An Alaskan Proposal. Beth Carpenter
of losing her job terrified her.
“Look, like I said, we don’t really teach basic woodcraft. Maybe you could register for a course from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, this fall.”
“Fall is too late. My assignment here ends September first, when the store managers send in their evaluations. Only the top half move on to the next level of training. Besides...” She paused, taking a sudden interest in the worn vinyl floor.
“Besides, what?”
She took a breath and looked up. “After putting down deposits on my apartment and utilities, I’m a little short on cash right now. I thought maybe we could work out some sort of barter arrangement?”
This should be good. What possible skills could she have that he would find useful? It wasn’t as though he needed his hair braided. “What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. What do you need done? I’m pretty good at interior house painting.”
His kitchen could use a coat of paint, but that would mean having her in his house and that sounded like a bad idea. Besides, considering her perfectly groomed appearance, he had trouble picturing her doing manual labor. He suspected her biggest talent was looking good. Which, now that he thought about it, might just solve his problem.
“Suppose I offered to spend a day teaching you to be ‘outdoorsy.’ Would you be willing to accompany me to a wedding Saturday after next?”
She took a half step backward, like she was afraid she might be walking into a trap. “You’re asking me on a date?”
“Nope. Strictly a business arrangement. For all appearances, we would be on a date, but actually I just need a plus-one for the wedding to keep my sister off my back. One and done.”
“Why would your sister care whether you had a date for a wedding?”
“It’s a long, boring story. The point is, I need a fake date. Are you game?”
She tilted her head to one side and pressed her lips together while she considered. Pink lips to match her fingernails and shoes, of course. “That doesn’t seem fair. A couple of hours at a wedding versus a whole day of instruction. Is there something horrible about this wedding I should know about?”
“Horrible?” He laughed. “No, it should be very nice. Dinner and dancing afterward. It’s outdoors, so bring a jacket. But I’ll tell you what—if you want to trade hours one for one, I’m teaching a class on Wednesday afternoon, and I could use an assistant. Are you free?”
She checked her phone. “I work Wednesday morning and then I’m off until Friday, when we’re starting the big Memorial Day weekend sale. But I don’t see how I could be of much assistance since I don’t know anything yet.”
“You’ll see. Here, give me your phone number and I’ll text you the address for the class Wednesday. On Thursday, we’ll do a day’s instruction in woodcraft, and a week from Saturday is the wedding. After that we’re square. Agreed?”
“Um, yes. Agreed.” She offered her hand, and he noticed that her fingernails were not only pink, but each one also had a paler pink flower painted on it. She wasn’t going to fare well away from running water and electricity. But that was her problem. He took her soft hand in his and shook it. This should be entertaining, if nothing else.
SABRINA FOLLOWED THE directions to the address Leith had given her, which appeared to be a middle school. As she turned in, a line of yellow buses pulled out. She found an empty parking spot and got out of her car, wondering how she was going to find Leith somewhere in the building.
She still wasn’t sure why he seemed to think she would be any help as an assistant, unless he just intended for her to fill water glasses and erase whiteboards. Maybe he’d come up with this assignment as a boondoggle, to make her feel she was earning her lessons tomorrow. She hoped not. There were few things Sabrina hated more than feeling useless.
She started toward the main entrance, but as she reached the edge of the parking lot, she heard someone call her name. “Sabrina. Over here.” Leith waved from beside a pockmarked white Land Cruiser two rows over. He walked over to join her, carrying a large duffel. His eyes skimmed over her and he pulled his eyebrows together. “I should have told you to wear pants, but we’ll manage. Ready for the class?”
“Um, sure.” She walked with him, trying to match his long strides. She’d chosen this outfit deliberately: an A-line navy skirt, a silk T-shirt in a subtle tone-on-tone paisley, and an Anne Li raspberry blazer she’d scored after a trunk show. She’d had to alter it, of course, since she wasn’t as tall as the model, but sometimes being a size four paid off. Sabrina had given many a presentation in this outfit, and it always made her feel competent and in charge. “Why should I have worn pants?”
“You may need to get down on the floor, but as I said, we’ll manage.”
The floor? “What is this class?”
“Babysitting.”
“What?” She hurried to catch up, wishing she hadn’t worn heels. “Why are you teaching babysitting?” She’d thought Learn & Live was about outdoor survival stuff.
“I’m not teaching the whole course. I’m just today’s guest instructor.” They had reached the main office. Leith signed them in and led her down the hall to a classroom. Inside, a dozen or so young teenagers, mostly girls but a couple of boys, sat in chairs at the front of the room and chatted with a happy-faced woman with brown curls. When Leith walked into the room, the teacher jumped up and beamed at him.
“Welcome back. Students, this is Leith Jordan. Oh, and you brought someone this time.”
“Yes. Hi, everybody.” Leith waved. “As Mrs. Livingstone said, I’m Leith and this is Sabrina.”
“Hi, Leith. Hi, Sabrina,” the kids chanted, more or less in unison.
“Let’s jump right in. Does everyone have their dummies?” Leith asked as he unzipped the duffel bag. He pulled out a first-aid kit and a life-size baby doll.
All the kids reached under their chairs and pulled out dolls. Leith handed his to Sabrina. She took it, and after a quick glance at the kids, she cradled the doll in her arms like most of them were. Sabrina had never spent much time around babies.
Leith had her sit in a chair. “Okay. Now suppose Sabrina here is taking care of this baby. Maybe she’s been feeding him, or the baby has been crawling around on the floor. All of a sudden, she notices the baby is distressed but can’t seem to make much noise. His skin looks a little blue. Who knows what’s wrong with the baby?”
Sabrina hoped she wasn’t supposed to come up with an answer because she had no idea. The kids whispered among themselves. After a minute, one of the girls raised her hand. “It’s having a heart attack?”
“Probably not, but good guess. Think about it. What would make your skin turn blue?”
“He can’t breathe,” someone said.
“Exactly. And what is the most common reason someone suddenly can’t breathe?”
There was a moment’s silence. “Choking!” another of the girls blurted out.
“Yes!” Leith flashed the girl a smile, and Sabrina almost dropped the doll. Wow. When he smiled a genuine smile, not just the snarky smirks he’d thrown at her before, everything changed. His rugged face grew animated and the cobalt blue eyes, framed by thick dark lashes, seemed to be creating a magnetic force field. Sabrina wasn’t the only one who felt it, either, judging by the way all the girls suddenly leaned forward.
“So what do you do when someone’s choking?” Leith asked.
“The Heimlich,” the first girl said.