CHAPTER TWO
Austin
Thursday
Why in the hell wouldsomeone think it’s a good idea to tease a damn crocodile? That’s the third animal wound this week.
“Austin, did you finish up that file?” Clara shouts over from the main desk.
“Yeah, just a minute.” I click submit on the report and sign out for the night.
“Want me to walk you home?” I ask Clara. “Evidently, there are wild crocs all over the place right now.”
She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Thanks for the offer, but Derek’s coming to pick me up. We’re heading down to movie night in the square.”
“Ah, what are they puttin’ up on the screen tonight?” I ask her.
“Top Gun… again,” she replies, sounding unenthused.
“Don’t hate on theTop Gun, missy. That’s a golden movie.”
“It’s not a favorite of mine, and yet, I know every darn word.”
“Well, you should consider yourself lucky,” I tell her.
“I’ll try to remember that as I force myself to stay awake.” She drops a folder into one of the filing cabinets and leans over to the computer to close out whatever she was doing. “So, what are you up to tonight?”
My choices are slim. I could go solo to the movie. I could head to the bar and drink too much, or I could go home, drink too much, and pass out safely on my couch. Tough choice. I’ll go with option C.
“I’m just heading home for the night. I’ve got the morning shift tomorrow.”
“Austin,” Clara says with a grimace. “Let me set you up with my girlfriend. She lives in the next town over, so it isn’t too far away.”
“Stop worrying about setting me up with someone. I don’t need some chick in my life who’s going to nag at me for everything I do. I’m happy being nag-free.”
“Suit yourself, but I think you’re missing out.”
“Darlin’, I can assure you, I ain’t missing out on nothin’.”
“Well, have a nice night. Don’t do anything dumb.”
Dumb. Pftt. She acts like she knows me so damn well. Actually, she does know me well, but still. I don’t just do dumb shit every night, not as far as she knows, anyway.
I head into the locker room to pull a Mr. Rogers. I wonder how many people thought about what reason he had for changing his shoes every time he walked into his house. It always boggled my mind until I started working here at the hospital. There’s something about having work clothes and non-work clothes that separate my life into two equal halves.
After changing out of my scrubs and slipping on a pair of jeans, boots, and a tee, I’m out the door before anyone can stop me with another patient’s chart. If I don’t leave when I’m supposed to, I’ll never get out of here.
The streets are lit up bright tonight with the farmer’s moon stretching across the sky. It’s nights like this that make me want to drink. The damn moon makes me feel so small down here when I think about the rest of my world being up there somewhere.Fuck you, moon. Stop staring at me. I don’t need your judgmental glare.
I walk on past Dickle’s, hearing the guys at the bar holler at the TV. I stop for a minute to glance inside, checking out who’s sitting down the line across from the taps, but it’s no one I feel like chatting up tonight. My couch is still sounding like a better companion.
“Austin, is that you?” Yup. Wrong choice. I should have gone into the bar.I know that voice.“Austin Trace, don’t you go pretending like you can’t hear me.”
I roll my eyes and turn around. “Kelli, fancy seeing you here in front of Dickle’s. Meeting someone?”
“Don’t be snarky with me, Austin. You know who I’m meeting.” Oh, sweet Kelli and her ten pounds of caked on makeup. It blends nicely under the moonlight, but not so much during the day. It’s funny, though, those things never bugged me when we were together. I didn’t notice how hard she tried to make herself look like someone else.
“Right, right. How is the old man?” Yeah, my twenty-four-year-old ex-girlfriend left me for a fifty-year-old rich man, but she doesn’t think anyone calls her a gold digger behind her back, so it’s fine. We weren’t together long, just long enough to make me question all women because of the way she ended things.
