“We want them to mention as many of our opportunities as possible. Maybe there are followers who are specifically looking for a fun hayride. We don’t want to miss out on that because of a mess,” I explain.
“That sounds ridiculous.”
“I didn’t ask. Can you help me or not?” I put my hands on my hips and raise an eyebrow at her.
“Yeah.” She mumbles and grabs a barrel of hay before climbing up on the trailer.
“Okay, so I want it right over there. They need to be more evenly distributed, with enough space for people to find a seat, but also for one line in the middle for extra seats.” I explain my vision.
“You’re going to need to sweep if you don’t want people falling,” she says as she starts rearranging the hay.
“I know.” I lean over the side of the trailer and reach for the broom. I’m pulling it up over the side when my footing starts to slip, and I’m about to fall over the edge when I feel an arm pull me back.
“You really are dangerous. I hope we have good insurance,” Tilly jokes as she looks at me. I’m in her arms, one hand holding the broom, the other around her. She carefully helps me stand, and I blush.
“Thanks.” She nods and goes back to the other side of the trailer as I begin to sweep.
We keep having moments like this, where we brush hands or touch and I think it’s something, and she goes back to ignoring me. I guess it’s an improvement from being pissed at me, but I hate playing games. It isn’t like I want anything from her—we’re coworkers—and I’m fine with that.
“Did you see Peanut today?” I ask.
“Yes. Hattie says he’s doing well and eating, so that’s a good sign,” she says.
“Good.” It’s an awkward pause as I finish sweeping and she moves around the hay.
“B! Come quick! We need you!” Lina calls from the doorway of her bakery.
I look at Tilly, but she’s already following. If it isn’t something I can fix, Tilly usually can.
“What’s going on?” I ask as we get inside.
“The AC stopped working, and it blew out the electricity in here. The ovens aren’t working; neither are the registers or anything,” Lina says, panicking.
“Like you need Tilly to fix it again?” I ask hopefully.
“No, this has never happened before,” Lina says.
“If the AC blew the electricity, that’s not something I can fix. That’s something an electrician needs to come check out. If there’s a wire or something broken and I only fix the AC, I could start an electrical fire,” Tilly explains.
‘Oh’ is all I can say, because of course it happens today, the day before opening. “Do we know a local electrician?”
“We’ve never had to call one, but I’m sure we can find one,” Tilly says.
“And what if they can’t fix it today?” I ask.
“Then I can’t cook anything, and we have no snacks for tomorrow,” Lina says quietly.
“Okay. Okay,” I just keep saying, because my brain is in overdrive trying to think of anything I can possibly do to fix it.
“Look, I’ll handle this. You go take care of everything else. I’ll make this my priority and do what I can,” Tilly says.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yes. We shouldn’t both freak out about this, so let’s just see what I can do, and you finish up whatever’s on your checklist.” She smiles, squeezing the sides of my shoulders.
“How do you know I have a checklist?” I crack a smile.
“Because you have one for everything. So go do that, and I’ll text you with updates,” Tilly says.
