In spite of myself, I turned to look at him. I would have been shocked at his sexual insinuation but, at the same time, it was exactly the behavior I expected from someone like him. I let out a breathy laugh and shook my head.
“Or maybe you just want to think you know everything there is to know about me,” I said with a smug smile.
“So you’re saying there might be some mystery to you after all? I have always been a fan of… exploring,” he said in a low voice, overt sexuality dripping from the sound of it.
“Oh, you wish you could have the opportunity to explore,” I teased.
Hunter finally laughed, “Come on, women like you are too uptight and most likely boring in the bedroom.”
I shook my head vehemently in retaliation. “You don’t know that. And generalizations are never a good idea.”
“Fine. What was the craziest sexual experience you’ve ever had?”
My mouth dropped open. “What? I would never talk about such personal things with you!”
“Of course not,” he muttered in satisfaction, “See? You’re a prude.”
“I’m not a prude just because I don’t want to respond to you and your inappropriate questions. I don’t take kindly to prying.”
“Hey, I’m not prying! I’m just having a fun, adult conversation with you.”
I glanced at him. He had put on a fake smile of innocence. I quickly looked away. My mind fixated on the word ‘adult’ and I realized maybe he was right. Maybe I was a prude. This wasn’t the kind of conversation I had with Alice either despite the constant prompting to do so.
I was a serious person and maybe it made me a little uptight, but was that such a bad thing? I let out a sigh. It was upsetting to have everyone constantly tell me what a killjoy I was. Everyone in my life accused me of being wound too tightly. My mother was the first to say it in any situation, but there was also Alice, who couldn’t believe someone who grew up outside of Vail could possibly be as much of a prude as I was.
And now there was Hunter.
For all the judgments I made of him, he barely knew anything about me. Yet, he was making the same judgments on my character that someone who knew me my whole life did. Maybe there was something to it. Were all of them right? At least on some level? Maybe I really did need to loosen up.
Despite all my newfound doubts, the last thing I wanted was to show any of that to Hunter. I refused to give him any sort of satisfaction and, more importantly, I wasn’t going to be vulnerable around him. I made sure my body language continued to keep up the appearance of my hard exterior. It didn’t matter if he thought it made me look cold or uptight. As long as he had no idea what was running through my mind, that was what mattered.
“Of course you’re trying to have a ‘fun, adult’ conversation with me. It’s typical, you know—with you, probably, being a playboy son of a rich dad or something.” I knew I had no real grounds to be saying such a thing. I was just assuming, but he was pretty much doing the same thing to me, so what the hell.
Hunter laughed, “So, that’s what you think of me?”
“Yes,” I said, just as the vet finally came back with NotCat all fixed up and ready to go.
“Great news,” the vet said with a smile as she carefully set NotCat back down on the exam table, “I was right! No major injuries.”
“Tough old dog,” I said proudly, reaching out to pat him on the head.
“Yes, well, as tough a doggy as he is, I’m afraid there’s still some pain from his injury.”
My expression immediately changed. I felt my heart drop a bit. Even if the vet wasn’t worried I still felt awful. The old dog was going to be in pain and I couldn’t help but think it was my fault.
“Will it be manageable?”
The vet smiled reassuringly at me, “Of course. I wouldn’t send this precious doggy home to be in pain the whole recovery time!”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“No need! You’re just concerned. Believe me, I understand,” the vet smiled before placing a bottle of pills on the exam table, “He’ll need to take this EVERY eight hours for the first few days to control the pain.”
“And that should be enough?”
“I had them put in some extra, just in case. The easiest way is to put the pill in a treat or a small piece of food.”
“Right,” I reached out for the bottle of painkillers.
“Any other questions?”
“No, you’ve been very helpful. Thank you so much.” I smiled.
“Yes, thank you,” Cassie said as she stood up.
The vet made her way towards the door, “He’s one incredibly lucky dog. At his age, well, quite frankly, I’m amazed he survived being hit by a car without even a broken leg. He is a tough old doggy, after all.”
“He’s indestructible,” I laughed, bending down to press my face against NotCat’s head.
“Guess so,” the vet smiled, “Still, I would recommend keeping him on a leash from now on. It’s safer for him. Once again, if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to call me!”
Cassie waved goodbye to the vet and then turned to ready herself to finally leave. She was a bit immersed in fixing her coat and making sure she had all her things so she didn’t notice me struggling to pick up the very drugged up NotCat. I still manage to hold the bottle of painkillers in my hand somehow. She turned and frowned at the comically large cast covering NotCat’s hind leg. She quietly took the bottle of painkillers from my hand and slipped them into the pocket of my coat when she realized I was struggling to keep him comfortable.
“It’s a good thing he’ll be okay,” she said softly.
“I just hope Cal will see it the same way,” I told her with a worried look.
“I’m sure he will.”
“Thanks,” I said, not just for her reassurance, but also for her help.
I held her gaze for a moment with a genuine smile before snapping out of it and heading out toward the reception desk. The receptionist, another very pretty young woman, smiled up at me. I gestured down toward NotCat.
