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“That’s great.” I try to sound encouraging. Joey is a hard worker and not all his ideas are terrible, but like Mom, he doesn’t have great follow-through. “We have some great resources for new businesses at the library. There’s a list on our website,” I add. “You should check it out.”
“Oh, totally!” Janine says. “That’s a great idea, isn’t it, pups?” She looks at Joey.
“Sure is, slick,” he replies.
I know better than to ask where the nicknames come from.
“Maybe we could go over to the library after lunch,” Janine adds.
“We’re closed on Sundays, unfortunately,” I tell her. “We used to be open seven days a week, but our budget was cut,” I add in the same louder-than-necessary voice.
“I bet the county has a bigger budget for libraries than we do,” Walden replies, equally loudly.
I raise my voice again. “If we had the Addison building, they’d probably take us.”
“All right, all right,” Marty cuts in. “Whatever’s going on with you two, leave it at the office. This is family time.” He looks at me, clearly trying to change the subject. “Blaze, honey, what are your plans for the rest of the weekend?”
I’m almost tempted to tell him that I’ll be applying for jobs. Since the day I found out about the Addison, I’ve started sending what-the-hell applications all over the country.
Walden might not take me for granted if he knew I had other options. Then again, he’d be just as likely to see it as a sign that I’m not serious about my current job.
“Well, I’m working on getting a grant,” I say instead. “It’s been really busy at work, and we’re short-staffed. After that, though, I’m going to lie out in the backyard in my new bikini and read. Which I don’t have the opportunity to do very often.”
“Bet your neighbors will like that!” Joey says with a wink.
If Walden or Shelly had said that, I’d assume they were being sarcastic, but Joey doesn’t have an ironic bone in his body. He really means it. I blush a little.
“The lady next door moved out last week,” I reply. “Got the place to myself until they find a new renter.”
That’s enough to turn the conversation toward the real estate market, which is heating up, making it harder for Joey and Janine, who want to move in together. I don’t bother asking how long they’ve known each other—I’m guessing a few weeks, based on the fact that I’ve never heard of Janine until today—and neither does anyone else. My family doesn’t ask sensible questions.
Trent and his brother Tristan get into an animal noise contest, Shelly makes even more noise trying to get them to be quiet, Joey and Marty get into a mostly friendly argument about whether Porsche should be making SUVs, Shelly offers everyone the quiche recipe even though no one asked for it, Janine takes it all in stride, and through it all, I keep my sanity by remembering there’s a lounge chair and a romance novel waiting for me back at my house.
8
JEREMY
I admit to being kind of a jerk when I ran into Blaze Wilder at the elementary school. There’s nothing like doing your rival a favor to get under their skin, and I stayed and listened to her storytime mostly because I could tell it annoyed her.
I also stayed partly because it gave me an excuse to sit there and stare at her without being creepy. Well, not too creepy. I mean, everyone else had their eyes fixed on her as well.
But after a few minutes, I wasn’t looking at her; I was listening to the story. It was some kid story about a bunch of cats living as a pack in the wilderness, which, if you know anything about cats, is ridiculous; they’re not pack animals, but I found myself caught up in the story and enraptured by the sound of her voice.
When my beeper went off about an emergency on the north side of town, I had to tear myself away.
Fortunately, the emergency turned out to not be a big deal. An older guy had gotten himself stuck in his bathroom when the door knob had broken, but we got him out easily.
I’ve been thinking about Blaze’s pretty face ever since… and though I don’t want to admit it, I’m still kind of curious about what happened to those cats.
Using my debit card, I order the book online. I could probably get it out of the library, but I don’t want her to know she hooked me that much.
Saturday evening after my shift, I pick up my keys from Radha. Sunday morning, I pick up my dog from the pound and start moving my stuff into my new house. The cottage I’ve been renting has a nice view of the lake, but it didn’t feel like home. Now, with a year-long lease, a stable job, and Jackie the Tripod Dog, I feel like this is a chance to get settled and make a clean, Christine-free start.
Mikey and a couple of other guys from the station offered to help me move my stuff, but I don’t have anything that won’t fit in my car. Christine kept just about everything. Most of it hadn’t been paid for and probably still hasn’t, and I wanted to leave all of it in the past anyway.
Once the car is unpacked, I park it in the garage then knock on the neighbor’s door to introduce myself. She’s not home, so I take Jackie for a walk, try the neighbor again, and when there’s no answer, I go back to my place, turn on some music, and start unpacking.
Jackie jumps around between suitcases, surprisingly spry and getting underfoot. I grumble at him, but I’m glad to have the company. With every minute, I’m more confident that getting him was the right thing to do. He’s curious and friendly and playful. He limps, of course, but his missing leg doesn’t seem to slow him down much if at all.
