Page 8 of The Holiday Exchange
“See? This is exactly what I’m talking about! Your perspective on pets was shaped by Otto the cat. My sister is allergic to both cats and dogs, so the only pets we had growing up were fish. I’ve never had a cat, but I definitely want one now. You influenced me based on your experience.”
He nods and seems to consider this as I take another bite of soup.
“Okay, let’s try a harder one. What if I took you to a make-up store and asked you to help me pick out some make-up.”
“I would say you don’t need make-up.”
“Clearly you’ve never seen me when I roll out of bed in the morning.” Then I flush when I realize what an intimate picture that probably painted for him.
His eyes rove over my face and it feels like he can almost read my thoughts until he averts his gaze and turns his attention back to his soup.
It’s quiet at the table for a moment as I chew, literally on my sandwich and figuratively on his compliment, and regain my composure. I clear my throat.
“Anyway,” I say, trying to get us back on track. “Just practice remembering that you bring value to conversations. That should be good until Saturday.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” I agree.
6
TREVOR
Seated behind my desk in the office of the hardware store, I jitter my leg rapidly. I did all right staying relaxed this morning, distracting myself with paperwork and the employee schedule for the next month. Now that it’s four o’clock? I can’t focus on anything for anticipating Kayla’s arrival. I know she said four-thirty, but what if she gets here early? I push out of my chair and head for the door. I should be waiting out front, just in case.
On my way out, I detour into the bathroom to splash some water on my face and make sure I don’t have any of my late lunch stuck in my teeth or adorning my shirtfront.
“You’ve got this,” I say to my reflection in the spotted mirror above the tiny sink. “You bring value to the table.”
I’ve repeated that mantra, a distilled version of the lesson Kayla assigned to me, multiple times over the last two days. It’s too soon to know for sure, but I think it might be working? It feels easier to interact with employees and customers if I keep it in the back of my mind, like a little whisper of encouragement.
I loiter around the front of the store trying to look busy until I finally see Kayla stride inside. She’s dressed like the quintessential teacher today in a black skirt and white blouse, though she makes the look seem so much cooler than any of the teachers I remember having in school.
“Hi!” She waves as she approaches me. “How has your day been so far?”
“Good.” I don’t mention my anxiety over the past hour. “Yours?”
“Meh.” She shrugs. “There’s a stomach bug going around the school. Two of my students succumbed in class today and if I know anything about second graders, they won’t be the last. If you have any air freshener in this place, I’ll go ahead and stock up for my classroom.”
“Ugh.” I grimace. “I’m sorry. Throw-up is the worst.”
“Occupational hazard,” she responds with a grin. “I’m not joking about that air freshener, though.”
I chuckle. “That will be our first stop. Let me grab a buggy and we’ll get started.”
She rubs her hands together in anticipation. “Let’s do it.”
She follows me up and down aisles for the next half hour as we fill the buggy with the items on the list I gave her at the café. I like that she asks good questions and listens intently to my responses. She seems to have a special talent for making me feel like the only person in the store when she gives me her full attention. It seems like that much eye contact would be disconcerting, but instead, it somehow communicates genuine interest.
The time goes by quickly and the next thing I know, I’m handing her a receipt. Kayla folds it up and tucks it into her purse, then eyes the buggy of supplies. “I hope all this will fit in my car.”
I mentally slap my palm to my forehead. I didn’t evenconsider her vehicle situation. Three full-sized pieces of plywood don’t even register as a lot for me, but that’s because I drive a truck. “What kind of car do you have?”
She bites her lip. “It’s a Camry.”
I’m already shaking my head. I don’t even need to look to know that’s not going to work. “How about if I take this stuff to my house and keep it there? We can do the assembly in my garage and then I can haul it to the school when it’s finished.”
“That sounds perfect. I was a little concerned about how we were going to build this stuff in my living room since my apartment’s pretty small. Are you sure you don’t mind?”