“We’re all done here except for the bill.”
“Very well. Let’s see, what was the dog’s name?”
“NotCat.”
“Not cat?”
“Yes,” I told her, waiting for her to make some funny comment about his name.
She looked at me, obviously puzzled, but just cleared her throat and turned her attention back to her computer. She typed in some information, clicked around, and then looked back up at me.
“There are still a couple items in processing. Would you mind taking a seat? I will call you up the second everything is ready to be checked out and paid for.”
“Not a problem,” I smiled before moving to sit in the nearest chair.
I sat down with a sigh and carefully arranged NotCat on my lap. It was getting tiring carrying the dog around. Still, I placed my hand on the top of his head hoping it would comfort him. I leaned my head back against the wall and started thinking about what in the world I was going to tell Cal.
“You don’t seem worried.” Cassie said abruptly, “about the bill, I mean,”.
I turned to look at her with scrunched brows, “Why should I be?”
She shrugged, “Aren’t vets expensive?”
“I guess so. Well, yeah, based off what Cal has told me. But this is NotCat. This is his buddy.”
“Oh, I’m not saying it’s not worth it! It’s just,” she paused for a moment before continuing. “Are you sure your dad won’t mind you paying for your friend’s vet bill?”
I let out a sound somewhere between an exasperated sigh and defeated chuckle, “You think I’m using my dad’s money to pay for this?”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s your own account, but-”
“Finally, you got something right,” I interrupted, “It is my own account. What you’re wrong about, though, is thinking the money in it came from mommy and daddy.”
Cassie looked at me. I
couldn’t quite place the expression in her eyes. Did my tone of voice shut her down? Or did she doubt me? There was no way to know. It didn’t matter anyway, at least not right then.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” I said somewhat coldly, “Contrary to what you think, I don’t have rich parents.”
“Oh,” she said, looking away.
I wanted to know what she was thinking. I wanted to know if she felt embarrassed about her blatantly rude assumptions. I was curious how her mind worked. She was so uptight and sure of everything all the time that it would be interesting to find out how she would feel to be so glaringly wrong about something. NotCat gave a little whimper and shifted on my lap. I immediately reached out to hold the dog more tightly, making sure he wouldn’t take a tumble. That would be the last thing he needed.
“What did you say earlier about generalizations?”
Cassie turned to look at me and shook her head, but the small smile tugging at the corners of her lips betrayed her. I had gotten her with that one.
“Everything’s ready if you are,” the receptionist said as she leaned over the counter.
I pulled the dog back into my arms with a bit of a struggle and stood up. I walked up to the receptionist and noticed that Cassie didn’t follow me. I looked down and saw a small stack of paperwork with a pamphlet on top; it was for the financing options the vet offered. I gave a small scoff and shook my head. Yet another poor judgment made on me. Maybe my age and casual look with a regular t-shirt threw everyone off in this uppity town. Just because I didn’t like to be flashy about my wealth didn’t mean anything. But I wouldn’t stoop down to that level, at least not entirely. I wasn’t that guy.
I set NotCat’s rear on the counter so I could fish my wallet out from the back pocket of my jeans. I pulled out my card and slid it over the counter.
“You take cards, right?”
The receptionist flushed a deep red and mumbled something all garbled up before promptly shutting up. She nodded and processed the payment, her embarrassment was palpable.
But the only thing I was wondering was what Cassie was thinking.
While Hunter took care of the payment, I ordered another Uber ride. That way, when he turned around and we walked out of the vet’s clinic the ride would be there waiting for us. Sure enough, just as we were about to step out into the cold, Hunter paused at the door.
“Maybe we should wait for the ride in here,” he suggested.
I pointed at the car pulling up, “It’s already here.”
“Oh… Oh, wow. Thanks so much. You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to do any of this, actually.”
Something about that little interaction made me happy inside. I loved showing him how on top of things I was. I shrugged and held the door open for him. I was glad we managed to get the same driver as before. I smiled kindly at him before pulling the car door open for NotCat and him.
“Hey,” he said, “I don’t mean to push my luck here but, uh, do you think I could ask you for one more favor?”
“Sure. What’s one more, right?”
“Right. I guess,” he said, “Would you- do you think you could hold NotCat just while I get in so I can position him. I mean, I could probably do it anyway, but I think this would be easier. And, you know, I think that’s best for him. So, would you mind?”
I repressed a smile. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but it sure seemed like I had just witnessed Hunter being uncertain. It was like he was speaking a mile a minute. Still, I cleared my throat and nodded, “Of course. Whatever is best for the doggy. He’s been through more than enough for one day.”
“Right. Thanks.”
Hunter moved so I could hold up NotCat. I struggled more than I thought I would. He was a rather small dog and I wouldn’t have expected him to weigh that much. I managed to cradle him as Hunter quickly slid into the car. After putting on his seat belt, I bent forward and placed him carefully on Hunter’s lap. My hand brushed against his knee, but he didn’t seem to notice. In any other situation, I might have frozen stiff.
“So, where to? Back to the coffee shop?”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Hunter told the driver. He turned to me, “You don’t have to go back in, do you?”
