Page 62 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
I grab my purse and dash for the door, slipping on my pumps as I go.
“Have a wonderful time, girl friend.” Apollo waves from the kitchen with Charlie in his palm.
“You two don’t raise too much hell without me, okay?” I grin and close the door.
The RAV fires up and I’m jamming on my way into town within minutes. I sing loudly with the windows down because to hell with the haters. The tension in my stomach is barely a flicker by the time I reach the restaurant, and the sight of it makes the rest of my worries go skittering into the back of my mind.
It’s a two-story, tavern-style building with natural wood beams and cream-colored plaster. The windows are four panes with black dividers and rippled glass that gives it a very old-timey feel while still having a modern appeal.
I park and hug my black shawl around my exposed shoulders as I walk toward the entrance. Leonard is dressed in a dark suit with a silver name tag, waiting to open the door.
“Second job?” I ask as I stop to chat. It’s still a few minutes until our res.
He nods. “Yeah, diner work on the weekend nine-to-five and then doorman here most nights seven-to-eleven.”
“That’s a heck of a schedule,” I say.
“It pays my bills while I’m in school. It’s definitely not going to cover the student loans though—Good evening, have a greatdinner,” he says to an approaching couple and I step aside so he can open the door for them.
“What are you in school for?” I ask once they’re inside.
He scrubs the back of his neck. “Veterinary medicine.”
“That’s awesome,” I say with a bright grin. He’s a good kid, despite defacing my property.
He smiles back. “Yeah, I love it. CSU is the second-highest rated school in the country for my degree, so I feel really lucky I was able to get in.”
I balk. “That’s quite a drive.”
He nods. “Yeah, but most of my classes are online for now. When I do have to go in for a test or something, I’ve got couches I can crash on.”
“You’ve got that moxie,” I say with an air jab of my elbow.
He chuckles. “Yeah, guess so. Just don’t want to get stuck here, ya know? It’s kind of a death trap.”
“What do you mean? Seems like a pretty nice place to me,” I say, trying to eke more out of him.
He grimaces as he glances around the parking lot. “It’s just really hard to get away. Hard to get enough money to get away.”
I nod. “I get it. I grew up in the high desert, California, and those towns were really hard to escape.”
“How did you get out?” he asks.
My heart squeezes and I suck in a deep breath. “Fought for it, just like you are. I just paid off my last student loan when I sold my business in New York. I thought for sure I was going to die with them.”
We both laugh, a grim camaraderie kind of laugh.
I shrug. “But circumstances in my life changed after selling my business and it left a lot more money open to work with, especially after selling my condo.”
“That’s good. I’m glad that worked out so you could come here.” He sighs. “I don’t really care if I die in debt. I just wanna hang out with animals all day.”
“An amicable life’s work,” I say, grinning at him.
He bobs his head. “Yeah. And I can bring my dogs with me to the office.”
“Hey, girl! Sorry I’m late,” Irene yells from the parking lot. I turn to see her jogging up to the door in a cute hunter-green pantsuit with a big bow at the side of the waist and jingling gold jewelry on her wrists and ears. She knows how to put an outfit together, that much is clear.
I check my phone. “You’re right on time.”
