Page 23 of Crossing the Line
"You own that butcher place, right?" The younger man didn't wait for an answer. "I think I saw you in there when I went in to see the lady on the market side about a job."
"Job?" That got Bixby's attention. "I didn't think she was hiring at the market."
The other man smiled at him. "I'm not working for her in the market," he grinned. "I'm building her a chicken coop for her backyard."
Bixby fumbled a little and cleared his throat as he got things in hand. "A chicken coop? That's a little odd."
"Right?" The other man's shoulders shook as he finished up and tucked himself in."Crazy right? Women and theirhobbies."
Bixby bristled a little at the man's tone.
The young man chuckled as if he'd told a really funny joke. "Well, I'm off. Got a few beers to drink."
He turned and made his way past the sinks on the way to the door.
"Uh..." Bixby finished and half turned his head to meet the man's look in the mirror over the sink. "Did you forget something?"
The younger man lifted up his hands. "Like what?"
He pushed the door open with his right hand and left Bixby in his wake.
"Like washing your hands,dumbass." Bixby moved to the sink and washed his hands with soap and water because at least he had some manners and personal hygiene skills. Then, as he wiped his hands on paper towels, he growled under his breath. "His generation sucks."
From the stall a few feet away, he heard someone snort out a laugh. "Feeling old here."
Bixby heard the flush as he moved over to the sink to wash his hands.
Where, he wondered,was this world heading?
As he walked back out into the bar, he used his elbow to push on the door well away from where the other man had touched, Bixby thought about what the young man had said.
He was building Janice a chicken coop in the backyard.
His first instinct was to tell her that she'd have a chicken coop over his dead body, but knowing Janice as well as he did.
Well, as well as he thought he did, she'd not only have the ass build her a coop, she'd put it right next to the fence they had built separating their backyard into two yards.
He found his way back to the table and sat down, his mind in a muddle about what he'd just learned.
He knew that August and Hank were waiting for him to say something, but he didn't know what to say exactly.
He didn't want to come off as an ass himself.
Then again, Janice hadn't even said anything to him yet.
"So, apparently," he reached for his glass only to realize that he'd already emptied it before he went to the bathroom and the waitress hadn't come to refill it, so he lowered his hand to the table, "he's building Janice a chicken coop in her half of the backyard."
"Chicken coop?" August sounded interested.
"Chickens? Well, that's a commitment." Hank winced. "Are you ready for the noise that comes with it?"
"I just found out about it."
"Forget the noise," August wrinkled his nose. "Are you ready for that man working shirtless in the backyard?"
"Shirtless?" Hank rolled his eyes. "That's not all that professional."
August snorted. "You know he'll do it. I bet that's part of hisservice."
