by Ava Gray
Inside, her office felt too small, just enough space for her desk and a plastic chair across from it. He tried not to think about the size of the room or the lack of light. It reminded him of the cell, and he refused to go there again, even in his mind.
“First, I’ll tell you what I’m looking for.” Neva described the duties and none of them sounded too tough. He could handle manual labor. “I can afford to give the successful applicant twenty hours a week at minimum wage. That’s four hours, five days a week. No benefits.” She paused. “Before we go on, so as not to waste our time, does this still sound like something you’d be interested in?”
Zeke nodded. About all I’m fit for, too. He tried not to show his despair.
“Then we’ll move on to my usual questions. Why do you want to work here?”
“Need a job.”
She gave a soft, surprised laugh. “People aren’t usually so forthright about it. Most wrap it up in pretty talk about loving animals.”
“Could try that if you want me to.”
“No, that’s fine. But you do like them?” She hesitated, as if she wasn’t sure what he’d think about the next thing. “The job requires some handling help and they sense fear or dislike. It can complicate matters.”
Oh. People probably made fun of her for giving animals that much credit. But she was right. “Yeah. Won’t hamper me.”
“Excellent. I see on your application you worked at the mill for a while. Can I ask why you left?”
“Can.”
“But you won’t answer?” she asked, raising a brow.
“Past is past. Need work and need somebody to take a chance on me.” He read subtle astonishment in her face, and he heard the faintest intake of breath. Nobody else would’ve caught it.
“I like your honesty. To put my cards on the table likewise, I’m not exactly overwhelmed with applicants. I’ll call your references, and if they recommend you, I’ll offer you a two-week trial. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Sounds good,” he said.
Zeke pushed to his feet and offered his hand. It was a privilege he’d offered nobody since his escape. After being poked and prodded and having no say about anything, now he wanted complete control over who touched him. She curled her warm fingers around his and it felt like a fist around his heart. Letting go of her hurt.
With a nod of farewell, he turned. But she stopped him again with that sweet molasses voice. Her careless interest would cut him wide open, if he didn’t watch out.
“Have you always been so quiet?”
He’d lost some of his old life while they had him locked up. Things were blurred or felt like they’d happened to someone else. It helped with the sad things, but he didn’t like losing the precious thoughts as well. The bell jingled up front.
“Yeah.” It was the easy answer, and he’d sure never talked as much as some.
That time, she let him go because the red-haired girl called, “Your next appointment is here!”
“Coming! I’ll be in touch, Zeke. It was nice talking to you.” Her smile said she meant it, and her scent agreed, deepening to caramel and smoky apple wood. Before the change, emotions had barely registered for him at all, and now he could smell them. Was this how animals read humans?
Neva walked him out of her office and then took over with the clients; her assistant had started the visit by putting the pet owners in the exam room. He admired the way they worked together. Maybe one day he’d fit that smoothly. Dim hope. He never fit anywhere.
The assistant came back to the lobby. Her face was covered in freckles and she had a faint gap between her two front teeth. She didn’t seem to care it showed when she smiled, because she did it a lot.
“I’m Julie Fish.” She waited, as if expecting a response.
“Pleasure. Zeke Noble.”
Puzzlement flickered. “It’s okay, you can laugh.”
“Why?”
“Because my last name is Fish and I work at a place called Paws and Claws.”
Then he did laugh. The sound surprised him. It felt like something had torn loose inside; some weight had lifted. “Funny.”
“I’m used to it. So you really want a job here, huh?”
“Yeah.” And he meant it.
“She works harder than anybody I’ve ever met.”
Though he felt guilty at the impulse, he got the feeling Julie would chatter if he didn’t walk away. He didn’t. “Oh?”
“Yeah.” Julie glanced at the closed exam room door and lowered her voice. “Since Luke disappeared anyway.”
Zeke drew a blank. He didn’t know much about the Harpers, other than what the rest of the town did—that they had money, owned the mill, and threw fancy parties out at Harper Court. And it took a full day to trim their lawns.
