Back in the Saddle

Job Searching

Karl's POV:

I scroll through social media, looking for any local businesses that are hiring. It's been an hour since I began my search, and so far I've had no luck. I groan, dropping my phone on my chest and rubbing my eyes, which are hurting from staring at a screen for so long.

George glances over at me from his bed, eyebrow raised. I told him what I was doing and he'd offered to try and get me a job at the coffee shop he works at, but I turned him down because I wasn't interested in doing that. Now I'm regretting declining his offer, because I think I've looked through every business in town's social media, and none of them are hiring. Or at least not a place where I would actually want to work at.

"Search not going well?" he asks, putting a marker in his book and tossing it aside.

"Yes. Literally nowhere is hiring."

"There's gotta be somewhere. Maybe they just haven't put anything up on socials yet: you could try walking around town to see if anyone has a flier or anything. You never know."

"I think I have to. I'm desperate at this point."

===

After a half hour walk around downtown had still left me with nothing, I decide to take a break for the day. Phil dropped me off on his way to work, leaving Wilbur as the only option to retrieve me since Kristen is busy working on a case. But I don't want to disturb him right now because I remember him saying something about studying for a test.

That being said, I enter a small cafe that I spot on the street in front of me so I can escape the hot afternoon sun and kill some time. It's a quaint little shop: decorated in green plants and bookshelves. There's an unlit fireplace in the corner, surrounded by unoccupied couches and chairs.

There are quite a few people in the cafe, considering it's the middle of a work day, but not so many that it seems crowded. I imagine that this would be a really nice place to come during winter if I wanted to get some school work done, and I make a mental note to come back here during that time of year. Even if I don't have school work to do anymore, it could still be really enjoyable.

The older woman who stands at the cash register gives me a warm smile when I approach her and she waits patiently while I try to decide what I want. Since it's so hot, I don't want warm coffee, so I debate getting something iced. But then again, iced coffee has never been my favorite beverage. I'm torn.

"Can I help you, dear?" the lady asks kindly, genuinely seeming to want to be of assistance.

"Yes actually, what would you recommend?"

"You strike me as a frappuccino type of guy. And considering this hot day, I feel like you would really appreciate the cool drink. So, how does a mint frappuccino sound to you?"

"That sounds amazing, thank you so much!"

After paying, I sit at a table near the door, but not in front of a window so I won't have to deal with the hot sun beating down on me and my black t-shirt. I also decided to get a bagel, even though it's after one, and I'm eating it currently while waiting on my frappuccino to be ready.

The bell dings once or twice, signaling for a new customer's entrance, but I don't bother to look up at any of them. It rings for a third time, but this time I recognize the voice instantly and my head shoots up.

"Karl!" the cashier calls to me, and Nick's head swivels back in my direction when he hears my name and sees where she's looking.

A smile creeps on his face as he takes my drink from the lady, thanking her and addressing her by her first name, Delores, and coming over to me. He sits across from me, sliding the drink towards me as he leans back against the chair, smirking.

"Funny seeing you here, Karl. You stalking me or something?"

"I was here first," I bite back, taking a sip from the frappuccino. It's really good, and I flash Delores a smile while mouthing thank you to her. She gives me a thumbs up with a bright grin on her face before going back to wiping down the counter. "If you must know, I was job searching. When that got me nowhere, I decided to take a break for coffee. If I had known that you would be here, I wouldn't have come."

"Ouch. That's harsh, sugar," he says, pouting.

Suddenly, he grabs my drink from my hand while my lips are still on the straw, taking a sip of his own. I make an annoyed sound, swatting his hand away as I angrily snatch it back.

"Don't do that! I spent five bucks on this; get your own."

"Okay okay," he laughs, putting his hands up in surrender. "So job searching, you say? And it's not getting you anywhere. Well, if you want, I know a place where you could possibly work, if you're interested." I take the bait and raise my eyebrow. "Hannah's been saying for months that she needs someone to help her out in the concession stands: I could get you an interview with Sam, the one who owns the place."

"Really?! That would be amazing! Thank you so much, Nick," I say, reaching across the table to hug him. At first he seems a little taken aback, but he's quick to wrap his arms around me too. I can't help but notice that we stay like this for a moment longer than necessary.

"Of course, sunshine. As long as you have your food handler's permit, you should be good. Sam's pretty easygoing, and if I recommend you, he's even more likely to hire you."

I smile at him widely, feeling very grateful. The ranch is a place where I wouldn't mind working at all, and I would be able to see all of my friends often. Especially Nick and Alex though, who I definitely wouldn't mind getting closer to.

I'm not blind, I noticed the moment between Nick and I the other night. I just don't want to think about what it meant, since I don't really even know what it was. I know what it meant to me, but I have no idea what Nick was thinking right then. It could all be a big misunderstanding, and if I was to bring it up to him I could potentially embarrass myself badly.

And I've said it once, I'll say it again: I'm not sure if I'm ready yet. I'm not sure if I'm worthy, I'm not sure if I can, I'm not sure if I want to. I definitely don't want to jump right into anything: taking it slow would most likely be the best course of action until I figure out what exactly these feelings are and what I want to do with them. Especially since I think I might like two different guys... that is going to get complicated.

"Earth to Karl," Nick says, waving his hand in front of my face. "You back now? I thought we'd lost you there for a second, bud."

"I'm here, sorry. Got lost in thought."

"Don't worry about it. Say, you wanna get out of here? I can take you straight back to the ranch and you can talk to Sam: I was just coming here on my lunch break, anyway."

"That reminds me, didn't you want to get anything?" I ask, wondering why he'd just come in and immediately sat down with me, not even bothering to tell Delores what he wanted.

"I'm a regular here. Delores knows exactly what I want and starts making it the minute I step through the door. Speaking of which..."

Delores sets a bag on the table with 'Nicky' written in sharpie on the front. The ravenette stands up, taking the bag and leaving a twenty on the counter in its place. He gives her a quick smile before turning to me and extending his arm, which I loop mine through once I've collected my things.

He leads me back to his truck which is parked about a block away, and I notice how nice it is: it's a light gray Ford with no backseat and it's shined to perfection, like he takes time to make sure it's nice and clean. I find that kind of strange, seeing as trucks are made to get dirtier than normal cars, but I don't comment on it. Guys with trucks are typically very protective over them, like they're their children or something.

He walks me up to the door, opening it for me and helping me in since it's pretty tall. As he walks around to his side, I can't help but squeal internally at how cute it was, but I try to get over it very quickly.

"You ready for a job interview?" he asks once he's inside.

I sigh, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Word Count- 1511

a/n- i have nothing to say, so enjoy ig.