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She paid at the front counter. She put her card back in her wallet, picked up the carrier, and paused at the door.

"He didn't even cry."

"He's a good cat."

"He cries at Caldwell."

She left.

My phone buzzed on the counter at two-fifteen.

Easton.

Easton

Open day going alright?

Astrid

One walk-in. Three hours of nothing in between.

Easton

Want me to come by?

Astrid

You're on shift.

Easton

I'm at the station eating Halsey's eggs. I can come by.

Astrid

Eat your eggs.

Easton

I can come by with eggs.

I smiled at the phone. I'd been smiling at the phone for a week, and I wasn't ready to look at what that meant yet, but I wasn't trying to stop it either.

Astrid

Save them for me. Come by tonight.

Easton

Tonight. Locked door, deadbolt, the whole performance.

Astrid

The whole performance.

I set the phone face down on the counter.

The afternoon settled into the shape of an afternoon at a practice nobody was coming to. Two o'clock came and went. Three came in the same shape.