Читать книгу Nowhere Yet - Edward Inc. Cozza - Страница 8

“Car wreck?” Annie said.

The women on both sides of the bar watched as Grant walked out. Kat looked at both Annie and Isobelle, judging their responses. It looked like Isobelle was trying her best not to look disappointed, but surprisingly, so was Annie. Kat knew none of this would affect her one way or the other, but it was interesting for her to watch these relationships develop.

Kat thought this opportunity might give her a chance to learn more about Grant. Rex was watching everything in the bar except Grant, wholly unconcerned about the probability of his return.

“He’ll be back,” Rex said nonchalantly.

“Are you sure?” Isobelle asked.

Annie and Kat seemed surprised at the comment and looked at her.

“I—I mean, we want our guests to enjoy themselves at our hotel, and he seemed out of sorts” Isobelle said.

“He’s fine, he just went to get something, you know how he is. Well, Annie knows how he is, at any rate.”

“Let’s get back to the car wreck thing, what are you talking about?” Annie asked.

“He’s fine. Just a bit beat up. Some guy ran a stoplight and plowed into him on his way here.”

“Well, is he all right?” Annie asked.

“Says he is,” Rex replied calmly, not responding to the urgency in Annie’s voice.

“Did he see a doctor?” Annie persisted.

“At the hospital, yeah.” Rex said.

“At the hospital?” Annie and Kat said, almost in unison.

“Yeah, the hospital. They looked him over, let him go, said he’s OK. They wouldn’t let him go if he weren’t OK. You docs don’t do that, do you? You’re not a veterinarian, are you?” Rex asked

“Aren’t you worried?” Annie asked, paying no attention to the veterinarian question.

“No, not really. Believe me, if he weren’t all right, he’d say so,” Rex played with his bar napkin, but the others were unconvinced.

“Nice try, Rex. Grant doesn’t say anything, ever,” Annie responded, bitingly. It was apparent she was concerned, and frustrated with Rex’s apparent thoughtlessness.

“Look, Grant has been doing very well, he’s busy as hell and we were talking about the two of us working together. I mean look at the guy. He’s in perfect shape.”

“Really? He’s thinking about working with you? He must have hurt his head in the accident,” Annie said.

“Yep, we were just talking about that before you ladies came in.”

“Has he lost his mind?” Kat asked. “Maybe a second opinion on his condition is in order.”

“Maybe a long time ago, but why do you ask?” Rex asked.

“I don’t know, but it would seem that working with you would help him develop, what, his annoyance skills maybe?” Kat asked.

“Hey, you are a live one!” Rex said.

“Is he really thinking about working with you? You aren’t still in trouble, are you? And are you avoiding telling us more about this car wreck?” Annie demanded.

There was now a great deal of concern in Annie’s voice.

“Somebody ran a stoplight and plowed into him, like I said. It was just down the street from here.”

“I wish he would have said something, I could have examined him,” Annie said.

“You think he wants to bother you with anything like that?” Rex asked.

“It’s not a bother. If he’s hurt, that’s important,” Annie said.

“You try telling him that, and see if he opens up about it,” Rex said, swirling the ice in his empty glass. “If someone needs to examine someone, I’ll start with examining Kat and go from there.” Rex put the glass back up to his mouth, finishing the sentence with his nose in the glass.

Annie was trying to give Rex the benefit of the doubt in her head. She had been hoping that maybe he had really changed; however, she never did have much to say to him before, and now she was feeling exactly the same animosity. The thought that Grant might be injured was worrying her, and she found Rex’s complete lack of concern for his friend’s welfare incomprehensible. That Grant might get involved with Rex in a business venture didn’t offer her any comfort. He was talking a lot, and he always talked more than anyone in any room. He seemed almost giddy, for some reason. Maybe he was happy that he had finally gotten something to work out properly; or maybe he was just happy to have his old friends back together. Or both. Whatever the reason, he still irritated her—that hadn’t changed over the years—and his lack of complete openness on the subject of Grant’s accident didn’t help matters.

Kat seemed to love the verbal joust. She had heard stories about Rex, and saw no reason to cut him any slack. She saw no risk in offending him, being pretty sure no one was capable of that.