“Who?”
“Been gone awhile, I take it?” He didn’t answer, and she went on, “Lucius Harper was Neva’s twin. He went missing and the family hasn’t been the same since.”
Lucius. That name, he remembered. Geneva and Lucius. Luke and Neva. They’d both chosen simpler names than the ones they’d been given. That spoke to their characters.
“Sorry to hear,” he said, belatedly seeing she wanted a response.
“Anyway, I tell you that so you understand why she’s always here.”
“So she won’t have time to grieve.”
“You got it. But don’t worry. She doesn’t expect us to match her schedule. She’s a great boss.”
“Seems you like her a lot.”
Julie nodded. “We’ve been friends since fifth grade.”
His best friend was in the military. The last time he’d seen the guy was the night he’d been taken. Danny had been in town briefly, just before shipping out again, and he probably thought Zeke was a bastard who had gone home with some chick without bothering to say good-bye or good luck. They wouldn’t be bridging that gap. Just as well—Zeke wouldn’t want Danny to see him now.
The phone rang, saving him from making up his mind whether to ask for more. It seemed wrong, so that was best. He went out to the truck and headed to his aunt’s house. She’d insisted on cooking him a casserole to take out to the farm. Hungry as he was these days, it wouldn’t last long enough to spoil. Zeke ate and ate without gaining back any of the weight he’d lost. It appeared they had fucked up his metabolism, too.
Sid had left the key in the usual place, though she was at work at the insurance office, so he let himself in. He found everything packaged up in the fridge with a little note. Regret panged through him because he couldn’t read it.
Zeke took out his frustration on her cabinets, repairing them with angry slams of the hammer. He went home heavy-hearted, and after eating, he started on the house overhaul. Before he could put full faith in a fresh start, he had a lot of cleaning to do.
His references were impeccable. Neva studied the notes she’d taken. HR departments often just confirmed dates of employment, but these were personal references, and the people had nice things to say about Zeke Noble. Most were post-scripted with comments like, poor boy, and such a shame, though. Such tantalizing hints made her hungry for gossip; Julie would surely know. She heard about everything in Harper Creek.
Neva debated silently before deciding to indulge her curiosity. Julie had just hung up the phone and was penciling in an appointment when she stepped out of her office. “Do you know anything about the Nobles?”
“I was wondering if you’d ask.” She set down her pencil, her freckled face sober. It was an odd expression on her, like catching a pixie in a pensive moment. “In a nutshell, his mom was quiet-crazy. These days, they’d call it postpartum depression, but she went untreated for years. Eventually she killed herself.”
“Shit. How old was he?” This didn’t speak to whether he could do the job, of course. It just filled the gaps in her local knowledge.
“Not very.” Julie shrugged. “Still a kid, anyway. I’m not sure. I could find out, if you want. My cousin—”
“No,” she said hasti
ly. “Don’t call Emmylou.”
Emmylou Fish waited tables at Tom’s Diner—they had been tickled with the Suzanne Vega song—and if Julie called, she would repeat the question and the story to everyone in the place. The last thing Neva wanted to do was stir up ancient history. Zeke didn’t need that. But it was typical of the town where something that happened years ago would still be the first thing that came to mind when his name came up. It wasn’t fair, but people had long memories.
“You thinking about hiring him?”
“Mm-hm. How did he seem to you?”
“Polite. Watchful. He paid more attention to the animals than their owners while he waited.”
Neva nodded. “Good sign in somebody angling to work here.”
“That’s what I thought. Okay for me to head out now? I’ve got to run some errands and then stop at Pie in the Sky.”
“Sure.”
Once Julie had gone, she returned to her office and studied the application. So he was twenty-seven, nearly twenty-eight. Almost four years younger than she was. They might’ve attended school together, if she hadn’t been sent to a private academy an hour away. After elementary school, drivers had ferried her back and forth. Without slumber parties at Julie’s house, she would’ve had no idea what normal life should be like.
