Just another day at work

Dan arrived three minutes before his shift started. He all but ran to the time clock to make sure he got clocked in on time. "You're in chemicals today," Ms. Carmen called as he grabbed his walkie and headset. She eyed him for a moment before nodding to herself.

"Thanks," Dan answered as he made his way out onto the floor.

The morning went by quickly, having plenty to do stocking the shelves. "Hey, if it isn't my customer yesterday," a jovial feminine voice called from the end of the aisle.

Dan looked up to see Alicia, her brown hair tied back in a ponytail, grinning at him from behind an empty shopping cart. "Hey, how are you?" he asked. He could see the hint of a black bra poking out of her low-cut pink shirt.

"Needed to get some supplies before heading home. I seem to never have enough laundry detergent," she complained. "Oh, hey, mind helping me get the sport type on the top shelf? Us, girls need all the help we can get," she teased.

Dan snorted but smiled. He didn't believe her for a moment. "Glad to, ma'am," he joked.

"I'm no, ma'am! That makes me sound old. I'm just Alicia to you, got it?"

"No problem, Alicia," he answered as he got the detergent down. "Anything else I can help you with?"

The brunette eyed him for a moment before a small smile creased her lips. "Yes, you can tell me where I can find delicate bags," she said with a smile.

"I'd be glad to show you," Dan answered. He knew full well Alicia was flirting with him and, despite what he'd told his mother a few days ago, found himself enjoying the experience. "Can I get your number? Just in case you need help finding anything in the future? You could text me and I'd be more than happy to help."

Alicia seemed to mull over his offer as they moved toward the Bed and Bath section of the store. "You drive a hard bargain, but I never turn down such... ardent requests to help me," she quipped.

After lunch, Ms. Carmen found him again as he was headed back out onto the floor. "Dan, I really need you at Customer Service. Becky called out a few minutes ago. Listen, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think you could handle it. The other day was an outlier issue, right?"

Dan stared at his boss for a moment. She waited to see what he would say. "Yeah," he agreed with a sigh. "Who is going to finish my stuff?" he asked with what he hoped was a smile.

"We'll handle it," she promised. "Lawrence is already over there. Kristy will be in before your last break."

"Alright," Dan said again as he made his way to the front of the store.

It was a slow day, and there weren't too many customers with issues. Twice, Dan had to cover one of the registers instead of being at Customer Service due to the sheer amount of people trying to check out. Kristy relieved him from his job just before his last break. She gave him a strained smile as he headed back to the employee area.

"Do you have a moment?" Ms. Carmen asked as Dan went toward the break room.

"Sure," Dan answered. Ms. Carmen opened her office door and waited for him to take a seat before closing the door.

"First, thank you for stepping up to cover Customer Service. Second, we weren't able to get your area pushed. So, focus on that once you get back to the floor. Sorry," his boss apologized with a grimace. She got up and sat on the edge of her desk, standing over you. "I just wanted to thank you for being a team player. Continue doing that, and the problem from the other day will be but a thing of the past."

"Yes, ma'am," Dan said with a nod.

"Good, head to your break. Pick up where you left off this morning and do your best to get everything out. I have permission to let you stay longer if you want the extra hours today."

Dan thanked Ms. Carmen as he left the office. He made sure to call his mother on break to let her know he'd be a little late getting back to the hotel and to not worry. She told him she had some news regarding their troubles and that she might have an interview the next day.

The rest of the shift went quickly, much to Dan's relief. He clocked out and got a nod of thanks from his boss as he left for the day.