Two women entered the bar, and moved to the end opposite from where Annie, Kat and Rex were seated. Their dresses seemed to be composed more of air and wind than of fabric, and the prints appeared to have been spray painted onto their bodies. Rex took notice immediately.

“Well, ladies, I guess word’s out that Rex is in town.”

“Police blotter, probably,” Kat said.

“Maybe. If so, those are two pretty good looking cops, so maybe they could take me somewhere … you know, for questioning,” Rex said, still looking at the newcomers.

Annie shook her head, looking down at her hands. Isobelle had been hovering nearby, and as soon as she noticed the two women, her demeanor changed.

“Moll and Mag, but I have some other names for them,” she said bitingly.

“Are they friends of yours?” Annie asked.

“Doesn’t sound like it,” Kat added.

“Hang onto your wallet,” Isobelle said, looking at Rex.

“Oh, so they’re on the wrong side of the law, not just a great looking appendage of the law. Now I really want to know them.” Rex was watching them out of the corner of his eye, though he did not stop talking. “I think I should be the one to listen, and to take down their stories.”

Annie looked at Rex, relieved her disdain for him was not without merit. He was still a blow hard in her mind, and she didn’t think she needed to hide her feelings. She really wanted Grant to return. If she hadn’t been waiting for him, she would have left immediately.

Kat just laughed.

Isobelle was clearly not happy that the other women had entered the bar. It was not obvious that she wanted Grant to return, but Kat seemed to sense it. The women at the other end just added a little more tension.

“I had better tend to them, or they will complain to the front desk,” Isobelle said with a sigh.

“They would do that?” Annie asked.

“They have done it before,” Isobelle responded.

“Gosh, why would …?” Annie started.

“I could tell you, but that would be inappropriate. I’ll be right back,” Isobelle said, turning to go tend to the new arrivals.

“So, Annie, how’s the doctor business? I don’t think you told me what your specialty was.” Rex was trying to be on good behavior.

“Small practice, general medicine. I like knowing my patients, not having it be an assembly line, with not enough attention to detail.”

“De-sembly line, you mean.” Good behavior for Rex was a nebulous thing.

“How about you? What part of the saw bones trade you in?” Rex looked at Kat.

“I’m a psychiatrist.”

“Holy shit!”

“Yeah, I don’t get that much.”

Rex wanted the talk turned back to Grant. Rex wanted to plant all the good seeds he could while Grant was away, as he knew Grant would not say much anyway, but he definitely wouldn’t talk about himself. As selfish and conceited as he might have appeared to the women, Rex really was trying to look out for his friend.

“It’s been a long time, Annie. Used to be nonstop-wacky-madcap-fun, you have to admit that much,” Rex said.

“There were some really good times,” Annie said, smiling, a glimmer of reminiscence in her eyes.

“Damn right there were. There could be again, too,” Rex replied.

“That was a while ago. A long time ago, Rex,” Annie said.

“Not that long ago! Not like grade school era,” Rex said, his eyes opening wide.

“Did you go to grade school?” Kat asked.

“No. Actually I went straight into college,” Rex said.

“I thought as much,” Kat said, rolling her eyes.

“Seriously though, it wasn’t that long ago,” Rex said quickly. “Ok, what, you haven’t seen Grant in four or five years, grad school was … undergrad was … why are you making me do math? It’s under a decade, how about that. It’s not like old people thinking back on shit, we’re not that old.”

“I have a new li—a … err, a different life now. Working a practice takes a lot of time and I can’t be worrying about … about….” Annie started to look around the bar, casting around for the most diplomatic way to make her point.

“About what?” Rex asked.

“About whether the two of you are going to go streaking, or get arrested for some … some stupid thing,” Annie said, closing her eyes, tilting her head down.

“We never got caught streaking,” Rex said, very slowly.

“You never got caught streaking,” Annie said. She was having a hard time not laughing.

“That’s right, we never got caught streaking,” Rex said, sticking his chest out. “So what’s it matter?”

“There were other indiscretions. Sometimes, you guys were so, so … in….” Annie said, now trying to find the right word.

“In…?” Rex asked, before she could finish.

Annie paused, looking at Rex. “Insensitive.”

“Ah, insensitive,” Rex said.

