Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 22036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
“I like her, too,” Tim said gruffly. “I won’t push you, Aspen. When you’re ready, we can talk.”
“Okay,” popped out of her mouth before she could stop it. She felt her cheeks heating and knew she was blushing. It was a dead giveaway that she did indeed understand what the term ‘Little girl’ meant.
“Did you get everything unpacked?” she asked quickly to change the subject.
“I did. I even called security and they came up to wrestle the boxes out of my way.”
“Everyone here is very helpful,” Aspen confirmed. She licked her ice cream cone and settled back in her chair. “I can’t imagine working anywhere else.”
“I’m glad to hear that. In fact, I haven’t heard anything negative from anyone.”
“You probably won’t. Everyone is pretty loyal. We even had a cyber attack that rocked the company, but everyone worked together to get everything restored quickly.”
Tim scooped up the last of his ice cream. “That was the best. I’ll have to come here again.”
“Samuel runs the ice cream booth. Now that he knows you, he’ll help if you call his name,” Aspen suggested.
“Do you come here for lunch?”
Recognizing that Tim had changed the subject, Aspen cursed herself. She needed to stop offering to help.
“Maybe once a week. I usually just bring my lunch.”
“Saving your pennies for a new car or something shiny?” he asked.
“Maybe? I just don’t know many people. I could eat down here alone or at my desk and get some things done. Usually, I choose to eat at my desk.”
“You might know more people if you came here regularly,” he suggested.
“Probably,” she shrugged. “I’m quiet and I’ve worked in the departments with a smaller number of immediate staff. Take yours, for example. There aren’t a lot of people working in the office area. It’s a huge, massively important department, but low on the personnel needed to sit within a small range of each other.”
“And you live in B Tower, too? Didn’t I hear about pizza parties for the staff?”
“I’ve been invited a few times. I just haven’t gone,” she admitted. “Would you like to do anything else?”
“I’d love to give Boston some fun time. Could you find us a place where I can throw a ball for him, and he can run around?”
“Sure. There are lots of empty spaces for people to enjoy the day. I’ll throw your cups away,” she suggested as she stood.
“I’ll take care of it, Aspen,” Tim assured her. “Lead the way out of here and stop at a trashcan.”
Following his instructions, Aspen negotiated through the cafeteria and allowed him to toss the cups in his hand. He was a very independent type. She wondered how much he’d changed after his accident.
“How about here? There’s an enormous expanse of lawn in front of us. Ummm,” she hesitated, trying to estimate the size. She wasn’t ever any good at judging what ten yards vs ten feet were. “I’m not sure how to tell you how far it is for Boston to run.”
“Is there somewhere to sit or should we stand?” he asked.
“There are people around the benches behind us. We could stand or sit in the grass.”
“Perfect.”
Tim turned to Boston. He ran his hands over the dog’s face and back to his harness that proclaimed him to be a guide dog. Unhooking it with quick agility, Tim unleashed Boston. “Go potty first, Boston,” Tim instructed.
While the dog stepped away slightly to relieve himself, Tim pulled a baggie from one of the side pockets in the harness and unfurled it. With Boston’s help, he took care the remains and dropped the baggie next to the harness.
The dog’s behavior flipped when Tim asked, “Ready to play?” As Boston jumped and ran in excited circles, Tim drew his arm back and threw the ball. Immediately, Boston chased and pounced on it.
“How much further could I throw it?” Tim asked as Boston returned.
“Four times as far,” Aspen answered. She loved seeing the hard-working dog having fun as a typical pooch.
Tim picked up the ball Boston dropped at it his feet and tossed it again. He repeated this until Boston was panting with exertion but still eager to chase that magical ball. “Time for a break,” Tim announced.
He kicked his feet to see if he still stood next to the harness. When he located it, Tim sank down to the ground and pulled out a small collapsible bowl and a small flask of water. Using his fingers to tell him where to pour, he filled the container and offered it to Boston. When the dog finished, he dumped the remainder and stowed everything away.
“Want to sit down and enjoy the day for a few minutes?” Tim suggested to Aspen, who still hovered by him.
“Sure.” She tried to sit down gracefully and collapsed to the green grass. “It is a gorgeous afternoon.”
“What time do you generally get to the office?” Tim asked as he ruffled Boston’s fur.