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I quirk an eyebrow.
“The best? What does that mean?”
She shrugs and smiles sunnily.
“They’re just awesome people, that’s all.”
I nod.
“You know, you’re lucky.”
Now, it’s Pepper’s turn to look at me.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t work with the general public that much. Even when I was on the rodeo circuit, I didn’t interact much with others, so I don’t know what it’s like to see the same people every day. It was kind of a lonely life, actually.”
Pepper looks thoughtful.
“I see. I guess having regulars is kind of like having friends that come around on a schedule. They’ll show up like clockwork, tell you what you’ve missed in their lives, and take their coffee. I remember their orders, which makes them happy because people want a connection. I try to give it to them, even if it’s just for a few minutes.”
I think about this for a second. That is definitely not how it goes in the corporate world, which in general, is bland, faceless, and soul-crushing. Yes, I make it a point to know my employees’ names, but I couldn’t list anything about them because we don’t have that kind of relationship. It would be weird, frankly, for the CEO to be hobnobbing with his employees. It’s sad, in a way. Pepper knows more about random customers than I do about some of the people I see every day.
“That sounds nice,” I say. She nods.
“It is. A big part of why I think I might open up my own coffee shop someday is because I want to have a friendly social space. Coffee Perk is great, but my boss doesn’t want me talking to customers when it’s busy, and that isn’t how I want things to be at my place. If people want fast, robotic service, then they can go somewhere else, but I’m all about making people feel welcome.”
“I think you’d be amazing if you opened your own place.”
She giggles and I squeeze her hand while shooting her a long look. I resist the urge to offer my assistance, even though the money would be nothing to me because she wouldn’t accept it even if I did. Pepper isn’t the kind of person to take a hand-out. If she’s going to open a coffee shop, she’s going to do it herself, and I respect her for that.
“How about you?” Pep asks with a sunny smile. “Why aren’t you working right now? I thought you had a nine-to-five. You know, corporate drone and all that.”
I shoot her a wry look.
“My job is one I can do whenever. I was able to take a couple hours off this afternoon and I’ll make up for it tonight. My boss is good with it, don’t worry.”
This is the answer I’ve been rehearsing all morning, and it’s not entirely a lie. I really can do my job whenever I want because of course, I am the boss. Generally, it means working eighteen hours a day, with weekdays blurring into weekends, but I don’t want the curvy girl to know that I’m a CEO just yet. I want her to treat me as a normal guy. Maybe one with a flexible manager, but a normal guy nonetheless.
“Do you like your job?” Pepper asks lightly. “I don’t know that I could ever work in an office setting.”
I nod.
“I do, most of the time. I miss the rodeo a lot, and I miss the horses and even the bulls. But I’m also passionate about what we do at my company, so it’s not so bad. My days can be stressful, yes, but overall, I find my work worthwhile because in the end, I’m doing something I can be proud of. I’m making a difference in the world, and it doesn’t matter if it’s small. It’s still a difference.”
Pepper squeezes my arm encouragingly.
“That’s all anyone can ask for. You should be proud of working for an agricultural company because you guys feed the world, and that’s important.”
What Pepper doesn’t know is that I’m carrying my family legacy on my back. Surprisingly, it’s not that much pressure because I’ve already reached the pinnacle so the place is running on greased wheels now, but it was hard to ascend the mountain that first time.
We pull up to a dusty gate with a metal sign above it that says “Circle R.” This is my friend’s ranch, and I’ve planned a day for us here.
“A ranch?” Pepper asks with delight in her eyes. “Goodness, is this where Big Black lives?”
I chuckle. “Maybe.” I park in front of the gate and use the key Kent gave me to unlock it. He and his wife are away for the week and we have free rein of the place. A man couldn’t ask for better friends.
“Come on, sweetheart,” I say. “Follow me.”
I take Pepper’s hand and lead her towards the horse barn. Kent’s stablehand has already brought my favorite horse, an appaloosa named Carver, and a docile mare named Pattycake out and saddled them up.
