Page 43 of Say it Ain’t So

“North Dakota,” he said, speaking around the hunk of bread and roast beef he had in his mouth before he swallowed. “It’s fuckin’ wild, man. The fact that we both start the same day, we’re both from North Dakota, and I’ve been to the fucking zoo she grew up in? Crazy.”

Shifting my attention back to the woman who I’d thought told me nothing but lies, I asked, “A literal zoo?”

And as she had back in Vegas, she told me, “A literal zoo. With tigers and bears and all that.”

“And bison.” Van sat back and pointed at her. “First time I’d seen one up close was at the zoo. Of course, they roam all over the place where I’m from, but I’d never gotten that close until then.”

He went back to his sandwich, and I forced myself to take a bite of mine. Joss picked at hers, and it made me think she was getting ready to take off.

Before she could, Van was talking again. “You just got back from Cali?”

Joss stilled in picking apart her sandwich, though she didn’t look at me. I swallowed my mouthful, then took a drink from my soda. “Yeah, landed this morning.”

“What were you doing out there?” Van asked.

I shrugged and forced a grin. “Enjoying the sunshine.”

Joss peeked up from her sandwich as Van continued grilling me. “You go by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Thought maybe you had someone out there. Lee mentioned you took off unexpectedly.”

No longer picking at her sandwich, Joss turned her full attention on me. I looked right at her as I answered. “No, no one out there. Last time I was with someone, she lied and stole something from me I haven’t been able to get back.”

“Shit man,” Van said, oblivious to the hurt look on Joss’s face, “that’s tough. Anything I can do to help?”

“Nah.” I pushed the last of my sandwich aside and grabbed my drink. “Just watch who you associate with. Sometimes the biggest thieves come in the prettiest packages.”

He nodded like he understood. Like he had any idea the pain this woman at his side had caused.

But he couldn’t.

Even I hadn’t fully understood it. As I sat there next to her, as she shied away from me like it was me that hurt her, I was finding all new levels of pain.

Van prodded Joss to finish her meal even though she insisted she was full. After she wrapped up her leftovers, we donned our coats and headed back out in the cold.

In the office once again, Van waved as he tromped off to the back of the building. “Catch you two later. Got some shit I need to finish up.”

Joss busied herself at the front desk, shuffling papers before disappearing into the kitchenette with her abandoned sandwich. She came out a few minutes later holding a cup of coffee. She stopped in her place, staring at me where I’d settled in one of the chairs in the lobby. My feet were on the table, and one of the magazines that’d been stacked in the magazine rack was in my hands.

And I wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon.

14

JOSS

A part of me believed I’d never feel pain worse than having my already-broken hand fractured in a car accident. But I was wrong.

Boy, was I wrong.

Being in the same room as Rylan was like slowly burning to death under the hot Las Vegas sun. From the minute I’d spoken his name, I could feel his anger coming off him in skin-scorching waves.

And it was all directed at me.

I couldn’t get his voice out of my head.

Last time I was with someone, she lied and stole something from me I haven’t been able to get back.