“What is Grant doing now?” Kat asked.

“Right now? Taking a leak, probably,” Rex said, his eyes trained on the women at the other end of the bar.

Annie was embarrassed. “Not right this minute! Gosh, Rex, you just….”

“Sorry. He is working, and he has been … you still say gosh! I always loved that. Anyway, he’s been doing this computer gig for himself. He does some pretty high powered tech support stuff. I’m not a tech head, so I’m not exactly sure how it goes, but he is in the high level of the support food chain. It needs to be a pretty bad screw up to get to him. He’s the guy the companies need to fix their big problems. Was doing that for the phone company, for some healthcare company, all big groups. Some of them lay him off, then bring him back as a private contractor. That’s how fucked … excuse me, how messed up companies are. They tell you that you are a piece of …”

“It’s Ok, say it,” Annie said.

“Shit, they tell you that you are a piece of shit, and that they don’t need you. Then, they hire you back, without benefits, and have you do the same stuff. You try to leave, they tell you they really need you now. It sucks, big time. So, I told him, screw that corporate bullshit, and we are talking about the two of us working together.”

“So he’s doing well, aside from the car wreck? That didn’t come out right,” Annie said, showing her frustration.

“He’s tough. Yes, he’s doing great, just wrapped up in his work, he needs a break.”

“Who doesn’t need a break?” Kat said. She was content to listen, but she was here to support Annie and didn’t want Rex to just roll over everyone.

“So, are you sure you are not a lawyer?” Rex asked.

“Yes, quite sure. I’m a doctor. Maybe I should explain it to you. You see, doctors make people better,” Kat said slowly.

“Is that how it works?” Rex asked

“Just think the opposite of how people feel after they deal with you,” Kat said, tilting her head.

“There any more like you at home?” Rex leaned closer.

“What?”

“Nothing. You married?” Rex backed away.

“No I am not, are you?” Kat leaned closer to Rex.

“Nope,” Rex answered.

“Previously?”

“Nope.”

“Because…?”

“Because I had better things to do. You thinking about you and me sneaking off to Vegas?” Rex smiled.

“I was thinking about what I’m going to have for dinner tonight, or what I’m going to do tomorrow, or what I’m going to do when I get back to La Jolla, or …do you want me to go on?” Kat asked, still tilting her head, not smiling.

“That’s ok, I get the picture. I—hey, La Jolla, wow! Pretty nice living. You could take me back there with you, surprise the relatives.”

“I didn’t say I had relatives there.”

“Friends maybe.”

“I could just tell them about you, which would probably be better. I know just what to say.”

Isobelle returned from serving the two women who had caught Rex’s attention at the other end of the bar. She really wanted to hear more about Grant, but the other women were making things difficult. She looked around, hoping that he had returned, but was disappointed when she saw that he had not.

“How is everyone doing down here?”

“Get my friends here another drink. Watch this one, she’s on her second water,” Rex pointed at Annie.

“And how about you?” Isobelle asked.

“I was hoping you would ask. Yes, I think another drink would be lovely,” Rex bowed.

“How about your friend, the one that left. Is he coming back?” Isobelle looked somewhat concerned.

“We never know, but we think so, so bring him another drink also. He doesn’t show, I get it,” Rex said, looking around Isobelle to the other end of the bar.

“Rex!” Annie said.

“You’re right, where are my manners? Annie, he doesn’t show, you drink it.”

“I’m fine right now,” Annie replied.

“Ok, I just want to be hospitable.” Rex said, matter-of-factly.

“You know, I thought that hula hoop I sent you was a stretch. Now after meeting Sigmund Freud here, I think I get it.” Rex looked away from the other end of the bar, and back to Kat.

Kat just grinned, not showing her teeth in her smile.

“Thought so,” Rex said.

“Good, drinks for most, water for one,” Isobelle said.

“Maybe you could spike the—” Rex began, but Annie cut him off.

“Don’t even think about it.”

A man and a woman entered the bar, getting a table off to the side. They were dressed very conservatively, rather like they did not belong here. They both had sunglasses on, which they left on when they came in. Rex noticed them immediately.

“Are those people looking over here at me?” Rex got a serious look on his face.