At six, she dialed the number from Zeke’s application, and a woman answered. She didn’t sound young, but it couldn’t be his mother. “Hello?”
“I’m calling for Zeke. Is he there?”
“No, he’s out at the farm doing some work. I’ll get a message to him.”
Interesting. Maybe he had a bad harvest and needed some cash flow to get him through the winter. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d heard that story. But it boded ill for her if he turned out to be a good worker and next year’s yield brought more.
“Then tell him I’m offering him the job at Paws and Claws, if he still wants it.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news! I’ll let him know.”
“Thank you. He can start as soon as tomorrow, if he wants.”
That finished, after she did all the paperwork, put away files, and saw to the final care on her two inpatients, she knocked off “early.” By that point, it was nearly eight. Neva turned off all the lights, and then set the alarm. Armando’s would be closing soon. She tried never to stay past their business hours. Otherwise, she would be alone on the property, and that wasn’t a good idea.
Zeke surprised her again as she was locking up; her heart gave a little jolt as he slid out of the dark, a lean shadow moving around his ancient truck. The lamps in the parking lot glazed his skin with ashen light and made deep hollows of his eyes.
“What time tomorrow? Tried to call but the machine picked up.”
“Most attendants did nine to one, but if you have other obligations, you can work in the afternoon, say two to six?”
“That’d be better.” He didn’t say why.
Before she knew she meant to, she found herself inviting, “I’m heading to Julie’s for pizza night. Want to come along?”
He froze, still with shock and something else, something she couldn’t identify. Longing, maybe, but that seemed like too strong a word for such a simple thing. “Sure I’m welcome?”
“Of course. I hang out with Julie and her boyfriend once a month. I bet Travis’ll be happy to have you even the numbers. We order pizza from Pie in the Sky and chill with some action movies. We’re doing a Mad Max-a-thon tonight.”
He hesitated so long that she wondered if she’d oversold the invitation. Finally he answered, “Sounds good.”
“Their place is out on Ringer Road. Follow me?”
Zeke nodded and she went to her Civic, conscious of his gaze on her the whole way. He was a strange man. Her step faltered. Oh, crap. Did he think this was a date? She’d invited him because she and Julie were so close; she thought it might make him feel included. It might help him stay on the job longer, too. The other guys might’ve quit because of one too many inside jokes. That, plus the work was hard, dirty, and paid very little.
Well, no help for it now. At some point she’d have to make it clear she wasn’t hitting on him. How awful. But overall, she didn’t regret asking him.
Julie and Travis lived on the far side of town, toward the highway. Their place was bigger than Neva’s, which was why they always got together there. Not bigger than Harper Court, of course, but she never would’ve felt comfortable inviting them over for pizza and beer there anyway.
She stopped at the liquor store, amused to see Zeke pull up behind her. His Ford really was ancient, made in the fifties, she guessed, by the curved front end. It had been red at some point, but it was mostly rust now. The engine ran loud, banging in a way that couldn’t be healthy.
As she went past, she called, “I’m running in to pick up a cold six-pack. That’s my contribution to the meal. Next time I’ll get the pizza.”
That was more than he needed to know, but she didn’t want him feeling like he had to pay for anything when she’d invited him. He obviously needed work and being short of cash could prick a man’s ego. Zeke seemed the prickly type; his jaw was certainly set tight enough right now to make her think he was worried. He waited outside while she ran her errand and then they headed off in tandem.
The house on Ringer Road sat back from the highway, not quite in the town limits. There was supposed to be a proper development out here, but the project had run out of money and only a few houses were built. The investor took a loss, and sold them off cheap, which was why her friends already owned a home. Though they weren’t married yet, they planned to tie the knot soon, and they’d bought as a couple. They were good together, giving Neva hope she might find somebody who worked for her on that level.
