Erykah
No. I’ll find out when I pick him up. Hope filming is going well.
Chris
About as well as removing ticks from animals.
Erykah
??
Erykah
Hang in there!
He slid his phone into his back pocket. Chris wanted to be happy that Erykah texted him, but the message was merely for her new friend, as she referred to Charlie. Though Chris had admitted to Lamont and Tuck he wanted a relationship, he still felt hesitant when it came to acknowledging any sort of romantic interest in Erykah. If he did, would she give him the cold shoulder like she’d done at the governor’s mansion? Or would she be willing to go on a date and see what could happen between them? The fact that he didn’t know kept him quiet.
“Chris! You got a moment now?” David stared him down.
“Uh, yeah.” He blinked, trying to remember the last email update he’d gotten on the wildlife they were actively tracking. He paired that information with areas where they could see animals roaming freely. “We can go to Mueller State Park and see the bears. They’re packing on their calories to get ready for the winter season.”
David nodded. “Good. Good. And the wolves?”
There it is.“Still waiting on a reply.”
“Can you nudge them?”
Chris thought about it. “I don’t know. Their schedule is usually packed, so if I bug them again it might just get deleted versus being seen as an urgent request.”
“Fine. If there’s no response by Friday, email or call them. We need to get the rest of the schedule fleshed out.”
“Understood.”
“And you’re good for the hike tomorrow?”
They’d already done Crowe Gulch, but the director had a few more trails he wanted to get to. Good thing Chris did this for a living. “I’ll be ready.”
The guy turned, and Chris watched him walk away. Relief flooded him. It wasn’t that he didn’t like David, but the director put him on edge. Every day Chris woke up wanting to be a good steward because he believed that was what God wanted. But since he’d been working for PathLight, he’d gotten nothing but headache after headache, along with the increased workload. Something had to give, or he’d reach burnout before he knew it.
By the time they were done filming for the day, Chris wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed and sleep for a week. Only he couldn’t let his staff continue taking care of Charlie when he’d promised Erykah he’d be the one to help. He prided himself on being a man of his word. He knew what it was like when people went back on their promises.I refuse to be like that.
Soon he pulled up to Gamble on Nature and parked the Bronco. Just as he entered the building, his phone chimed.
Erykah
I have an emergency I have to handle. I’ll be late.
He groaned. He didn’t want to be here any longer than he had to be.But you promised.He ran a hand across his beard.
Chris
If it’s okay with you, I’ll just take him home for the night.
Erykah
Yes! Thank you so much. I owe you.
Chris
