Page 22 of Chomp's Challenge

I’m so screwed. How will I make it through the day?

Thankfully, my gator stays quiet. I catch Ariel’s scent and my shoulders relax. She’s here.

When she walks through the door, I’m nearly tongue-tied. She’s so beautiful. There are a dozen things I want to say to her, but I keep it all to myself. In time, she’ll hear all the words stored up in my heart. For now, I greet her with a welcoming grin.

“Good morning, Ariel. Did you sleep well?”

“Hey, Chomp. Yeah, I did. The bed is so comfy, and that mattress is like sleeping on a cloud.” She smiles and it lights up my whole fucking world. “Much better than I’ve rested since,” she pauses and clears her throat, “since my mom passed.”

I want to go to her, surround her with my arms, and block out the world from ever hurting her again. She’s been beaten down and it never seems to stop trying to rear its ugly head in her life. But I won’t let the past overtake her or drag her down. She’s got a future now.

She’s got ME.

And me, my gator adds. Yes, I know. Boy, do I know.

“What should we do first? What do you need from me?”

“Well,” I say as I rub the back of my neck and scramble for a response because I never got that far in my head, “We should go over the books and the program I use to input all the receipts.”

I’ve got to focus. Normally, I’m organized. Nothing much distracts me from my job or purpose. My gator is single-minded. I tackle one thing to the next, quickly completing tasks as I work through the day. That’s almost impossible now.

We can just go outside and float where she won’t see us, my gator offers.

I nearly sigh. He’s going to be the death of me.

“Sure. Show me. I’m a quick learner.”

I gesture for her to follow me behind the counter and the desk that’s set up. It’s a modest space and easy for her to fit. But with both of us there, it’s suddenly tiny. I have to resist the urge to lean over her as she sits on the office chair and scoots closer. Her lovely fresh linen and spring rain scent fills my nose. I want to sniff her, lick her, and find out if she’s as delicious as she smells.

Fuck. Focus!

We spend the next hour going over the filing system, the phone and messaging center, and everything else I can think of. It’s not complicated, and I know she’ll do fine. Ariel is intelligent and obviously, she’s resourceful too, given her past. I feel confident she can handle this job without issues. It should free me up to work without having to come into the store often.

Will that happen? Hell no. I have to be near her.

Every minute, my gator insists. Yep, definitely gonna be the death of me at this rate!

“So, when people come in and want to book a tour or a campsite, this is how I do it, right?” Ariel gestures to the two logs I keep on the counter.

“Yes. This one is for campsites.” I point to the brown volume. “And the other is for tours, guided fishing trips, etc. Each book has a tear-off receipt portion. Once you fill out all the information, give them the receipt. The number is printed on both portions so we each have a copy.”

“That sounds easy enough. What forms of payment do we accept?”

We. A ridiculous grin lifts the corners of my lips. “I’ve got a square reader and I take cash. No checks. Too many bounce.”

She nods. “Okay. I’ve got it.”

“I think that takes care of everything. Well, except one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I insist on taking my new employee to lunch. My treat.”

She laughs and it’s sweet, sultry, and addicting. I need more of them. “I’d like that.”

We don’t get a chance to say more for several hours. The first customers enter the store and it’s steady until nearly twelve. I have an appointment in the afternoon, so I know it’ll be even busier later.

I walk to the front of the store once it’s empty and flip the sign to closed. Most of the regulars know my schedule, but I post it on the clock that hangs on the door. I’ll be back from lunch at two. “You ready?” I ask Ariel. “I’m starving.”

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