Working For The Weekend
Parker is working on some updates to the ranch’s website when her office phone rings. With a by now well-practiced maneuver, she reaches over, lifts the handset, and tucks it between her chin and shoulder.
“Tumblin’ A Ranch. Parker speaking.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The voice on the other end of the line is muffled, and the background noise suggests a blur of voices and what sounds like a lot of running feet in squeaky sneakers. “I was calling to see if I could arrange an outing with a member of your office staff?”
“Hey, Luke.” Parker’s pretty sure her grin can be heard on the other end of the line. She’s okay with this.
“Hey. Can you talk for a minute?”
Parker leans over in her desk chair to get a fix on Doreen. Karen is in the kitchen going over some menus with Luis. Michelle is home today with sick kids. Doreen, the only one who would raise a mild stink over Parker taking a personal call on office time, is in the closet alcove with the photocopier, working her way through a stack of invoices and checks.
“All clear,” she says, hunkering down a bit behind her monitor. “How about you? Shouldn’t you be in class?”
It’s a little past nine o’clock. Which means Luke should be well into his workday at Coiner Elementary.
“Special assembly this morning. Traffic safety. You are listening to the sound of one hundred small children playing ‘Red means Stop - Green means Go.’”
“Fun.”
He laughs. “Yeah. It is, kinda.” Parker hears a clatter in the background, and Luke’s voice, momentarily moving away from his phone. “Ellie? No running on the bleachers. Go back to Officer Tom’s group. Anyway,” he continues, “I was thinking. You’re off on Saturday, right?”
“Yes, sir. We don’t seem to have any bookings down for that time.” Doreen is passing through, getting extra staples from her desk. “Yeah, I’m off on Saturday,” she adds, once Doreen is back in the alcove and the copier is running again. “Are you plotting something?”
“I was thinking maybe we could swing up to Amarillo. Make a day of it. Maybe take in a movie. You can make me try Thai food. Jackson, does your nose go there? No? Well, let’s cut that out, okay? We can see what it’s like being an anonymous couple out on a date.”
Parker laughs. Dating, like most things, is hard to do anonymously in Coiner. It has bemused Parker to no end that she has somehow become a highish-profile person in the small town. As for Luke, he is a popular local school teacher and a member of a good home-grown band. He has no hope.
The closest they’ve gotten was the night of the Super Moon. Parked in the middle of a deserted prairie, pile of cozy sleeping bags in the bed of Luke’s pick-up truck, and a big thermos of Irish coffee.
“I like the way you think.” Parker half-twirls her chair. “How about I drive? My car has more room.”
In case they decide to do something wild and crazy like hit Target before heading back to Coiner.
“You going to try to get me into your backseat, Miss Lee?”
“Play your cards right.”
There’s a half-strangled sounding laugh on the other end of the line. “I’m there.” There’s an indistinct voice in the background, and Luke adds, “Hey, I have to go. Officer Tom wants me to help him with…..I think I’m pretending to be an accident victim.”
“Tell Officer Tom I expect you to be returned unscathed,” Parker says. “Have fun. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Definitely. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Doreen comes out of the alcove with her copies as Parker is hanging up the handset. “You look awfully happy,” she observes.
“Oh, you know.” Parker shakes her mouse to wake her computer back up. “Good booking.”
It should be a nice event.
“Tumblin’ A Ranch. Parker speaking.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The voice on the other end of the line is muffled, and the background noise suggests a blur of voices and what sounds like a lot of running feet in squeaky sneakers. “I was calling to see if I could arrange an outing with a member of your office staff?”
“Hey, Luke.” Parker’s pretty sure her grin can be heard on the other end of the line. She’s okay with this.
“Hey. Can you talk for a minute?”
Parker leans over in her desk chair to get a fix on Doreen. Karen is in the kitchen going over some menus with Luis. Michelle is home today with sick kids. Doreen, the only one who would raise a mild stink over Parker taking a personal call on office time, is in the closet alcove with the photocopier, working her way through a stack of invoices and checks.
“All clear,” she says, hunkering down a bit behind her monitor. “How about you? Shouldn’t you be in class?”
It’s a little past nine o’clock. Which means Luke should be well into his workday at Coiner Elementary.
“Special assembly this morning. Traffic safety. You are listening to the sound of one hundred small children playing ‘Red means Stop - Green means Go.’”
“Fun.”
He laughs. “Yeah. It is, kinda.” Parker hears a clatter in the background, and Luke’s voice, momentarily moving away from his phone. “Ellie? No running on the bleachers. Go back to Officer Tom’s group. Anyway,” he continues, “I was thinking. You’re off on Saturday, right?”
“Yes, sir. We don’t seem to have any bookings down for that time.” Doreen is passing through, getting extra staples from her desk. “Yeah, I’m off on Saturday,” she adds, once Doreen is back in the alcove and the copier is running again. “Are you plotting something?”
“I was thinking maybe we could swing up to Amarillo. Make a day of it. Maybe take in a movie. You can make me try Thai food. Jackson, does your nose go there? No? Well, let’s cut that out, okay? We can see what it’s like being an anonymous couple out on a date.”
Parker laughs. Dating, like most things, is hard to do anonymously in Coiner. It has bemused Parker to no end that she has somehow become a highish-profile person in the small town. As for Luke, he is a popular local school teacher and a member of a good home-grown band. He has no hope.
The closest they’ve gotten was the night of the Super Moon. Parked in the middle of a deserted prairie, pile of cozy sleeping bags in the bed of Luke’s pick-up truck, and a big thermos of Irish coffee.
“I like the way you think.” Parker half-twirls her chair. “How about I drive? My car has more room.”
In case they decide to do something wild and crazy like hit Target before heading back to Coiner.
“You going to try to get me into your backseat, Miss Lee?”
“Play your cards right.”
There’s a half-strangled sounding laugh on the other end of the line. “I’m there.” There’s an indistinct voice in the background, and Luke adds, “Hey, I have to go. Officer Tom wants me to help him with…..I think I’m pretending to be an accident victim.”
“Tell Officer Tom I expect you to be returned unscathed,” Parker says. “Have fun. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Definitely. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Doreen comes out of the alcove with her copies as Parker is hanging up the handset. “You look awfully happy,” she observes.
“Oh, you know.” Parker shakes her mouse to wake her computer back up. “Good booking.”
It should be a nice event.