Loving Caspar

by Rea Winters

  The dog finished eating and sniffed around a little more before deciding to move on.

  “Same time tomorrow? Yeah, I’ll see ya then.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Everyone else at Hammer had already gone home. Amie zipped up her jacket, fiddled with tomorrow’s work laid out on her own desk, then placed whatever the boss needed to sign on the big desk. Something different about Caspar’s area gave her pause. The first and only personal item perched by the lamp. It was a framed photo of a striking woman in a medieval dress, hugging a five-year-old in a huntsman costume from behind. The woman’s hair was a chocolate brown, long and straight, whereas the little one’s was jet black with a bit of a crinkly curl and fallen over her head like a mushroom. Amie couldn’t see their eyes through their merry squinting, but their rubber elf ears and big smiles were identical.

  The office door flew open and Amie jumped back, hand to her chest. “Jeez…”

  Cas looked between her and the desk. “Oh. More paper work. Where do I sign?” She yanked a pen from a jar by the lamp and hunched over the desk on the guest side.

  Amie turned the forms toward her, her own heart climbing down from her throat in relief.

  “I’ll come back sooner next time.”

  Amie gathered that Cas was trying to apologize for keeping her waiting.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. It would’ve been here in the morning.”

  Cas looked at her with the corner of her lips twitched up in a short-lived smile of gratitude.

  “Follow me. I have something for you.”

  In the alley behind the Admin Office, Cas pulled Amie’s bike out of her truck bed.

  “Whoa. You didn’t buy this, did you?”

  “No, it’s the same bike. Just needed more than a new chain. I noticed you wear a lot of orangey pinks or soft blues, so I went with that for the color.”

  All new parts, shiny new paint, fresh leather seat and sturdy rubber handles. Definitely more than a new chain.

  “Use this to keep it safe.” Cas handed her a brand-new cable lock.

  “Wow, thank you. You really didn’t have to go through the trouble.”

  “It wasn't any trouble. See you tomorrow.” And with that, she jumped back in her truck, backed out of the alley and drove off.

  It didn’t take a genius to detect that her boss was the type to turn down a request to return the favor, so Amie made up her mind to do something nice for her without warning.

  Caspar’s surprise gift warmed her heart, but the space around her remained cold as she ate dinner alone in her favorite diner for the thirtieth night in a row. When pelts of rain dinked the window of her booth, she gave a light chuckle, wondering if her mood conjured the coming storm. Then her watch beeped, reminding her she wasn’t that powerful.

  “Shit,” she muttered. Time for her medication. Only she forgot them in the room again.

  The manager of the motel was a young, pudgy Indo man of average height with a thin crop of brown hair on his head and even thinner facial hair, usually found lurking behind the counter in the main office. He popped out once he saw Amie ride onto the walkway.

  “Hey, Room 218?”

  Amie stopped, dismounted and turned to him. “Yeah.”

  “Mind coming inside for a minute?”

  “Sure.” She pushed her bike inside and set it against the wall while Larry Melvin took his place back behind the counter. “Something wrong?”

  He sighed, rubbing his neck. “Yeah, unfortunately, your credit card maxed out.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since yesterday.” He showed her the computer screen confirming it. “Do you have another card?”

  “No. Shit, I don’t. I’ll just pay cash. How much for another month?”

  Larry did the calculations and the total came up to about her whole paycheck. Even a little musty motel hardly anyone stayed in wasn’t so convenient on a hand to mouth salary.

  Wheels spinning in her mind at a mile a minute, the simmering frustration threatened to conjure a headache if she didn’t stay calm. “Do I have to leave now or could I stay one more night?”

  “Oh sure, you can stay tonight. In fact, I’m happy to let you stay for half the price, maybe even no charge at all. As a favor. If you’re willing to work something out, that is.” He leaned forward and gave his best attempt at a seductive brow raise, his teeth nipping at his thin pink lip.

