Harrison leaned the broom against a stack of live-edge planks and sauntered over.
I handed him the offending offcut.
He looked at it, turning it over in his hands. “It’s a nice piece.”
“It’s trash! It’s literally riddled with bug holes!”
He chuckled. “It’s not trash. Whoever put that in there wants to see you get laid. That piece is worth its weight in gold to a man like Randy.”
“How is some half-eaten chunk worth anything?”
His chuckle turned to a laugh. “Cast this with resin, and he’s got something that combines wood with pops of color in a natural way. It’s already been through a kiln, so he doesn’t even need to worry that there might be live bugs in there.”
I studied it again as he handed it back. “You’re not fucking with me, too? Randy will really want this?”
He shrugged. “I mean… he might like or reject any piece. But it’s not garbage. If he doesn’t buy it, then somebody else will, and quickly.”
I side-eyed him, but decided that I could at least let it all play out. I set it aside to keep and went through the rest of the scraps I’d selected.
“So,” Harrison asked once he’d put the broom up. “Next time you see him… gonna ask him out?”
I gave him a tight smile. “I want to… Everything in me is screaming to make my intentions clear. But…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Something Oscar said keeps replaying in my mind.”
“Hmm?”
“He told me that Randy has been single for a long time, and that it changes people. Being single becomes safe.” I sighed. “Rushing would just get me rejected. I think I need to show him I can be a safe option too.”
“Ouch. Sounds like a damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario.”
I nodded. “Yeah, but if time is what he needs, then that’s what I’ll give him.”
“And if time isn’t enough?”
I frowned. “I don’t want to think about that. But if his choice is still single, then I’ll respect it.”
“Good call.”
“Craig!”
I turned to see Emmett standing in the door that separated the showroom from the admin area. “Yeah?”
“Come on up to my office.”
“Sure.” I put the bin back underneath the counter, then strolled upstairs to his office.
“Have a seat,” he said as he rounded his desk.
“Everything ok?” I asked.
He laughed. “We’re good. But we need to discuss those additional duties we hired you for.”
I let out a relieved chuckle. “Oh… yeah.”
He nodded and turned to his computer. “We’ll start getting more calls next month, but our first appointments are for next week. I’ll have you go out with Miguel for a few weeks to get a handle on how we do things.”
What if Randy comes in next week instead, and I’m not here?
“Next week?” I tried to hide my worried tone, but he caught it anyway.
