Page 11 of Hiss and Make Up
“Fantastic! Well worth the trip, hmm?” He rooted in the box, shifting the body from side to side and lifting the detached tail. “Where’s the head?”
Sierra shrugged. “Ground into the dirt and attached to a shovel. There was no recovering that sucker. This will have to do.”
“Ah, well, that smarts. But this is wonderful.”
If they didn't have visitors checking out Sammy the turtle, Dale would have stretched it for a full examination. But his discretion wasn’t enough. Once the women saw the station’s newest treasure, they shuttled both kids out the door. Sierra had no idea why they were in a hurry. She was pretty sure those kids would have loved to touch the scales.
“So did I earn my lunch?” she asked. “I’m starving.”
“Oh, yes, yes. Definitely.” With his eyes still glued on his prize, he dug a twenty from his wallet and handed it to her.
“Two shrimp po-boy halves?” she asked.
“That’s fine.”
Sierra smiled. She’d had to put off her visit with Liz, but the joy on Dale’s face and the free lunch more than made up for the unexpected hassle. Plus, she’d been on the clock the whole time, so at least she was getting paid. And it turned out Liz’s schedule filled up straight through until Luna’s appointment anyway. Sierra hated not being able to deliver the turtle bone before therapy, but at least now she could personally hand it to Luna.
“Oh, Sierra,” Dale called before the cypress door slammed behind her.
“Yes?”
“After we eat, would you like to help me take some photos of this? Maybe help set it up for maceration? On the clock, of course.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
She waved the twenty at him as she left, and almost skipped down the wooden stairway. A couple extra hours wouldn’t pay their mortgage, but it was a start. And it was way more fun than digging through job ads. She’d still have to do that later, but at least she could get a bit of enjoyment first.
As she drove through the campground, another familiar friend stepped across her path. She slammed on the brakes, and the dog froze in the middle of the road. Before she could get out to grab it, he loped off toward one of the tents.
She’d talk to whoever owned that tent if they were still around after she got a bite to eat. She definitely needed food. Maybe that would help erase Scott Dugas from her mind.
OrMarcDugas.
Whatever his name was.
Marc and his sexy eyes and his warm hand and all those other parts she should definitely not think about.
Why the heck had she gone and asked him to lunch? She didn’t need to catch up or reminisce about old times. And she definitely didn’t need to see those dark brown eyes or those thick, dark waves again. Nope. Definitely not.
Curiosity.
That was it. She was simply curious. She didn’t have a lot of friends, so seeing someone she’d been close to had been a nice change. A natural impulse.
Still, nothing good could come of this. Marc would flash that warm smile at her. Then he’d want to talk about the past. What was the point in that? Sierra had no interest in a relationship right now. Especially not with someone who already had their chance and blew it.
Besides, she needed a job, not a date.
Sierra would have to call and cancel, that was all. She’d call Marc and tell him that she was sick or that she’d made a mistake and couldn’t make it.
Right. That.
She looked at her phone on the seat beside her. But all she could think about was his smile. That and how standing next to him in Denise’s yard was the closest thing to home she’d felt in fifteen years.
Tomorrow.
She’d call him and cancel tomorrow.
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