3. Chapter 3
Chapter three
Cal
Skye put her front paws on the door and started whining before the bell rang. When it did, she barked and wagged her butt so hard her tail blurred.
“You got to move so I can open it,” I told her. She wiggled behind me, every muscle tense with excitement. “Brace yourself,” I shouted before opening the door.
Theo had his arms out and ready to catch my seventy-five-pound Weimaraner, who should have grown out of her energetic puppy phase nine years ago. Aiden stood behind Theo, a case of IPAs against his chest as a bonus barrier.
“Who’s happy to see Uncle Theo?” Theo said, his deep voice raised a couple octaves. Skye licked his neck tattoos and beard.
Aiden shook his head. “The beer is getting skunked. Mind wrapping up the love fest?”
Theo put down Skye, and she rolled onto her back for belly scratches.
“Don’t mind me,” Aiden said, stepping over Theo as he crouched down to oblige my dog. I wished the couple who crossed Main Street last week to avoid Theo’s face tattoos and piercings could see him now.
“Thanks, man,” I said, taking the case from Aiden. He nodded, acknowledging my gratitude for the beer and for tolerating Skye.
“Thank fuck Aiden got your air conditioner working again,” Theo said, rubbing Skye’s belly in just the right spot to make her leg kick.
“We could have watched the game at his place or yours,” I said.
“You know I don’t have a TV,” Theo said. “Aiden?”
“I’d rather fix Cal’s air conditioner than let the pair of you in my house.”
Theo raised his eyebrows at me and shrugged. “Worth a try,” he said.
Aiden bought a huge fixer-upper just outside town a couple years back and had yet to invite us over. He claimed it’s still a working construction zone, but I’ve imagined everything from a creepy doll collection to a BDSM chamber. Either would be a better explanation than unfinished floors or cracked tiles.
“Here comes the Goth Pixie,” Aiden said, catching sight of the black hearse accelerating down the street.
Theo spun around to watch Poppy Stevens pass in her morbid car.
“I don’t get why anyone would want to drive one of those unless they work at a funeral parlor,” Aiden said. “Aside from being creepy, the gas mileage must be terrible.”
Theo narrowed his eyes. Skye stopped wiggling and licked his hand. “It’s a practical vehicle for a sculptor. Some of her pieces are very large.”
“Couldn’t she drive a truck?” I asked.
Theo shrugged. “I guess. But a hearse fits better with her aesthetic.”
“I can see that,” Aiden said, closing the front door. “The hearse does match the whole Wednesday Addams vibe your girl’s got going on.”
“She’s not mine,” Theo said, straightening. “I mean, she’s just a friend.”
“How many of your art classes has she taken at the community center?” I asked, carrying the beer to the kitchen. Skye followed at our heels, leaving Aiden to settle in the armchair by the couch in peace.
“Just the one that finished in May.”
“That must have been an upgrade from the retirees you usually teach.” I opened the side of the case before sliding the whole thing onto the lowest shelf of the fridge.
“Honestly,” Theo said, lowering his voice. “She’s more talented than I am. She should be teaching, not me.”
“So, you haven’t asked her out because you think you shouldn’t date a student from a class you volunteer to teach or because she’s more talented than you?”
“Neither,” he said. “We’re just friends.”
“Cool,” I said, tossing him a Hairless Dog IPA from the fridge door and grabbing two cans from the case Aiden brought. “Maybe I’ll ask her out then.”
“Fuck you,” he said, shoving my shoulder. “She’d eat you alive.”
I grinned. “Probably. Come on, we can’t miss the first pitch.”
I handed Aiden a beer before Theo and I took our places on either end of the couch. Skye plopped between us and yawned. We opened our cans and raised them in the air. “To Logan,” we said in unison and drank.
“Who’s playing again?” Theo asked, setting his non-alcoholic beer on the coffee table.
“The Washington Nationals and Charlotte Knights,” Aiden answered.
“Who are we rooting for?” I asked.
Aiden shrugged. “Don’t matter.”
We got together at least once a week to watch a game, more during football season. I think Theo suffered through them as a form of self-punishment. Aiden and I were basketball fans as well, but the summer season bored us all.
Theo shook his head. “We could watch a movie if neither of you care about the game.”
“The movies you like are depressing,” Aiden said.
“Fair enough,” Theo said. “Speaking of depressing, how’s work, Cal?”
Skye shot off the couch and jumped at the window, barking. Aiden curled into the armchair as she passed. “For Pete’s sake,” he yelled.
“Skye,” I said. “Come.”
She gave another bark at whatever had grabbed her attention, probably a squirrel, and sprang back to the couch. She had an obsession with the bushy-tailed rodents, which made controlling her on walks a full-body workout.
