats and pigs,” I added. “Birds, lizards, hermit crabs.”
He gasped. “Hermit crabs? How do you treat a sick hermit crab?”
“Depends. They can present with a multitude of symptoms. Usually from an inadequate environment, but not always. Lethargy, dry skin?—”
“Dry skin?” He made a gagging noise, and then kind of yelled, “How do you even know when a crab has dry skin?”
I heard what sounded like Ro intervene in the background, as if she was admonishing him for yelling that out in the store.
“Uh, Deacon, I have to go,” he said quickly. “I’ll text you later, but we’ll aim for Thursday lunch, or coffee if work allows. Otherwise, I can possibly do dinner on Sunday night? If your mom’s offer still stands, that is.”
I was smiling again. “I’m sure it does.”
“Good. I’ll text you before then though, and you can text me. Just so you know, poetry quotes willnotgo unnoticed.”
My insides were being all jittery again. “Noted.”
His voice was soft and warm in my ear. “Bye, Deacon.”
“Goodnight, Winter.”
I went out to the living room to find Mom and Dad on the sofas watching some movie from the ’80s. “Oh, hey sweetheart,” Mom said. “Everything okay?”
I sat in my usual spot and tried to hold in some excitement, when what I wanted to do was scream into a cushion. “Yes, very. You offered for Winter to join us for dinner,so I asked him and he said yes. Next Sunday would suit, if that’s okay?”
They both watched me and Dad sat up straight, the movie forgotten. “A date?”
“Unclear on the technicalities, but I would believe so.” I licked my lips, still trying to rein in my excitement. “And also possibly Thursday lunchtime, though that needs to be confirmed. It depends on work, both his and mine.”
