Nolan wanted to ask whether he meant he wasn’t an expert in terms of number of times he’d gone camping or number of places he’d camped, but that seemed too personal a question. It also seemed like they’d stretched this metaphor as far as it could possibly go.
It was enough to have the reassurance that Finn didn’t think he was a weirdo. They could leave the conversation there for now.
“Dinner smells great,” he said as Finn opened the door to the house, guiding him inside.
“I’d take credit, but I mostly just followed instructions.” Finn shrugged. “I’d probably eat my own arm right about now, so I’m not gonna notice either way.”
“I eat a lot of takeout at my desk, so a home-cooked meal is kind of a luxury,” Nolan admitted.
“I don’t actually have a desk,” Finn responded. “I get the feeling your life involves a lot more work than mine does. Mostly I play with Spot.”
“You love your job,” Nolan said, settling down at the small, chipped table in the equally small, chipped kitchen. Not that the chipping was abadthing. This place felt lived in. It felt like a home.
Nolan’s kitchen was in pristine condition because all he ever did in it was microwave noodles occasionally. He didn’t have the energy to cook for himself, or the time to do it for other people.
He also didn’t have theother peopleto cook for. Whereas this place looked like it’d seen a lot of communal meals.
“Not a huge fan of yours?” Finn asked.
Nolan shrugged, for lack of a better response. “It’s what I’m good at, I guess. But it’s not what you’d call rewarding.”
“Well…” Finn paused to move a pack of bread rolls from the counter to the table. “That, I know nothing about. I wanted to be a vet since I was a little kid, and that’s exactly what I do. I can’t pretend it’s not my dream job. But I think you should absolutely make room in your life for something thatisrewarding. You can’t just work a job you don’t love until you die and not do anything else.”
“Actually,” Nolan’s seat creaked under him as he shifted his weight. “I was thinking… Doctor Reyes said you guys were always accepting volunteers…”
Was this a stupid thing to ask? Would they even be interested in a computer nerd who’d never really been around animals in his entirelife?
What if Finn said no?
“We are,” Finn agreed, and Nolan let out a breath he’d barely realized he was holding.
He wasn’t being rejected.
“If you wanna volunteer here, you’d be welcome. Especially since you’re not afraid of Buttercup.”
“Really?” Nolan asked, sure this was too good to be true.
“Absolutely,” Finn said. “Seriously, it’d be great to have you around. When Ezra gets back and we start accepting birds again, things’re gonna get busy around here. We could use all the help we can get.”
“I dunno how much help I’d be, but I’m good at following instructions and everyone says I’m a quick learner,” Nolan offered, excitement making the pit of his stomach feel tight.
Finn wanted him here.
Someone, for once, wanted him around.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Finn said. “Send us an email and we’ll figure out a day and time and stuff to take you through safety procedures and that kinda thing. I’ll do it myself, since you already know me. Sort of.”
“I’d like that a lot,” Nolan admitted, figuring they were in safe territory.
He hadn’t come here intending to volunteer, but this place had a kind of magic to it. Just like Finn had said when they first met. And he neededsomethingto do with his life other than work and sleep.
Rita would be proud of him for getting out in the world and doing stuff. Shewantedhim to go clubbing with her, but Nolan was never going to be into that.
This, he could be into.
“Awesome,” Finn said, pulling what looked like a whole pork shoulder out of the crock pot. “Hope you’re hungry.”
“Starving.” Nolan grinned up at Finn, already thinking about the next time he got to come here.
He coulddefinitelyget into this.