Aiden put his feet down slowly, shoulders tense. The crushed can in his hand dripped, and a large wet mark spread across his chest.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “You can rinse your shirt out in the bathroom and borrow one of mine. You know where they are.”
He glared at my dog and walked down the narrow hallway toward my bedroom. Skye huffed and rested her head on her paws.
“Maybe we should shut the blinds,” Theo said.
“Good idea.” I closed the shutter blinds on the big picture window facing Sullivan Street before heading to the kitchen for more beer.
“How are things going at work?” Aiden asked, pulling one of my t-shirts over his head as he walked back down the hallway.
“You’re going to stretch the shit out of that,” I said handing him a beer.
Aiden flexed and the shirt pulled so tight it had to be cutting off circulation to his arms. I take care of myself, running and hitting the gym five days a week for weight training. No one wanted an out-of-shape PT pushing their bodies through the pain of recovery. But Aiden worked construction in addition to joining me at the gym.
“You didn’t answer him,” Theo said, taking another sip of his drink.
“Everything’s fine. Do you want to order a pizza from Peppers or Door Dash something else?”
“Bullshit it’s fine,” Aiden said, flopping back into the armchair. “Four more one-star reviews today, and the comments, fuck.”
“Don’t read the comments,” I said.
“Do you?” Theo asked.
“Of course not,” I said. “They’re all bullshit. It’s just Avery throwing a hissy fit.”
“Well, it’s working,” Aiden said. “You’re down to three stars on Google.”
“Has that impacted your schedule at all?” Theo asked. “I couldn’t make rent if I had a three-star rating. People would think I gave shitty tattoos or spread Hep C.”
“My business would suffer too,” Aiden said, his eyes laser-focused on the game. The thrill of the competition, no matter the sport, always drew him in eventually. Otherwise, Theo would have us watching movies with subtitles at least once a month.
“My work is different,” I said, opening my second beer. “People look for a provider in-network with their insurance. The reviews are secondary.”
“And how many providers are in Peace Falls?” Theo asked.
“Four,” I said.
“Plus, ten more within a fifteen-mile drive,” Aiden said. “And most take the same insurances he does.”
“So, he’s screwed,” Theo said.
“I had some reviews removed,” I said, shifting to find a comfortable spot on the couch. This conversation wasn’t what I had in mind when I invited them over. I wanted to drink a couple beers with my friends and relax, not detail my imploding career. “It just takes a while.”
“Which means Avery can replace them faster than you can have them taken down,” Aiden said.
Theo shook his head. “What were you thinking, getting involved with her again?”
“All of us can’t be celibate,” I said. Theo turned his attention to the game, and I felt like an asshole.
“Doesn’t mean you had to go for seconds with that crazy bitch,” Aiden said, stretching his arms over his head. Something ripped and he grinned.
“It was supposed to be casual. I’m too busy to date anyone for real.”
“Still?” Aiden said.
That hurt. Apart from a few repeat patients, my schedule the first two weeks of June had been painfully light. My boss had started to notice, and it was only a matter of time before I had to explain that the practice, and by extension his bottom line, was suffering because of my personal life.
I knew Avery was angry when I broke things off, but I’d assumed she’d cool down after she posted a few negative reviews. I thought I’d be able to have them removed before it affected my cumulative ratings. I hadn’t counted on her adding more. Aiden was right. Avery was steadily destroying my professional reputation no matter how many posts I reported. “I’ll meet up with her and talk it out. I’m positive she’ll help get my ratings back where they were as soon as she’s calmed down a little.”
“Too bad she hates dogs,” Theo said and rubbed Skye’s head. “I always feel calmer when I spend time with Skye.”
“If Skye helps so much,” Aiden said. “Why don’t you get your own dog?”
“My landlord doesn’t allow pets.”
“So move,” I said.
“You don’t want to share your dog anymore? That’s cold, brother.”
“You’re always welcomed to visit Skye, but why not get your own?”
“You know why,” he said, quietly. I wanted to call him on his bullshit, but it wouldn’t help. It never did.
“I could go for a Meat Lovers from Peppers,” Aiden said.
“Get a tomato pie too,” Theo added.
We always ordered a tomato pie, even if no one wanted a slice. My chest ached as I looked at my two best friends, and the empty armchair that should have been Logan’s.
“Anything else?” I asked, my voice tight. In the months following the accident, it surprised me how grief could crash into a moment without warning. After all these years, I’d grown to tolerate the shock, even if the pain felt the same.
Theo and Aiden shook their heads and pretended to watch the game.