“That has to be confusing,” she said.
“It’s getting easier.” Garrett and I had spent hours every night for the past week talking about everything and even more hours making out before I forced myself to go home and sleep. “I’m even taking him to meet my parents tonight after the interview.”
“Wow. So Luke—”
“Is dating Nikki and we’re just friends.” I pushed away the conversation I’d had with Antonio. I couldn’t live life waiting for Luke to come around. “What about you and Seamus? Are you going to come out as a couple soon?”
“Probably at the season end party tonight,” she said. “He’s really fun to be with but do you think it’s weird he’s so much older than I am?”
“Nah. If the two of you make each other happy, that’s what matters.”
She smiled. “It’s time.”
We both took one last look in the mirror and headed off to our respective interviews.
When I walked into the banquet hall, I expected to see Ursula and the other higher-ups that had interviewed me the last time. Instead, Ursula sat in the middle of all of the full-time rangers.
“Is this my interview?” I asked feeling like I’d walked in on a meeting I wasn’t supposed to be in.
“It is. Sit down.” Ursula gestured to a chair in front of them. All of the rangers had a smile on their faces except for Nikki who had her arms crossed over her chest. “Thank you for coming today.”
“It’s my pleasure,” I said knitting my hands together in my lap so I wouldn’t pick at my cuticles.
“At the suggestion of my boss, your peers are going to be making the decision whether or not to hire you. I will simply be overseeing the process.”
Hopefully, she hadn’t been the one to come up with the questions.
“We’ll go by rank. Each ranger will ask one question and any follow-up questions necessary to clarify.”
I nodded and looked at Greg who smiled in a way that would calm any nerves.
“Rylie”—he looked down at the notecard in front of him—“you have been with us for a season and have done very well. Can you tell me why you would like to be a permanent member of our team?”
This was an easy one. “This job has been the most enjoyable one I have ever had. The rangers are professional and fun and truly love what they do. I would be lucky to join such a team and do something I enjoy day in and day out.”
“Thank you,” he said and looked at Antonio.
“Hello, Rylie.” Antonio quirked up one side of his mouth.
“Hi.” I smiled back.
“If you were to be hired as a full-time ranger, would you feel as though it was too boring if there wasn’t a murder every single day?”
I knew he was joking, but I couldn’t answer the question more emphatically. “Absolutely not. In fact, I’d be happy to never see a dead body again.”
Everyone besides Nikki and Ursula laughed along with me.
Ben continued. “Rylie, your boating skills need work.”
My chest constricted. I didn’t know how to tell him I’d actually improved drastically. “Yes, they do,” I said, and Antonio shot me a frustrated look.
“What will you do to make sure you are properly skilled to use the boat for the remainder of this season and seasons to come?”
“I plan on doing additional training with whichever ranger is scheduled with me now that the season is winding down. If I need to spend hours out on the boat every day, I will do that to make sure I can use the boat if needed.”
Antonio waggled his eyebrows as if I was saying he and I would spend hours on the boat together. I ignored him as best I could.
“Thank you, Rylie,” Ben smiled as if he were proud of my answer.
“Seamus?” Ursula said.
Seamus nodded. “Do you promise to never talk to me before my first cup of coffee is gone if we’re ever scheduled to a morning shift together?”
The other rangers snickered. Ursula looked like she might come out of her seat and strangle him.
I put my hand over my heart. “I do so solemnly promise.”
“Good.” He winked at me. “Dusty?”
Dusty, whom I had never worked with, looked at me and then down at his notecard. “Well, you and I have never actually worked together, but I want to give you a hypothetical question.”
“Okay,” I said.
“If you were walking along a trail doing a foot patrol and came across a homeless camp where several people were standing around an open flame, what would you do?”
This one was tough. I didn’t know much about homeless camps or how to handle them other than what Seamus had told me.
“First, I’d have them put out the fire since we are under a burn ban.”
Dusty nodded and took down a note.
“Then I would give them a warning about moving their items and give them locations of the nearest homeless shelters.”
“And if you came back two days later and they still hadn’t packed up?” Dusty asked.
“At that point, I would ticket them and confiscate their property.” I think that’s what I was supposed to say.
“What if they didn’t want you to take their items?”
Seriously? How was I supposed to know?
“I’d probably call for backup from either another ranger—you or Seamus since you know most of them—or the police.”
“Thank you,” Dusty said nodding.
“But I’d still urge them to find refuge in a shelter,” I added before they could move on. “I wouldn’t want to leave anyone on the streets, but I know it’s not legal to set up homeless camps within the city.”
Dusty smiled, and Seamus gave me a thumbs up.
It was Nikki’s turn.
“I would like to know why you don’t like me,” Nikki said, and every eye turned her way.
Ursula looked as if she might say something, but stopped herself and then looked at me with an evil smile on her face.
“I-I don’t not like you,” I said. It was a lie, but
