“And I’m standing here with a help wanted sign for a position that pays almost nothing and involves getting bitten by a parrot. Aren’t we quite the pair?”
He looked at me.
“In all my infinite wisdom—which is obvious by how I was putting up my flyer so gracefully, by the way—I think you should take the job.” I grinned at him. “We’d solve each other’s problems. Until you figure out your next move and I find someone who actually wants to be yelled at by chickens for a living.”
He didn’t laugh.
He didn’t respond at all. He stood there with his hands at his sides, looking at me with those tired, sharp, too-aware eyes, and I realized with a jolt that he was actually thinking about it. My joke had landed somewhere real, and he was standing in the middle of it trying to decide what to do.
“Wait,” I said. “Are you actually considering this?”
“Maybe.”
“Really?”
“I can fix fences. I can do repairs, haul supplies, handle the physical work. Could be a good fit for both of us until I figure out what’s next. No security stuff, right? Just manual labor?”
No security stuff. He had no idea how much that gave away of what he was going through. As if I hadn’t seen PTSD practically tattooed all over his body.
“No, no security stuff. Unless you count an alpaca that is stubborn as hell and spits.”
“Al Pacacinospits?”
I nodded slowly. “He likes to rule the roost.”
Logan rubbed his chin. “Well, that has to be taken into consideration. But more importantly, I need to know if Clarence can teach me any new words, or if I’ve got some he hasn’t heard yet.”
I stared at him. He looked back at me, completely straight-faced, and I couldn’t tell if I was being charmed or bulldozed or both.
“Lark, honey, does your TD&H friend want his usual?” Lena called from behind the counter. She had her purple streaked hair pulled back into a messy bun and that look on her face that meant she’d been eavesdropping since the flyers hit the floor.
“TD&H?” Logan whispered.
“Talk, dark, and handsome. Don’t let it go to your head. It’s Lena’s most common expression of endearment.”
Logan turned toward Lena. “I’ve ordered here three times. I don’t think that qualifies as ausual.”
“Sweetie, in Garnet Bend, twice makes it a usual. Three times makes you a regular. You’re basically a local now. Want your black coffee?”
He nodded, walking to the counter.
I had maybe ninety seconds. I dug my phone out of the tote bag, which took longer than it should have because the tote had become a small black hole that swallowed everything I put into it. I found Hunter’s name and typed fast.
Any reason I shouldn’t hire this Logan person for handyman work at Pawsitive?
I watched Logan at the counter while I waited. Lena was talking to him the way Lena talked to everyone—warm and friendly.
My phone buzzed.
Definitely hire him.
Three words from Hunter Everett. No hedging, no caveats. Hunter didn’t say things he didn’t mean, and he’d just given me the most direct endorsement I’d ever gotten from him about anything.
I took a breath. Let it settle.
Logan came back with a paper cup and stood in front of me, and I could see the question on his face before he asked it. He wasn’t sure I’d been serious. He was giving me an out if I wanted one.
“The job’s yours if you want it,” I said.
