Chapter Text
"Shane, I’m glad youre here early" Sol greeted him as soon as he closed the door, "I have a little favor to ask of you this morning."
"Can it wait after breakfast…?"
"I'm afraid not, this is very urgent. My friend is coming over today. She's staying with me and work with you for a few weeks."
"She’s gonna work for me?"
"With you," she corrected, "but you’re going to have to train her, too. She’s a city girl, not used to this life, so she’ll need all the help she can get from us."
"Do I get a raise?"
"No."
"Fine."
"Thank you."
"Why don’t you go, you’re her friend, I have never seen her in my life."
"I suppose we can trade places and you can deal with the delivery schedules, the bills and the neverending paperwork after that."
"No, thank you."
"Come on, she’ll be easy to find. She’s yay high, with short red hair, looks like a decaffeinated gremlin during the morning and he’s coming on the 7 am bus. Her name is Dahlia."
"It’s already 7!"
"Then I suggest you start running…" Shane glared at her.
"Fine, but you owe me one." He turned around and started running to the bus station.
"Thank you, I love you!!" Sol yelled from inside the house.
He had to admit he could do something about his physical resistance. The long distance sprint left him barely breathing once he arrived to the bus stop.
After dry heaving for a couple of seconds against a tree, he saw the bus arriving. A young woman, looking twice as tired as him dragged herself out of the vehicle with two big suitcases.
"Hey," he cleared his throat with a gulp, "Hey, are you Marisol's friend?"
"I'm Dahlia" she let go one of the suitcases to extend a hand for him to shake.
"Shane."
"Nice to meet, you. Where's my Sol?"
"She was too busy with paperwork. She sent me to get you."
"Ah, so you’re like… her errand boy."
"More like the farm foreman, Half business owner, chicken whisperer. I'm like a triple threat."
"Alright, triple threat…"
"Shane."
"Alright, Shane. Where do we go now?"
"Let me help you with that." He took both suitcases and they started walking back to the farm.
"That's very thoughtful of you."
"It's my job."
"Is the farm far off? I feel like a limp dishcloth…"
"It's just about five minutes. Nothing is too far away in this town."
"Cool, cool, cool…"
They walked in silence for a couple of minutes before Shane decided to make small talk.
"So, um… long trip?"
"Ugh, it was the worst. The bus reeked of old piss and burnt rubber…I’m nauseous just thinking about it."
"Please don’t vomit, I’m not medically trained."
"What do you do at Sol's farm anyways?"
"I started working for Sol part time at the farm, as soon as it started to make a profit, she demanded that I become her business partner and we split everything 50/50. She basically threatened my life until I agreed, you know how she is. I make sure Sol’s produce gets to her buyers, take care of her livestock and fix whatever needs fixing out there."
"Oh so, like a handyman."
"Yea— No."
"Hey, no offense! It shows you’re versatile and skilled."
"I expect you have good working abilities too, since Sol added training you to my list of tasks."
"So, what you're saying is I’m going to work for you?"
"Yes."
"As in… you’re going to be my boss?"
"I mean, kind of?"
"Marisol Esmeralda Hernandez, you motherfucker…" She muttered behind gritted teeth as she saw her friend running towards them.
"Hey Dallie!"
"You!!!"
"What’s wrong?" Sol stopped dead in her tracks, affected by Dahlia's angry look.
"I told you I needed a break from corporate life and now your errand boy gets to boss me around?"
"Dahlia, calm down!"
"Not her errand boy" Shane corrected her again before setting the suitcases on the ground.
"You said I have to work for you!"
"No, you don’t." Sol turned to Shane, "No, she doesn’t. I said she was working with you not for you."
"Potato, potahto, I'm taking these inside. You promised me breakfast."
"That’s one rude man, I tell you" Dahlia grumbled as Sol interlocked arms with her as they walked behind Shane.
"That rude man is my best friend."
"I thought I was your best friend."
"You both are–" Dahlia pouted at her, "it’s complicated. Come inside, you must be so tired after that long trip. I’ll show you your room and you can take a shower later."
Sol let Dahlia inside her home and led her to the guest room.
"Hot diggity dog! This place is lovely and much bigger than the loft" Dahlia threw herself onto the bed and hummed in contentment "I could sleep here forever...!"
"It’s yours as long as you need it."
"Thank you, Sol. Really. I’m so happy I can count on you."
"Anytime! Here’s some fresh towels. I’ll be in the kitchen. We can talk some more about your work here over a cup of joe after you shower."
Sol walked back to the kitchen to make herself an ice latte and sat down to resume her work.
"Where did you find her?" Shane tried to sound nonchalant while Dahlia's melodic voice started to resound loudly from her bathroom.
"We became friends in college. She's very capable."
"So, how long is she staying?"
"It'll be a few weeks, maybe a couple of months?"
"Will she learn anything by the next month?"
"Don't underestimate her… remember me when I just got here?
Shane barked a laugh.
"How could I forget, Sunshine? But you learned fast."
"She's a fast learner, too. Besides, maybe she'll like it here and stays forever, just like I did."
"Are you sure? I mean, she looks fragile. She was dragging her suitcases when I first saw her. They weren't even that heavy!"
"First impressions don't always count, Shane. Give her a chance."
"I'll give her a week."
"She'll surprise you. It's what she does best."
"So," Dahlia walked in, still drying her hair with the towel, "what will I do here?"
Shane looked at her sitting down next to Sol. If this was his first time seeing her, his opinion would have been very different. The friction of the towel against her wet hair dispersed subtle notes of orange blossoms. He suddenly fell silent trying to understand this was the same person he picked up at the bus stop.
"Mainly crop related tasks." Sol answered for him, "you'll help Shane around and he will train you to do some other stuff like taking care of the livestock and, well, basically anything that needs tending to during the day."
"So, I am working for him…"
"Excuse me for a second…" Shane stood up from his seat.
"Are you okay?" Sol asked a bit worried.
"Yeah, yeah, coffee went south really quickly, that's all." he nodded as he walked to the bathroom.
"Coffee gave the new boss the shits…" Dahlia laughed to herself.
"Again, he’s not your boss," Sol huffed before pressing her temples, "think of him as an experienced colleague."
"I’d rather not think of him at all."
"You’ll work together, that’s inevitable."
Dahlia groaned at her friend's words and hid behind her wet towel.
"Come on, don't be like that. You'll have plenty of things to do during the day. I promise you won't get bored…"
"What if I do?" She asked from under the towel, with her cheek glued to the table.
"If you do, we can get high and watch silly movies, what do you say?"
Dahlia's face lit up and she sat up with the most radiant smile.
"Oh, I'm in! Just like the old days! You and me, bestie!"
"Time for egg hunting, newbie, let’s go." Shane announced as he walked back to them.
"Yeah, let's go!" She jumped out of her chair, leaving the wet towel on the table and tapped Shane's shoulder as she walked past him, making him blush slightly.
"What the hell happened while I was out?" he asked, still dumbfounded, "a minute ago she was whining about work and now she—" he paused, trying to comprehend the scene. Sol giggled.
"I promised her we'd unwind later, like we used to do years ago." Shane nodded slowly, "you're invited, too… if you're interested" she glanced at the door, then quickly back at him, letting him know she noticed his reaction just moments earlier.
"Uh, no thanks…" he answered quickly, "I'm sure you'll have lots to catch up on. Maybe some other day."
"Hey, big guy!" Dahlia yelled from the porch, "Are you coming or what?"