a condensed time frame took a toll on a man’s psyche. Especially the last one. He shuddered at the memory. Kids were always the hardest to stomach and damn near impossible to forget.
“You did good today, Newbie,” David said, sparing his apprentice a quick glance before he entered the apartment and tossed his keys on the counter.
“Thanks.” There was a hollow sound to Adam’s voice that hadn’t been there a few days before. He crossed the living room, plopped down on the couch, and kicked off his shoes. Buford jumped onto the cushion beside him, his stubby tail wagging with so much enthusiasm his whole body wriggled. For the first time in hours, Adam’s expression warmed to a smile as he scratched the dog behind the ears.
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to let the kid keep the stupid mutt, David thought. So what if the mangy fleabag chewed up his favorite pair of Nikes and ate the toilet paper off the roll? As long as the dog helped the kid steer clear of the funny farm, he’d deal.
One thing was for certain, though. Adam needed a little downtime before he got too crispy around the edges. Good thing tonight’s schedule was a clean slate. It wouldn’t hurt to drag the kid out to the bar and let him pound down a few drinks. Maybe score a little action. Whatever it took to smooth the sting off a long, stressful week.
David was reaching inside the fridge for a bottle of Sam Adams when his cell phone vibrated. Recognizing the number, he let it ring two more times while he twisted off the cap and took a long drag of liquid sunshine.
“What is it, Ruby?” David asked when he answered the phone, not bothering to hide the weariness in his words.
“Hello to you, too, Soldier Boy,” Ruby purred. “Sounds like somebody had a hard day.”
No shit. “More like a hard week.” Beer in hand, he crossed the room and opened the sliding glass door, settling into the chair closest to the railing. “What do you want?”
“What makes you think I want something?”
David let the silence stretch out a few beats. How many years had they played this game? Thirty? Thirty-five? It used to be fun, but now it just annoyed him. Then again, almost everything irritated him nowadays. “You never call unless you want something, so you might as well spit it out.”
“You were always one to cut to the chase,” Ruby said on the heels of a husky laugh. “It would do you good to loosen up a little. You’re a lot more fun that way.”
“I’ll take it into consideration.”
“You do that,” Ruby said, her Southern accent stretching out every word. “Listen, me and the boys were wondering if Adam could come out and play tonight. I’d ask you to come along, but we both already know what your answer’s going to be.”
True, but at least he earned high marks for consistency. He’d never been much of a social butterfly, preferring a little quiet time to decompress after a long day.
“You’re working the poor boy to death,” Ruby continued. “He’s not a machine like you. You’ve got to give him a little breather before he burns out.”
He wasn’t about to argue the point. Still, he didn’t want Ruby turning the kid inside out with her own special brand of stress management.
David leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the railing. The air had begun to cool with the setting sun, bringing down the humidity and making the temperatures bearable for the first time in over a week. A familiar red Mazda swung into one of the empty parking spots and his interest perked when he recognized the person behind the wheel.
The driver’s door opened and Sarah stepped out, her arms loaded with books and bags. She closed the door with a swing of her hips and headed toward the building.
“Okay, you win,” David told Ruby as he walked back inside, closing the sliding glass door behind him. The woman had a point. Adam could use a night off. Plus, it would give him the chance to go next door and thank Sarah for her help
“You did good today, Newbie,” David said, sparing his apprentice a quick glance before he entered the apartment and tossed his keys on the counter.
“Thanks.” There was a hollow sound to Adam’s voice that hadn’t been there a few days before. He crossed the living room, plopped down on the couch, and kicked off his shoes. Buford jumped onto the cushion beside him, his stubby tail wagging with so much enthusiasm his whole body wriggled. For the first time in hours, Adam’s expression warmed to a smile as he scratched the dog behind the ears.
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to let the kid keep the stupid mutt, David thought. So what if the mangy fleabag chewed up his favorite pair of Nikes and ate the toilet paper off the roll? As long as the dog helped the kid steer clear of the funny farm, he’d deal.
One thing was for certain, though. Adam needed a little downtime before he got too crispy around the edges. Good thing tonight’s schedule was a clean slate. It wouldn’t hurt to drag the kid out to the bar and let him pound down a few drinks. Maybe score a little action. Whatever it took to smooth the sting off a long, stressful week.
David was reaching inside the fridge for a bottle of Sam Adams when his cell phone vibrated. Recognizing the number, he let it ring two more times while he twisted off the cap and took a long drag of liquid sunshine.
“What is it, Ruby?” David asked when he answered the phone, not bothering to hide the weariness in his words.
“Hello to you, too, Soldier Boy,” Ruby purred. “Sounds like somebody had a hard day.”
No shit. “More like a hard week.” Beer in hand, he crossed the room and opened the sliding glass door, settling into the chair closest to the railing. “What do you want?”
“What makes you think I want something?”
David let the silence stretch out a few beats. How many years had they played this game? Thirty? Thirty-five? It used to be fun, but now it just annoyed him. Then again, almost everything irritated him nowadays. “You never call unless you want something, so you might as well spit it out.”
“You were always one to cut to the chase,” Ruby said on the heels of a husky laugh. “It would do you good to loosen up a little. You’re a lot more fun that way.”
“I’ll take it into consideration.”
“You do that,” Ruby said, her Southern accent stretching out every word. “Listen, me and the boys were wondering if Adam could come out and play tonight. I’d ask you to come along, but we both already know what your answer’s going to be.”
True, but at least he earned high marks for consistency. He’d never been much of a social butterfly, preferring a little quiet time to decompress after a long day.
“You’re working the poor boy to death,” Ruby continued. “He’s not a machine like you. You’ve got to give him a little breather before he burns out.”
He wasn’t about to argue the point. Still, he didn’t want Ruby turning the kid inside out with her own special brand of stress management.
David leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the railing. The air had begun to cool with the setting sun, bringing down the humidity and making the temperatures bearable for the first time in over a week. A familiar red Mazda swung into one of the empty parking spots and his interest perked when he recognized the person behind the wheel.
The driver’s door opened and Sarah stepped out, her arms loaded with books and bags. She closed the door with a swing of her hips and headed toward the building.
“Okay, you win,” David told Ruby as he walked back inside, closing the sliding glass door behind him. The woman had a point. Adam could use a night off. Plus, it would give him the chance to go next door and thank Sarah for her help
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