“No. I left my shift early and it would be done too soon to be worth going back.”
“Sorry about that,” he mumbled, eyes focused on the hand patting NotCat’s back.
“It’s fine.”
“So, should we have him drop you off at home?”
“Um,” I looked out the window.
My heart started to beat a little faster. I wasn’t sure that I felt entirely comfortable with Hunter knowing where I lived. But the vet’s clinic wasn’t walking distance to my condo, especially not after a day like the one I just had. I was tired and it was cold. I started to think maybe I should have told him to drop me off at the coffee shop after all, then I could have just walked home from there. I tapped my finger on the car door’s lock.
“Cassie? Should he drop you at home or do you have somewhere else to be?”
“Oh, right,” I said as the sound of Hunter’s voice pulled me back into reality, “Um, yes, home is fine.”
I figured it was a closed condominium complex. Even if Hunter would know I lived there, it wasn’t like he knew what number. I turned to look at him and something about the way he was looking down at the dog softened me just enough to realize that being dropped off at home wasn’t as a big deal as I was making it out to be. Sometimes my mind worked in over analytical and worrisome ways.
“Thanks for being so cool about the dog situation,” he told the driver.
“Oh, no problem,” the driver said. “How’s the little guy doing?”
“Not too bad. He’ll be in some pain, but they prescribed painkillers and there were no major injuries. So, it’s not bad.”
“Oh, that’s good,” he replied.
“I’m Hunter, by the way. And this is Cassie.”
“Yeah, I know who you are,” the driver replied with a friendly smile, “I’m John. Well, that’s actually not my full name, but it’s what I stick to. Way better than the alternative.”
Hunter laughed, “Why? What’s the alternative?”
John shook his head and chuckled, “It’s Johnson. Can you believe my parents actually named their son that? What were they thinking?”
The two of them laughed, but I remained silent. It took a moment for me to even understand what they found funny about that. When the joke finally clicked, I had to keep from rolling my eyes. It was so immature. The driver was obviously quite young so maybe I could give him a pass, but to find that funny in the first place was just silly.
Still, I couldn’t ignore my surprise at the way Hunter was talking to John. He was so friendly and forward. I could see that others found him easy to talk to and the doubts from earlier threatened to come back. If others talked to Hunter so easily, but I was constantly annoyed and judgmental, was I the one with the problem? Did it really all come down to me being too serious?
“I know you’re not joking. You wouldn’t just make that up,” Hunter finally said.
“Unfortunately, it’s 100% true. See, my mom’s family name is Johnson and this was their way of having both my parents’ surnames or something but… Yeah, it’s rough. So I always just go by John now.”
“Can’t say I blame you. So what got you started as a driver?”
“Just lookin’ to make some cash, you know? I came to Vail to snowboard, but I gotta live off somethin’ so I got this job.”
“You look young,” I said, unsure of why I even said it. I cursed myself inside my head for being so awkward.
John chuckled, “Guess I am. 19 years old and just out here tryin’ to support my hobby.”
“How’s it working out for you?” Hunter asked.
John looked at Hunter through the rearview mirror and shrugged, “Honestly, not all that great. It isn’t exactly payin’ all the bills.”
; Hunter reached into his coat and pulled out a business card. He reached forward and handed it to John, “Well, I’ll say this– you seem like a good guy. You give me a call and I’m sure we can work something out for you.”
“Oh, wow, dude. Seriously? That’s too generous.”
“Not at all,” Hunter assured him with a genuine smile.
I glanced sideways at Hunter in surprise. He wasn’t just being incredibly friendly with the young driver, but he was being thoughtful and kind. He wanted to help John even though he barely knew him. I wondered how good of a judge of character Hunter was to feel so confident in practically hiring a stranger. I couldn’t imagine doing something like that no matter how kind I wanted to be.
If I were to hire someone, I would have to know all the skills they had, if they had a degree, where they went to school, the names of their grade school teachers, and anything else my over analytical mind would come up with. Hunter, on the other hand, just decided from a brief conversation in the car that this guy would be good for business.
“Are you okay?” Hunter asked.
I turned to look at him, “Yes. Yes, I’m fine.”
It was coming together now. Either Hunter was a higher-up in a company or he had his own. Either one of those options were impressive, but neither fell in line with the slacker I had made him out to be. Furthermore, he wasn’t just the immature guy from the coffee shop making up ridiculous names. He was good-natured, grateful, and kind. The entire time I had thought he was just an arrogant, rich kid, but now I was catching glimpses of him that made me think there might be more to him than I had previously thought.
“I’ll make sure to reimburse this ride, you guys.” John said as we pulled up to the apartment complex.
“What? No, no. No need for that. Thanks for everything,” Hunter said as he shoved a folded up $100 bill in his hand.
John resisted at first, but Hunter wouldn’t take no for an answer. I quickly followed him and NotCat out of the car, still semi-shocked at what had just happened. Hunter and I walked up to the gate in silence, but with each step, I wondered if he expected me to invite him inside.
Mocha Me Crazy Page 4