  Amie rolled her eyes. “No, thanks.”

  “Well, it was worth a shot. But hey, if you find yourself too hard up for cash in the future, I also manage quite the lucrative side business in…underground entertainment, shall we say. Totally legal and doesn’t go over the line. Money’s good too, especially in a tight spot. So, if you’re ever interested, you know—”

  “I’ll be out in ten minutes.”

  Amie shoved everything in her bags and strapped them to her body. The rain fell a little harder by the time she peddled out onto the street. Luckily, the ride back to Adam & Hammer wasn’t long. She went in through the alley door, using the key Caspar had given her weeks ago and went through the boss’ office to her own.

  A wave of dizziness surged as soon as she closed the door behind her. With shaky hands, she fished pill bottles out of her bag and choked down two of them, now hours later than recommended. Then she kicked off her shoes with a huff, a string of curses hissing through her teeth, and plopped down on the little blue couch in the corner under the only window in the room. The knots twisting in her chest conjured tears, but Amie wouldn’t let them fall. She blotted her eyes with her palms and stretched her neck.

  “You’re okay. It’s no big deal. Not like we haven’t done things on the fly before.”

  She set her phone alarm for a few hours before opening time and did her best to save tomorrow’s problem for tomorrow.

  Chapter Eleven

  Barking. It was getting louder and louder. Tonight’s storm wasn’t of the crackle and pop variety, just a calm moderate shower, and the dog never made that much noise during either. Caspar cut off the stove and listened for a minute before paranoia got the best of her. Leaving tonight’s dinner to simmer, she grabbed a rifle off the wall mount by the front door and stepped outside.

  Staring into the woods from the porch under a cone of yellow light, she could hardly see anything through the rain until a shadow jutted between some trees. Even still, she couldn’t make out if that had been a person or an animal.

  The dog barked again from somewhere in the dark. Just as Cas stepped down to get a closer look at whatever wild animal was giving the mutt a hard time, a single crack of thunder sent the vagrant canine running up the porch and darting into her house.

  “H-hey! No, not on the couch—dammit,” she muttered.

  While Caspar chased around her new houseguest, the shadow beyond the trees moved further down the hill back to the main road and jumped in his car.

  The broad man shook the rain from his dark locks and fished a buzzing cellphone from his trench coat pocket.

  “Yeah, honey? …No, I haven’t talked to her, yet. Trying to find the right time. …I know he doesn’t have a lot time, but this isn’t easy, either. If I don’t approach it right, we’ll get nowhere. …No, no. This is my mess. I’ll find a way to make it work. …He will be okay. …Okay. I love you, too.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “What did you feed him?”

  “Pasta. I made it myself. Not that instant store-bought crap.”

  The elder Indo woman chuckled at the pouting pride Caspar Adami took in that statement. She stood on the other side of the exam table with her straight brown hair fallen freely down her back, a set of pajamas under her white coat, and slippers on her feet. Nothing like her usual getup during official work hours.

  “You’re adorable. And lucky. Your dog here vomited up most of the onions and peppers. Pick him up and follow me.”

  Caspar carried the dog in her arms, guilt panging in her chest as it shivered and whined. Technically, the veterinary
clinic was closed at four in the morning, but one panicked phone call to Desmond got the man to trouble his mother to open early. In exchange for this late-night favor, the son who rarely made time for her now owed her big time.

  Caspar followed her into the back rooms where the other animals slept or fussed in their cages and laid her dog inside a crate among them.

  “He’s going to be fine, Cas. We’ll keep him for a few days, monitor his recovery. In the meantime, if you’re going to feed him home cooked meals, you’ll need to research a proper diet for his breed and age. Or you can simply look into a suitable kibble. For most pet owners, it’s a lot more cost-efficient. Unless you’re not keeping him?”

  “I may as well.”

  “I should warn you that the cost of keeping these critters alive can get pretty steep.”

