Page 14 of Beat around the Bush
“Morning. I have your employee ID, so you can clock in and out, and your name tag. I’ll show you how to use the punch system in the break room.” I stood from my chair, comingaround my desk to approach her. She stayed put, staring up at me as I got closer. I held out a hand, gesturing for her to head to the break room.
Snapping out of whatever trance she was in, she turned on the heel of her sneaker, passing through the break room door. I led her over to the tiny screen mounted on the wall.
“This is your ID.” I handed her the Post-It note I’d scribbled it down on. “You just punch it in here, and whether you’re clocking in or out, you choose the appropriate option after you punch in your number. You don’t have to clock in or out for lunches and breaks. They’re all paid.”
She nodded, glancing down at the sticky note and punching the numbers into the screen. Once she was successfully clocked in, I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans, facing her.
“So why’d you move to Bell Buckle?” I asked.
She looked down at the small paper, folding it in fourths before shoving it in the pocket of her jacket. Her gaze moved up to me as she craned her neck back. “Just wanted a fresh start, I guess.”
“You guess?”
She nodded, and I assumed that was all I was going to get out of her with that.
“How long have you been here?”
“A week or so. Have you lived here your whole life?”
I leaned a shoulder against the wall, keeping my eyes on her as she fiddled with the paper in her coat pocket.
“Yep. Born and raised here, and don’t plan on leaving. Did you grow up in Colorado?”
She finally broke eye contact, looking around the room. “Yeah. I’ve never really been outside of Denver before coming here.”
My eyebrows raised. “Really? Why choose Bell Buckle?”
A smile ghosted her lips as her eyes met mine again. “Would you believe me if I told you I was trying to find a Taco Bell?”
I laughed, unable to hold it in. That had to be the weirdest reason anyone ended up in this town. There wasn’t even a Taco Bell within fifty miles of here. “This sure isn’t no Taco Bell. Sorry to disappoint you, Oak.”
Oak?
“It sure isn’t, but that’s okay. Bell Buckle’s a cute little town. I quite like it.”
My eyebrows rose again. “Really?”
“Yeah,” she said hesitantly. “Is that wrong?”
“No, I’m just surprised. Not many people love small towns with nothing to do and no cities around.”
She let out a small scoff. “Trust me, getting away from the city was a blessing. I’ll take this town for what it is. Can I ask how long you’ve owned the store?”
“Yeah. About four years. I’ve worked here for eight, though.”
“Oh, wow. That’s a long time to work in one place.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, but I don’t mind it. I help out on my parents’ ranch here and there, so it helps even out the fact that I’m stuck inside for most of my work day.”
Her green eyes shone with something like longing as she asked, “Your parents have a ranch?”
“Yep. Grew up on it.”
“So you have like, a horse or something?”
I smiled at the way she phrased the question. “Yeah. I’ve got a horse or something.”
Her cheeks flushed and she looked down as a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.
