Page 21 of Backward Motion

Sam tittered, and the mood lightened once again. “Let’s just bunch them up together under the window. You should be able to see that from outside.”

While Sam arranged the pumpkins, Connor plugged the string of lights into the wall. Then they both stood back to admire their handiwork.

“It’s so bad,” Sam whispered. “The barber on Main Street made a giant squirrel out of gourds.”

“Gourds, huh?”

“So much for queer eye.” Sam turned to him, his expression grim. “It’s official, Connor. We’ve erased years of gay progress with this pathetic excuse for a window display.”

“Well, the good news is, Mary will take one look at this and never ask us to participate again.”

“How is that good news?” Sam said, trying not to laugh. He began collecting the trash from the decorations and tossing it into the bin by the desk.

“Mrs. Morris told me this morning that she booked her dryer install on the website,” Connor said, gathering up the tools. It was the first he’d heard of it. “We have a website now?”

“I may have thrown something together last week.”

“So you thought you’d ease me in with the social media stuff?”

“I didn’t want to dump too many changes on you at once.” Sam hovered by the desk, studying Connor’s reaction. “I figured we could link the website to the booking system so people can schedule the simpler services themselves.”

“You know I can’t afford to pay you more, right?” Connor said quietly.

Sam gave him a funny look. “I know that. Don’t worry about it. I get a kick out of optimizing stuff—it’s like a tic. And it makes my job easier, so win-win.”

“Okay,” Connor relented. “But the least I can do is buy you lunch. And, like, an actual meal. None of this soup-and-crackers crap.”

“Wow,” Sam teased. “Pulling out all the stops.”

Connor grinned. “You bet. You’re in for a taste of Oakdale’s finest.”

Jenny’s Diner was only a short walk from the office, but by the time they arrived, it was already packed with the lunch rush. As they waited to be seated, Sam peered at an announcement on the community notice board beside the register. “Hey, have you seen this?”

Connor looked over Sam’s shoulder at the flyer. It was a call for nominations for the Oakdale Business Awards. “Oh, yeah, the council puts it on every year. Just a bunch of mutual back-patting, according to my dad.”Circle jerkwas the phrase he’d used, but Connor wasn’t about to utter that in polite company. “I think he was just bitter because he never got nominated. Said our line of work wasn’t sexy enough.”

“Look at the categories,” Sam said, scanning the list. “Up-and-Coming Businessperson.” He turned to Connor. “How about it? We’ll have to get a move on; applications are about to close.”

But Connor shook his head. The last thing he needed was more notoriety in this town. “I’m barely hanging on as it is. Maybe if they had a ‘What Not To Do’ category.”

“Come on,” Sam admonished, bumping Connor with his shoulder. “You’re not doing as bad as you think. Andup-and-comingmeans exactly that—you’re not a seasoned pro, but you’re heading in the right direction.”

“High praise,” Connor retorted as they inched forward in the line.

“No, seriously,” Sam pressed. “I’m going to start writing down some of the compliments I get from customers on the phone—you’re reliable, you’re friendly, you go out of your way to help.”

“Look, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I’d rather not,” Connor said, hoping he didn’t sound as put out as he felt. “There are plenty of other more deserving folk out there.”

The server indicated she was ready to seat them. Relieved, Connor moved to follow her, hoping that was the end of it.

Chapter Eleven

“What is this for again?” Sally Thatcher asked, handing Sam a cup of coffee and sitting down across from him at the small table in her kitchen. On the chair beside her, a ginger cat slept curled up on a floral cushion.

“The Oakdale Business Awards. I’m putting together a nomination for Finnegan’s Electrical,” Sam replied. “I know you’ve been a client for several years now.”

“Right, oh yes, Connor!” She scooped several spoonfuls of sugar into her own steaming cup. “Lovely young man. He reinstalled all my appliances when I moved house. Did the lot for a single fee. I even tried to tip him, but he said he wasn’t a waitress.”

Sam laughed. He could imagine Connor saying that. “I’d like to include a few testimonials to give the judges a sense of his commitment to customer service. You mentioned over the phone you’d be willing to write about your experience...”