Page 33 of Campfires & Canines
"Um, yeah, I wanted to talk to you about a few things." I stall. What if she is only kind because she knows I'm temporary? I push the intrusive thought away.
"Of course, anything." Her sandwich crunches as she takes a huge bite.
"I was wondering what kind of jobs might be available here." I hold my breath, counting. I will not let my anxiety spiral.
"Really?" She drops her food onto her plate, her eyes wide and her grin huge. "Are you thinking of moving here?"
"Yeah, at least for a while." I smile hard enough my cheeks hurt. It’s the best reaction I could have hoped for.
She squeals and throws herself over the table to hug me fiercely. "I'm so excited!"
“Me too.”
She plops down, absolutely glowing with excitement. It makes my heart soar. “Why the change?”
"It's so peaceful here. Everyone is kind, and I love that you guys are all close. I've never had that." Now I've opened my mouth, it's pouring out. "I don't remember being this happy in a long time. There's something about being here. It feels right."
"You belong here." Her hand squeezes mine.
"I don’t know about that, but I think I’d like to."
She looks over the meadow where some of her students are playing soccer, their lunch forgotten. "I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else either."
After a moment, I remember my itinerary. "Okay, I need a job and I need to figure out where to live."
"I bet Heath would let you stay. He's got the space. Otherwise, you can stay with me until you can get your own place. I mean, it's pretty tight. I already sleep in a sofa bed ‘cause there's only one bedroom. But you’re always welcome!"
"Oh, geez, I can't do that to you." I cringe. "But we could get a new place together and be roommates, and then you wouldn't be sleeping in the living room."
Marigold gasps, "I love that idea."
"Are there cabins available?"
"There's an empty guest cabin we could ask to rent. Or we could look into getting a trailer like the one Slate owns. A lot of the single people have them, actually: Aven, Ewan, Linden."
“I don’t know who those people are,” I remind her.
“Sorry.” She covers a laugh with her hand. “You met Linden, right? He’s your uncle’s office manager. And then Aven is a few years older than us. She keeps to herself, but you’d recognize her.”
“I guess I still have a lot of people to get to know.” I sigh.
I can’t picture any faces to fit those names. Instead, a sleek black trailer appears in my mind. And a pouty frown and soulful emerald irises. Not helpful.
“I think you know almost everyone. Don’t stress it,” she reassures me. “Ewan is a biologist-type. He’s been on a research trip for the last two months. I think he’ll be home soon.”
“A research trip? That sounds interesting.”
“Probably.” Marigold takes a bite of her pickle. “So what’s next? A job?”
“Yeah. I have enough in savings for a while, thankfully, but I can’t be a bum.”
"I’m sure it won’t be a problem."
"It’s what I'm most concerned about. But I guess I can always apply for remote jobs," I say.
"Of course, you can if you want to." Her unwavering confidence bolsters mine. "I'm not sure exactly what, but there's always work to do. Heath will know. He helps people find their place." My uncle, the boss.
"He seems to run everything around here."
