Life in Fusion (31 page)

snack food and balloons.

I ordered a coffee, though I somehow knew it wouldn’t taste

as sweet, not having to work for it. I sat my box up onto the

counter so I could get to my wallet while she went about making

me a cappuccino. “Is she, I mean do you know how she is?”

“Good, I think she’s going home today or tomorrow.”

“That’s good,” I said, already tapping my fingers, having

gotten the contact high off the scent wafting through the air and

up into my nose.

I’d thought about chucking my so-called career in records

at one point, convinced I should be working at a Starbucks

or a coffee kiosk like this one. I then imagined myself being

discovered on the floor behind the counter, twitching in a pool

of hot liquid while laughing maniacally, and thought better of it.

I paid and took a quick sip, before wedging the cup down

in my box so it wouldn’t spill.
Yep, I was right, doesn’t taste as sweet
.

“Will you tell her Boone said goodbye?”

“You must be one of her regulars?”

I nodded. “I was. I’m moving in a few weeks. She was always

on my case about my coffee.”

“You’re that one.” The lady smiled. “She warned me about

you.”

I laughed, loving the fact I rated a warning—made me feel

dangerous, like some sort of sick and twisted coffee fiend.

I picked up my box and turned to leave.

“She’s upstairs if you wanted to pop your head in and say

goodbye.”

I turned back and smiled, realizing I was already running late.

226 Ethan Day

Now how could I resist an offer like that?

q q q

“Oh lord Jesus,” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

“You’re so desperate for a fix you’ve hunted me down while I

convalesce?”

“Did not,” I said, defending myself. “Your replacement—”

Stella pointed at me all serious. “She’s just filling in and don’t

you forget it.”

I laughed, knowing she wouldn’t give up her evil throne of

piety so easily. “She gave me a cappuccino…a double. And there

was no lippy attitude to boot.”

“And just look at you—all jittery.” She shook her head and

looked away dramatically, like she couldn’t handle witnessing it

firsthand.

“Well you’re in luck, you ornery woman. Today’s my last day,

so you may never have to lay eyes on me again.”

She glanced back over at me, eyebrow hitched high, like she

didn’t trust any Intel that came from a caffeine abuser such as

myself. “That explains it.” She eyed the red rubber cloud hanging

above my head. “Thought you might be one of those fairy floats,

gone rogue from one of those parades you all like to have.”

I busted out laughing and made my way over to a chair,

dropping my box on the floor before taking a seat.

“I guess you’re staying for a while,” she said in a snarky tone.

“I don’t know why, you ill mannered, little hate monster.” I

smiled after she chuckled under her breath. “Be nice and I’ll give

you a piece of my good-riddance cake.”

“Oh?” She sat up and glanced down at it. “I bet that tastes

real good.”

I shook my head at her, wondering why the hell her family

wasn’t here enjoying her verbal abuse, as opposed to me.

“So where the hell are you going that’s better than what you

have now?” She eyed the cake again. “You gonna open that or

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227

continue taunting a weak and defenseless old woman?”

I scoffed, reaching down and picking up the cake box. “Weak

my ass,” I mumbled as I looked around for something to put a

piece onto.

“Better just give me the whole box,” she said, holding out her

hands and motioning with her fingers to give it. “I could be dead

before you come up with some kind of solution.”

I rolled my eyes, leaning over and handing it to her. “Looks

like somebody has an addiction all her own.”

“Like it matters for me, I’m old.” She flipped open the lid and

smiled, sniffing the sugary goodness. “I’ll be dead soon anyhow.”

I shook my head as she picked up the plastic knife left inside

the box and hacked off a rectangle. She picked it up with her

fingers and took a bite, moaning as if she were having an orgasm.

“Should I leave you two alone?” I asked, garnering a dirty

look.

“Don’t get fresh with me.” She took a second bite and quickly

cut off another chunk. “So where you going?”

“Met a mountain man—who stubbornly refuses to leave his

stupid mountain for me.” I said.

“Sounds like a smart man.” She smiled, showing me the cake

and icing in her mouth. “Hopefully
he’ll
be able to get your ass

lined out.”

“He’s certainly gonna try,” I said, innocently, doing my best to

keep a straight face.

“Don’t be dirty in front of old Stella now,” she scolded,

shoving another sliver into her mouth.

“You’d like him,” I added. “He’s bossy, thinks he knows

everything, and gives me shit for drinking too much coffee.”

“Hell, had I known you were into that I’da married your

skinny ass.”

“Good lord, woman.” I placed a hand over my chest. “Don’t

scare me—ripping my innocence away with heinous threats of

228 Ethan Day

attack by girlie bits.”

She laughed, throwing her head back, and tiny chunks of

food flew out of her mouth, looking like volcanic cake ash.

I noticed the clock on the wall but hated to leave her by

herself. “I’m gonna be so damn late. But I had to poke my head

in and say goodbye—you getting out today?”

“I think so. If the damn doctors are done trying to suck

Medicare dry by leaving me sitting here when I should be at

home.”

“You got family here, anyone to give you a ride home?”

“My kids are all up north, and my Herbert passed several

years back.” She seemed to soften momentarily, a sadness passing

through her before she collected herself once again. “But I get

transportation.”

I reached down and tore off a piece of my box and dug out

one of the stray ink pens I’d inadvertently stolen. I scribbled

down my cell number and got up, laying it on her table-tray. “I’ll

be in town for a few more weeks; you call if you need anything?”

“Don’t think that changes anything.” She winked at me. “I’m

not gonna get all sweet and sappy just ‘cause you brought me

some cake and offered me a ride.”