  “I don’t care. Ma’am.”

  She smiled, unoffended by the careless drop in the young woman’s tone, but appreciative of the respectful recovery.

  “Okay. For now, try not to worry. Say your ‘see ya laters,’ then go back home and get some rest. I’ll wait for you out front.”

  Caspar nodded. “Thank you, Miss Emmy.”

  Once the doc left, Cas grimaced at the dog. “Ka,” she whispered and clicked her teeth. “Don’t you have any sense? Shouldn’t you be able to sniff out what’s poisonous and what’s not?” She sighed, rubbing the shivering mutt’s ear through the grate. “Quit whining, you’ll be fine. I’ll be back for you in a few days.”

  Rather than go home just to drive back into town two hours later, Cas drove to work. She expected to be the only person who came in extra early that morning, but one look at the bike leaned against the wall in the hallway put that thought to rest. She almost barged into her Friday’s office when she remembered the last time gave the girl a fright. So, this time, she knocked.

  “Yeah?”

  “It…It’s Caspar.”

  “Come in.”

  She opened the door and stood just beyond the threshold. Amie sat back in her chair with her feet up on the desk and a file in her lap.

  “I’m usually here before you,” Cas said.

  “Sure, by a few minutes. Didn’t figure you for the bragging type.”

  “I’m not.” Caspar rolled her shoulders, sticking her hands in her pockets. “I mean, we’ve never been here this early at the same time. Did I forget to do something yesterday?”

  “No, I just felt like getting an extra early start. Some of the workers have been wondering if we could turn their payroll into a direct deposit situation since checks take a little longer to process. I’m good, but nobody starts out knowing everything about everything, you know? So, I came in early to do some research before getting started on the usual stuff.”

  “Okay.” Something about her delivery had Cas somewhat unconvinced, but from what she could see it was the truth.

  “Wait, what’re you doing here so early?”

  “Just felt like it.”

  “Okay. Carry on, then.”

  Once the boss’ back turned, Amie breathed a sigh of relief, practically melting into her seat. Thankfully, the dampness of her hair was less visible with her locks in one big braided tail. She had woken up around four a.m. because she could hardly sleep on that stiff mini couch. Hit the 24-hour gym in town, pretended to work out for about fifteen minutes, then showered in the locker room. She had gotten back to work just ten minutes before Caspar thundered through the door.

  The rest of their day went on as usual. Except at lunch time, Amie went to the nearby diner and picked up desert for two. Nothing fancy, just her favorite sweet item on the menu. Before heading back, she stopped by the park to drop off lunch for Rough Road, but he wasn’t there.

  “Hm. You better be alright, Roads.”

  All the masons had already left the dusty hall of a work garage and dispersed to their own usual spots for lunch. All except one. The noise from the machine Caspar was running grated Amie’s senses a bit, threatening to bring on a headache. She yelled the boss’ name a few times, getting her to look up and shut it off.

  “Something wrong?”

  “No, everything’s fine. I got you this.” She put the container on the work bench. Caspar took off her gloves, wiped her sweaty hands down her white t-shirt, and opened it up.

  “Chocolate pie?”

  “Yup. Otherwise known as man’s greatest invention.”

  Caspar stared between the pie and Amie until the brightness dimmed from her eyes and her smile fell. “Oh crap, you’re not allergic to chocolate, are you?”

  “No. I was just thinking. What is this for?”

  “It’s a thank you for fixing my bike. Or really, for basically building me a new one. Sedas always return a favor. Now, I know shelling out two bucks for a slice of pie pales in comparison to actually making something with your own two hands, but believe me, you’d rather have the diner version than whatever disaster I would’ve baked up.”

  A smile came to Caspar’s face, fading before it could stick, but the light that entered her eyes remained. “Thanks.”

  Amie pulled a round stool up to the other side of the workbench and tucked into her own pie.

