Page 95 of Antagonist

I almost choke on my sandwich.

Harrison:Use to?

Sage:Yeah :( Remember that man-diet I went on last year? It’s become a curse, and now I can’t get a hookup to save my life. Not even a little blowie to exorcise my demons.

Harrison:Try not thinking of men as just hookups and sex as a demonic experience. You’ll open a new world of experiences.

Sage:Don’t know…sounds boring.

I put the phone and the rest of my sandwich aside when I see my boss standing on the threshold of my office.

27

FLETCHER

The weeksafter the fire all blend into one as it seems everyone in town pulls together to do something for the Spring Fair.

Principal Lewis led a task force of teachers and older students to clear out the building once the investigators deemed it safe.

As it turns out, no major damage was sustained and the flames mostly came from an old school play stage set. I still suspect that whoever did it knew which window to break in order to empty the gas straight onto the fabric and wooden structure.

Unfortunately, as the firefighters warned, nothing in the room could be saved.

Sage offered the space at the back of his store to keep all the things everyone’s donating for the fair, which seems to increase every time I stop by.

The fair is a few days away, and we’re back on track. The weather is cooperating and there’s no rain in the forecast. The paints I ordered arrived on time, Sage already has all the supplies for the kids’ workshops, and the creative people of this town have joined up to remake all the decorations that were lost in the fire.

I’d say these are even better than the ones we had before.

The only fly in the ointment is that whoever started the fire hasn’t been caught, and even the Stillwater gossip mill hasn’t drawn out the culprit.

That, and Karina has been suspiciously absent from everything fair related.

I’m in the grocery store shopping for my date night with Harrison when I see Ellis.

“Hey, Ellis, how’s it going? I hear congratulations are in order.”

He stares at me blankly.

“Your new place?” I add.

“Oh yeah. Thanks. It was time for me to find my own place. Love my sister and the kids, but I’m too old and set in my ways for permanent roommates.”

He chuckles, but I don’t miss the way he glances toward the checkout desks.

“I don’t know. My roomies aren’t too bad. Especially the one who only requires feeding once a week,” I joke, knowing Ellis has heard all the Rosie stories from George.

He laughs and grabs a few onions, taking another look at the front of the store.

I add some vegetables for the stir-fry I’m cooking for Harrison to my basket and turn so I can see what’s capturing Ellis’s interest.

“It’s a little too late for me. I’d have loved one or two of the other kind of roomies,” he says. “You know, the ones who feed daily, fuss over everything, and steal all your snacks.”

“I am familiar with the concept,” I say as a young guy at the checkout looks at Ellis with clear interest.

“Why’s it too late?”

He shrugs. “Too old, set in my ways, inflexible, and boring. Especially too boring.”