properly otherwise.” Something her boss had made very clear to her during a private meeting last week. “I’ve got an evaluation coming up, and basically, if I don’t create some ties to the community, I’m going to be looking for another line of work.”
* * *
Dylan coughed, nearly choking on the bite of sausage in his mouth. “What? They can fire you for not being social enough?” She seemed competent, had tracked him and the deer like a pro and was a natural with animals. So what if she was a bit awkward with the two-legged variety?
“Pretty much. There’s a big push in the Fish and Wildlife Commission to be what they call community partners. And my boss is spearheading the effort. If I can’t make myself a part of that, then I’ll be reassigned to an administrative role.”
“I’m guessing that’s not a step up, careerwise.”
She shook her head, her nose wrinkling. “Definitely not. It would be a sign of failure.”
She certainly didn’t seem like someone accustomed to failure. “So what, you just have to make some friends, get to know the locals, that kind of thing?”
“Pretty much. The Outdoor Days Festival is coming up, and my boss will be here for the opening ceremonies. My plan is to be able to mingle well enough by then to impress him.”
“Okay, that sounds like a good plan.”
“Yup. And if I had any idea how to make it happen, I’d be doing okay. As it is, I think this is the second-longest conversation I’ve had since I moved back here months ago.”
“I’m flattered. But I’ve got to know, who beat me out?”
“My cat.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, well, like I said, it’s easier with animals. But this is definitely my longest human-to-human interaction.”
“Well, that’s something, anyway.” He grabbed two bottles of water from the case stashed next to his desk and tossed her one. “But technically, this is work-related. What you need is a social life.”
She grimaced and took a swig of water. “I’ve heard of those.”
He shook his head. She had a dry wit he hadn’t expected—what other surprises was she hiding? “It’s not so bad, you know. Some people even find socializing fun.”
“Fun is hiking in a forest at dawn or figuring out who did it in the middle of a mystery novel.”
“Sure. But fun is also seeing a movie and then talking about it with friends over ice-cream sundaes. Or picnics on the beach, or a pickup game of volleyball.”
She shrugged. “It’s not that I don’t like people, but a full college course load, plus a part-time job, didn’t leave much time for a social life. Now that I’ve got the time, I don’t have the connections. I can’t exactly walk up to someone I don’t know and ask them to go see a movie.”
“Maybe not, but you could go with me.”
Her jaw dropped open. “Wait, what?”
“I said, you could go with me. I could even bring a few friends, make it a group thing.”
“But why would you do that?”
Because you’re smart, sexy and I like hearing you laugh. “Why shouldn’t I? I mean, besides the fact that you nearly shot me.”
Sam chewed her bottom lip; the simple move sent his blood southward. Not good—just making friends was hard enough. If she realized he was attracted to her, she’d probably bolt. Giving her time to think, he grabbed the new animal intake forms and set them on the desk next to the pizza box. He could fill one out for the fawn while she asked him whatever questions she had. By the time he sat back down, she had a determined set to her shoulders and a gleam in her eye.
“Okay. I’ll do it. But nothing too crazy, okay?”
“Fair enough, we’ll ease you into things.” He looked down at the nearly empty box between them. “How about pizza? I’ll bring a few friends, totally low-key.” He’d rather it be just the two of them, but that would defeat the whole point. “I’ll handle everything. You just need to show up.”
She shook her head, but there was a smile on her lips. “Never let it be said I turned down a chance for pizza. Just let me know when and I’ll be there. In the meantime, I really do need to ask you a few questions about tonight.”
And just like that she was all business again, her smile giving way to lines of concentration.
“You said Jason called you a little before five. Were you here at the center when you got the call?”
“No, I left work early today, so I was driving home by then.”
She raised an eyebrow at that. No doubt Ms. All-Work-and-No-Play never left early. “I had been working on the roof all day, in the rain. I was filthy and soaking wet. I thought I’d run home and shower, and then do some work on my laptop later.” He was being defensive, but darn it, he didn’t want her to think he was a slacker. He got that enough from people. Usually it didn’t bother him, but with her it rankled.
“Okay, so when you spoke with him, what did he say?”
Dylan repeated what he remembered of the short conversation.
“And what was your advice to Jason?”
“I told him to stay put and call the Fish and Wildlife hotline.”
“Thank you for that. Not everyone would have known whom to contact. For that matter, a lot of people wouldn’t have wanted to get involved at all.”
Dylan deflected the praise. “Jason’s a good kid. He wanted to do the right thing.”
“I could tell. Of course, that doesn’t explain why you drove over there yourself, rather than just letting the authorities handle it.”
He shrugged. “He asked me to come and try to find the deer. He was worried about it. I was, too, once he told me. Given how thin the FWC is spread, I wasn’t sure how long he’d have to wait for an officer to get there. And if I hadn’t come, he might have tried to go after it himself. I didn’t want him wandering around in the woods at dusk—not with poachers in the area.”
She rolled her eyes. “And yet you had no problem doing exactly that yourself.”
“I’m not some teenager. And it all turned out good in the end. The deer is safe, Jason’s safe and I got to have dinner with a beautiful woman.”
* * *
Sam adjusted the rearview mirror in her truck and took a hard look at herself. Staring back at her was the same pale skin, brown eyes and oversize mouth she’d always seen. Beautiful? He probably just meant it in some casual, meaningless way. The kind of compliment he gave to everyone.
But it was a first for her.
She stuck her tongue out at herself and moved the