  Caspar usually dismissed people when she was finished talking to them, but in this instance, she kept quiet. She pulled down thick plastic goggles from her face and let them sit around her neck while she tinkered with a small part of the project before her. In typical fashion, her Girl Friday just couldn’t let the silence stand.

  “I found this proposal that the last assistant made about starting a website for Hammer. Not just advertising, but like one where people from all over the country could order personalized items or have things sent in for customization and have it shipped right to their home. I think it’s a good move.”

  “I prefer things simple. But I’ll think about it.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Amie’s attention turned to the calligraphy Caspar was drawing onto a thin slip of paper in preparation for an engraving.

  “You learned that from your mom, too, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She must’ve been good at a lot of things.”

  “She was. She taught me everything she knew. And everything she knew, she’d learned from her parents. Once I got old enough, I spent a lot of time in this garage, practicing the family trade.”

  “How medieval.”

  Caspar gave a smile that actually stuck for longer than second, softening the hard edges of her face.

  “Yeah, I said the same thing once.”

  “What was the first thing you ever made together?”

  Caspar grasped the iron key dangling from around her neck. “This. Key to her heart, she called it.”

  “Aw, how sweet. Coolest thing my dad taught me was a few card tricks. He was really into magic as a kid, though you wouldn’t guess it by looking at him.”

  “Where is your dad?”

  “Uh, away, on business. Travels for a living, doing this and that."

  Caspar hummed, noticing Amie seemed unsure of what to say next. She let a moment of silence pass, studying the girl’s body language.

  “Isn't this the part where you ask me more about my dad?”

  Amie faltered.

  “It’s okay. I knew this town wouldn’t waste any time filling you in.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Not like anybody has any control over it.”

  “They’ve got control over how they treat you because of it. It can’t be easy having everybody know the most awful part of your history and never letting you live it down. Not like you can help it, either.”

  Caspar grunted through the tug on her heart. “I can handle it. My mom couldn’t, but…on good days, I try to think she tried her best, for better or worse.”

  Amie gave a gentle smile with sympathy sans pity and Caspar didn’t shy away from it.

  “You want to help me with this?” she offered.

  “Sure. What do I do?”

  Ca
s moved over to make room behind her station and talked Amie through some stenciling. Ten minutes in, the girl became distracted, eyeing the pie and biting her lip.

  “You want a bite?” Cas guessed.

  “Qua yes,” she whined. “But I shouldn’t. I’ve had enough. For now. You really should eat it at the right temperature, though. Not too cold, not too warm, just delectably perfect. Here.” She scooped up a fork full and presented it to Caspar, needing to stand on the balls of her feet to reach the taller woman’s mouth since she swapped her heels for tennis shoes these days.

  Cas squinted at her, cracking an amused grin. She hadn’t been spoon-fed since she was a child, which she imagined was normal to everyone expect the strange girl before her. But in the spirit of there being a first time for everything and her unexpected interest in upholding the giddy hopeful expression on Amie’s face, Cas leaned in and took a bite.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Caspar arrived home that night in better spirits than usual, her time with Amie still running through her mind. Pulling onto her property next to a police cruiser, however, those better spirits threatened to spoil. Desmond waved at her from the porch.

  “Did something happen to the dog?”

  “No, my mother says he’s getting better by the hour. She’s also started seriously looking at log cabins in North Cala for the vacation I promised her years ago. So, thanks for that.”

  They went inside. Caspar got right to cleaning up the dog’s mess in the living room, while Desmond conducted a routine check of all the rooms. Cas was confident that the punk kids who got tongue lashed every year about harassing her had been the ones who spied on her house and spooked the dog the other night, but Des knew better. So, he made it a part of his routine to canvas the area and triple check the house for his own peace of mind. He opened the door to Chea’s bedroom and stood still as the memory that lived there replayed vividly in his mind.

  “She’s gone…” Cas cried.

  “Who’s gone? Caspar, where are you?”