Besides, she knew
he was a fundamentally decent guy which gave her a good starting spot to work
with. And he was nice.
As far as Stacey
was concerned…not being nice was a deal breaker.
And speaking of
not nice…
Stacey gave the
rear lot another careful scan before heading for the distant building in the
back. The young waitress knew Libby was back here somewhere, and the last thing
she needed was an encounter with the prostitute while she was alone. The woman
had taken a special dislike to her and Marisa as soon as they had hired on, and
the feeling had been immediately mutual.
Which suited her
just fine.
It had been the
sight of Libby crawling into a rather hideous old trucker’s cab on their third
day here that provided the first common ground she and Marisa had built their
unlikely friendship on. Therefore Libby had done at least one good thing, even
if she were completely unaware of it.
But be that as
it may, right now she just wanted to find Tomas so he could walk her back to
the main building. She wouldn’t tear him a new asshole like Marisa would, but
she wasn’t in the mood for any attitude from him either. The rain was picking
up, and she had always been a little nervous about being outdoors when
lightning was about. Not to mention, she wanted to get back in time to spy on
Marisa and Harley in hopes of catching the big moment.
So as Stacey
walked she kept a cautious eye on the distant row of trucks off to the right of
the garage and locker room. Out there would be where Libby would most likely
emerge if she showed herself. She put a little quickness into her step as the
patter on the cardboard over her head increased. The raindrops started hitting
the asphalt with audible force. It occurred to her she was probably being silly
and Libby had probably holed up in a cab, taking her time with a guy so she
could stay inside and dry while Stacey was out here in danger of getting
soaked.
So get a move
on, girl. Or you’re going to end up making Libby look like the one with all the
sense tonight.
The waitress now
hurried towards the bright rectangle at the right corner of the garage
building, where the smaller metal door stood open. The two large bay doors were
closed, probably in anticipation of the rain, but it was common practice to
leave the “walk-in” door open to allow extra air into the building. So on the
nights Arnold and Leon had reason to stay here late, the appearance of the
bright fluorescent light from within spilling out the door was an expected
sight.
The crows were a
new touch, though.
Stacey slowed
her walk again as she noticed the group of large ebony birds milling about on
the asphalt in front of the door. They strutted and crowded each other like an
inky pool of darkness in front of the entrance to the shop. As she closed the
distance, she could even see a couple on the chair and workbench immediately
inside the door. Then a couple more hopped across the threshold before flying
up and out of sight into the building.
What the hell?
The waitress
paused a second, and fixed a narrow eye on the door.
Were the birds
that desperate to get out of the rain? And if so, why not just get under the
awnings over the rows of fuel pumps? Or under the parked semis? Choosing a
building with three men working in it struck her as a far more unlikely choice.
And where were
the guys anyway?
Stacey could
picture the young Leon and Tomas getting a kick out of birds hopping into the
building, but doubted old Arnold would permit such foolishness. Maybe he was
under a car and the other two were encouraging the birds to come in with pieces
of bread?
A quick glance
to her right showed another dark circle of birds in front of the locker room
door as well. And several of them were likewise making cautious hops into the
building. More of the ebony birds lined the roofline, ignoring the falling
water from the sky. A flash of lightning revealed a third and fourth group also
standing down in front of the trucks.
he was a fundamentally decent guy which gave her a good starting spot to work
with. And he was nice.
As far as Stacey
was concerned…not being nice was a deal breaker.
And speaking of
not nice…
Stacey gave the
rear lot another careful scan before heading for the distant building in the
back. The young waitress knew Libby was back here somewhere, and the last thing
she needed was an encounter with the prostitute while she was alone. The woman
had taken a special dislike to her and Marisa as soon as they had hired on, and
the feeling had been immediately mutual.
Which suited her
just fine.
It had been the
sight of Libby crawling into a rather hideous old trucker’s cab on their third
day here that provided the first common ground she and Marisa had built their
unlikely friendship on. Therefore Libby had done at least one good thing, even
if she were completely unaware of it.
But be that as
it may, right now she just wanted to find Tomas so he could walk her back to
the main building. She wouldn’t tear him a new asshole like Marisa would, but
she wasn’t in the mood for any attitude from him either. The rain was picking
up, and she had always been a little nervous about being outdoors when
lightning was about. Not to mention, she wanted to get back in time to spy on
Marisa and Harley in hopes of catching the big moment.
So as Stacey
walked she kept a cautious eye on the distant row of trucks off to the right of
the garage and locker room. Out there would be where Libby would most likely
emerge if she showed herself. She put a little quickness into her step as the
patter on the cardboard over her head increased. The raindrops started hitting
the asphalt with audible force. It occurred to her she was probably being silly
and Libby had probably holed up in a cab, taking her time with a guy so she
could stay inside and dry while Stacey was out here in danger of getting
soaked.
So get a move
on, girl. Or you’re going to end up making Libby look like the one with all the
sense tonight.
The waitress now
hurried towards the bright rectangle at the right corner of the garage
building, where the smaller metal door stood open. The two large bay doors were
closed, probably in anticipation of the rain, but it was common practice to
leave the “walk-in” door open to allow extra air into the building. So on the
nights Arnold and Leon had reason to stay here late, the appearance of the
bright fluorescent light from within spilling out the door was an expected
sight.
The crows were a
new touch, though.
Stacey slowed
her walk again as she noticed the group of large ebony birds milling about on
the asphalt in front of the door. They strutted and crowded each other like an
inky pool of darkness in front of the entrance to the shop. As she closed the
distance, she could even see a couple on the chair and workbench immediately
inside the door. Then a couple more hopped across the threshold before flying
up and out of sight into the building.
What the hell?
The waitress
paused a second, and fixed a narrow eye on the door.
Were the birds
that desperate to get out of the rain? And if so, why not just get under the
awnings over the rows of fuel pumps? Or under the parked semis? Choosing a
building with three men working in it struck her as a far more unlikely choice.
And where were
the guys anyway?
Stacey could
picture the young Leon and Tomas getting a kick out of birds hopping into the
building, but doubted old Arnold would permit such foolishness. Maybe he was
under a car and the other two were encouraging the birds to come in with pieces
of bread?
A quick glance
to her right showed another dark circle of birds in front of the locker room
door as well. And several of them were likewise making cautious hops into the
building. More of the ebony birds lined the roofline, ignoring the falling
water from the sky. A flash of lightning revealed a third and fourth group also
standing down in front of the trucks.
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