“I’d likely fear the end of the world was nigh were you to get

all warm and fuzzy on me.”

She nodded, as if glad we got that settled.

I slung the duffel over my shoulder and picked up my box.

“You want my pretty balloons?”

“Hell no.” She sat up, looking even sassier. “I’m not some

damn ten-year-old. Why do young people always treat us old folk

like we’re children? I gave birth to three kids and each one came

out dumber than the other. Now they all act like I fell and hit my

head and don’t know up from down or right from left. And here

you come…walking around like a loon offering me air wrapped

in red rubber, like that’s supposed to make all my troubles go

away.”

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229

“You can keep the cake, you crazy lady.”

She smiled. “Now that sounds better. Maybe your momma

didn’t do so bad by you after all.”

I stopped, feigning shock, like she’d already gone too far.

“Get on out of here,” she flicked her hand at me dismissively.

I turned, leaving her to the sugar coma that was sure to follow,

and made my way back into the corridor—embarrassed by the

ruckus my balloons made when I passed through the doorway.

It took me a moment to reorient myself to which was the best

direction to go. I headed right, back toward the elevators I’d

ridden up on.

Wade had probably already landed and made it to the house

by now. I smiled, loving the thought that I had a man at home,

waiting for me to get there.

“Christ almighty.” I shook my head. “Could I be any more

domesticated?”

I laughed, flashing a mental picture of Wade dressed like

Donna Reid, holding a freshly baked apple pie.

“Boone, wait up!” I heard from behind me.

I cringed, glancing back to see what I thought I’d heard.

Phillip chasing after me, smiling like he was my long lost bestest

friend. I kept walking.

“Come on, man,” Phillip said, realizing I wasn’t going to stop

and wait on his pompous ass.

I rounded the corner to the elevator bay and kicked my foot

up into the air, pressing the down button with the bottom of my

sneaker.

“Jesus, Boone,” Phillip said, catching up to me. “You can’t

give me five minutes of your time?”

“What do you want?” I asked, sighing to let him know I was

bored already.

“I heard you were leaving and I just wanted to say goodbye.”

He shot me that look, the one he loved to dole out whenever he’d

230 Ethan Day

decided I was being immature.

“How the hell did you find me?” I asked. “Been stalking

security footage?”

He was still out of breath. “I was just in my patient’s room

finishing up rounds…the one with the cake…it had your name

on it.”

I stood there staring at him.

“She said you’d just left. I didn’t realize you knew her.”

I laughed at him. “Really? Stella…the woman from the

Espresso Café downstairs? I only mentioned her to you what,

like a few hundred times while we were dating? You get your

coffee from her too, you know?”

“Right, I knew that.” He nodded, standing up straighter,

noticing the expression on my face. “I did!”

The elevator doors opened and I moved to get on, waiting

for the other people to exit. “I don’t care, Phillip. Honestly, it’s

so
not
a thing to me at this point. I sincerely hope you find some

happiness for yourself someday, but right now, I need to go.”

I groaned when he took me by the arm.

“Can you just hold on for one damn minute?”

I started to faux weep when the elevator doors closed before

I could make it inside.

“What if—” He stopped, his forehead crinkling up. “What if

I wanted to give us another shot?”

I laughed, quite loudly until I realized he wasn’t kidding. I

stood there, shocked. Not only did he mean it, but I was fairly

certain from the look on his face that he believed himself to

have a decent shot at getting me back. There was something else

there…something I hadn’t seen before in him, so I wasn’t sure

what it was. Then I remembered. I didn’t care.

Like a burst of light, all the relationships I’d had over the past

several years flashed before my eyes. I listened to the elevator

doors on the opposite wall ding behind me as they opened. I

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231

was too stunned to move, like I’d been hit over the head with

a two-by-four—
wham
. It was amazing that all it had taken was

meeting Wade to pull back the curtains and uncover my truth—

that everything I’d gone through in the past had been nothing

more than a series of almosts and not-quite-theres.

An acute sensation of sheer bliss ripped through my entire

body, because there was something about Wade. He was like

running away, but in a wild abandonment sort of way. I felt

safe with him and that…set me free. I felt my eyes beginning

to sting as they welled up on me. It was so out of character, and

uncontrollable, that I wound up laughing in Phillip’s face.

The elevators in front of me opened up again, and my desire

to flee was great. But I realized I needed to set some shit straight

before I walked away from Phillip for what would hopefully be

the last time ever.

Phillip’s demeanor changed slightly, as if he’d been able to

witness what had just washed over me. I felt his hand sliding over

my ass, and couldn’t believe he was being so brash.

“We could at least head over to my office for a proper

goodbye.”

I could hear the doors behind me opening and saw people

walking out of it through my peripheral vision. His hand slid

more to my hip, so as not to raise any red flags. I’d have decked

him had my hands not been full, but I didn’t want to create a

scene, in case no one had noticed.

“Remove your hand from my ass,” I whispered.

He consented, but took a step closer to me, still smiling in

a way that told me he still thought he had a chance. Once the

doors closed shut behind me and I could tell we were alone again,

I shoved him away from me using my snack box. He was now

most definitely clued in and seemed surprised.

“Don’t give me that look,” I said. “Like you really thought

something was going to happen here?”

“We were always really good in the sack.” Phillip shrugged

off my assault, straightening out his scrubs.

232 Ethan Day

“I don’t know what the hell is going on with you, Phillip, or

why all of a sudden you’ve decided to embarrass yourself. But do