When she pulled up, Travis opened the front door before she got out of the car, likely because of the way Zeke’s truck was knocking. She snagged the beer and stepped out. Gravel crunched under the soles of her sensible shoes.
Travis gave her a quizzical look. “You brought a date? Who’s this?”
Oh, God. Awkward. She didn’t want to hurt Zeke’s feelings by denying it too quickly but a nondenial might worry him in a different way. No, you’re not obligated to perform routine vaginal maintenance on the boss to keep your job.
“He’s a new hire,” she said, skirting the question.
“Ah, fresh blood at the clinic.” Travis waved them up.
The three-bedroom ranch house had a small covered porch attached to the front of the house, just big enough for a swing. Neva secretly wanted one just like it. She loved their house. It was warm and homey; it felt lived in. The shiny wood floor showed some scratches from their dog, Doof, who was a mix of shepherd and Dane. He was a big brindle fellow with clumsy paws, but he overflowed with slobbery love. Julie always said he’d lick an intruder to death.
Handing the beer to Travis, she made Doof sit down before she’d pet him. He’d knocked visitors off their feet a time or two before they taught him it was rude. Then she knelt down and gave his ears a rub. The dog thumped his tail on the floor and gave a rapturous sigh as he flipped over and offered his belly for rubs. From her lower vantage point, she studied Zeke while he checked out the place. The way he cocked his head, almost as if he were listening and smelling, struck her as strange. She’d seen dogs and cats do that. Never a man. But he seemed to be taking the place in as much with his ears and nose as with his eyes.
Travis went into the kitchen, talking the whole way. “Julie’s not home yet.” Once he came back, the other man offered his hand. “I’m Travis Delaney.”
Zeke shook but she saw his discomfort. “Pleasure. Kind of you to let me barge in like this.”
“You’ll need some support if you’re gonna be working with Jules and Neva. They’re an evil duo for sure.”
Neva grinned as she straightened. “Enough of that. Let me get a beer or two in him before you start telling embarrassing stories.”
“You mean like the time you two
—”
“I mean it,” she said, though she didn’t know for sure why it mattered.
Only that it did—and that was one of her gut certainties that Ben had never understood. He’d probe for why, because there had to be a reason or she couldn’t feel what she felt. Maddening.
Watching them, a smile broke the solemnity of Zeke’s face like clouds clearing away from the sun. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how dark he looked. Now it was like seeing a different man. He had eyes like twilight, she thought, shot with gray and blue and green, all the colors of a sky before a powerful storm. And he smiled with such tentative fear, like he didn’t think he was allowed to share in their amusement.
“You got the DVDs, right?”
“Netflix delivers,” Travis said. “The front room is all set up if you two want to head on in. I have a little more work to do yet.”
He had a CS degree and he worked as a contractor coding for a company in California. When projects hit, he often worked insanely long hours, leading Julie to compare him to Neva. In many ways they were opposites. Travis was tall where Jules was tiny. He was also seventy-five percent geek. In a good way.
Because it meant he loved gadgets, which included the huge plasma TV and surround sound, great for movies. Besides Travis’s work computers, it was the single most expensive item in the house. Zeke seemed suitably impressed. Like any guy, he stopped and gazed at the big screen.
“It’s as good as it looks,” she said.
“Few things are.” His words held a weight she didn’t understand.
She wanted to. And that was bad, bad news.
CHAPTER 4
Zeke felt out of place.
It wasn’t that his hosts had done anything to make him feel unwelcome; they hadn’t asked Neva why she’d invited him. His new job at the clinic seemed to be enough. His trouble came from somewhere else. The room had a brown couch and love seat, framing the TV. Travis and Julie cuddled together on the latter while he perched on the edge of the sofa. He couldn’t relax.
This house was Travis’s territory, and it smelled like him. The man had lived here long enough with Julie that Zeke’s nerves prickled. He expected a challenge. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to allow another male to spend so much time at the farm. His jaw clenched. He knew normal behavior when he saw it in other people. He was the broken one, not Travis.