Page 4

Mindy

Willow Street, early in the morning, is a completely different place. It’s like waking up in the fifties instead of modern Urbium. Kids wander around the streets with backpacks in hand, talking to their friends. Parents filter in and out of Fiona’s bakery, always carrying a coffee cup as they go and usually a little bag filled with goodness.

My granola bar tastes like crunchy cardboard comparatively. But I don’t have money to waste on those little luxuries.

It was bad enough that I had to take a few hours off of work for a long lunch with Waylon last week, and now, the entire morning to train with today.

Who names their kid ? That’s an old man’s name at best. Maybe he’s an older man. That would be less distracting than the hot man squad that seems to run around here.

I don’t want to rush to work, yet all I want to do is get my hands on those amazing snakes. This street just begs to be strolled down, enjoying the atmosphere and leisurely waking up. Like I ever get to do that with my dog walking job.

When am I going to sleep?

Maddox wants me to work forty hours a week. Forty hours!

“You seem deep in thought for your first day of work.”

I almost jump two feet in the air. Right next to me is the crazy woman from the other day. “Do you always sneak up on people?”

“Aren’t you excited?”

How does she even know I got a job, let alone this is my first day? “Where did you come from?”

“Here and there.” She waves a hand nonchalantly. “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is this job of yours. Are you excited to start?”

“I am.” And surprisingly, that isn’t just a lie to make her go away faster.

The crazy woman is wearing rubies this morning. So many rubies. My mother would say she’s trying too hard but would be completely jealous, nonetheless.

“Good. What about the men?”

She’s outrageous. Truly outrageous. Which deserves an answer in kind? “I’m doing a study on them to figure out if they’re really human or robots disguised as men to fool us into thinking human men all look like that.”

“You do that. But remember, no matter how tough they look, they bleed like any other man, so take care not to play games with them.”

Who does she think I am? Maybe her eyes are a little cloudy, affecting her vision. I’m by no means an ugly woman, but I’m not a heartbreaker either. My mother plays games with men, not me. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

“But I will until you’ve settled in. I suggest you do that quickly.”

Settled in? Me? “I won’t be here very long. This is just a temporary job.”

She laughs and leaves me standing in front of my new job.

Odd.

Hopefully, there’s someone inside waiting for me that isn’t—

“Morning, Mindy.” Canyon grins.

Of course, it’s him. “Morning.”

“How did you wake up this beautiful?”

“Not your best line.” Especially since mornings and I usually don’t get along.

He shrugs. “But you’ll spend the morning thinking about me.”

“That’s doubtful when I have all those snakes to play with.” I step into the elevator behind him.

“Do you really like snakes that much?”

Why lie about something like that? “Yeah, I do.”

“You’re strange.”

I chuckle. “Thank you. I think.”

“Do you want to have lunch with me?”

Not even a little bit, though a laugh or two might be nice. “I can’t. I need to get back to work after this training session.”

“Huh?”

Thankfully, the elevator opens. Leaning against the oddly placed desk is a man around my age, maybe slightly younger. He appears to have the potential to join the Hot Guy Squad eventually, but currently, he’s edging towards nerdy hot. “Hello. You must be . I’m Mindy.”

“Hi. Um.” His gaze goes to the floor as a blush steals up his cheeks. “I’m…Um….”

“Thanks for agreeing to train me.”

His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. “No problem. Let’s…Um…get started.”

***

“You really did that?” lifts a purple python out of its cage.

I need to hurry up and learn all the names of the snakes. Not that they care much what I call them. “On a dare.” It was high school, enough said. “You haven’t done anything crazy in college?”

He shakes his head. “I was too busy working and studying to do anything.”

“You still have a chance in vet school.” Sweetie slides off of me and into her now clean cage.

“There’s too much to learn to get distracted.”

Ah, the nerd.

“How are things going?” Maddox's deep voice comes from the back of the space.

Just like yesterday, Maddox is in a dark suit. His presence fills the space. Is he really as lethal as he appears? Today he could be some super spy, hiding in place to thwart the evil in this world and fall for the woman trying to kill him.

startles. “Um…They’re…good.” He stares at his feet. “Mindy…um…didn’t need any training. We just…um…went over the schedule and where everything is stored. She’s good to go.” He looks over at me and smiles.

“Good.” Maddox nods, then finally looks over at me.

That piercing gaze of his would make a weaker woman quake in fear. I turn up the wattage of my smile.

“If you need anything, let me know.”

“Of course.” Why did it feel like he wasn’t offering help with work?

He walks out the door, closing it behind him.

“Is he always that…intense?”

smiles. “Maddox is legendary. I want to be him when I grow up.”

“What is he legendary for?”

“You don’t know? When did you move onto The Street?” closes the cage and walks over to the freezer.

That’s an odd thing to ask. Most people travel around Urbium for work. “I don’t live here.”

He freezes. “You don’t?”

Why is that such a big deal? “Nope.”

“Do you have family that lives here?”

What is this, the third degree? “No. I was just at the right place at the right time, and Fiona helped me.”

“You know Fea?”

Sorta. “She’s a friend of a friend.”

“Ahh.”

What does that mean? I don’t think I want to know.

Just get the job done. There’s enough on my plate without having to worry about what people think.

***

I log out of the phone system. The last call was thankfully a car accident with no one needing an ambulance. Calls like that where no one is dying are the easiest to handle emotionally, except when road rage is involved. But those are rare, thankfully.

The person that planned our workspace didn’t think about how a cute boss could distract us from doing our job. Adonis paces his fishbowl of an office on the phone. I could look at him forever. Maddox would make for an amazing tryst. Adonis is the perfect guy for my one divorce. He’s too pretty to last forever, but he’d be sweet to marry for a while.

Dahlia leans over and whispers, “How was your day?”

Odd. “Great. Yours?”

“Pretty amazing. But they’re always amazing when Maverick makes me breakfast.” Her smile radiates joy. “Do you have an hour this Saturday to meet Fiona and Daria at her bakery?”

Not really, but I can figure it out since it’s so close to work. “Sure. Sounds good.”

We both step away from our desks and head towards the elevators just as Adonis steps out. “Ladies, how was your day?”

“Good,” we say in unison.

“Will you be able to come to the group dinner on Friday? We’re having hibachi.”

Like I can afford a meal out or the time off from work. Every minute counts. “I can’t make it.”

“Me either. Maverick is bringing me to meet his family.”

“Really?” Why did I just assume a man like him was a lone wolf with no family to fall back on? “That’s so exciting.” Which is a total lie.

“Oh. Yeah, that's great.” Adonis doesn’t sound as excited.

He probably knows the same thing as I do. Everyone is awkward. They pretend to be nice even when they aren’t…especially when they aren’t. The nicer they act at these things, the meaner they are.

“Have a nice night.” I need to hurry to make the subway train to get home to walk the dogs before I head back to Willow Street.