While Hunter took care of the payment, I ordered another Uber ride. That way, when he turned around and we walked out of the vet’s clinic the ride would be there waiting for us. Sure enough, just as we were about to step out into the cold, Hunter paused at the door.

“Maybe we should wait for the ride in here,” he suggested.

I pointed at the car pulling up, “It’s already here.”

“Oh… Oh, wow. Thanks so much. You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to do any of this, actually.”

Something about that little interaction made me happy inside. I loved showing him how on top of things I was. I shrugged and held the door open for him. I was glad we managed to get the same driver as before. I smiled kindly at him before pulling the car door open for NotCat and him.

“Hey,” he said, “I don’t mean to push my luck here but, uh, do you think I could ask you for one more favor?”

“Sure. What’s one more, right?”

“Right. I guess,” he said, “Would you- do you think you could hold NotCat just while I get in so I can position him. I mean, I could probably do it anyway, but I think this would be easier. And, you know, I think that’s best for him. So, would you mind?”

I repressed a smile. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but it sure seemed like I had just witnessed Hunter being uncertain. It was like he was speaking a mile a minute. Still, I cleared my throat and nodded, “Of course. Whatever is best for the doggy. He’s been through more than enough for one day.”

“Right. Thanks.”

Hunter moved so I could hold up NotCat. I struggled more than I thought I would. He was a rather small dog and I wouldn’t have expected him to weigh that much. I managed to cradle him as Hunter quickly slid into the car. After putting on his seat belt, I bent forward and placed him carefully on Hunter’s lap. My hand brushed against his knee, but he didn’t seem to notice. In any other situation, I might have frozen stiff.

“So, where to? Back to the coffee shop?”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Hunter told the driver. He turned to me, “You don’t have to go back in, do you?”

“No. I left my shift early and it would be done too soon to be worth going back.”

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled, eyes focused on the hand patting NotCat’s back.

“It’s fine.”

“So, should we have him drop you off at home?”

“Um,” I looked out the window.

My heart started to beat a little faster. I wasn’t sure that I felt entirely comfortable with Hunter knowing where I lived. But the vet’s clinic wasn’t walking distance to my condo, especially not after a day like the one I just had. I was tired and it was cold. I started to think maybe I should have told him to drop me off at the coffee shop after all, then I could have just walked home from there. I tapped my finger on the car door’s lock.

“Cassie? Should he drop you at home or do you have somewhere else to be?”

“Oh, right,” I said as the sound of Hunter’s voice pulled me back into reality, “Um, yes, home is fine.”

I figured it was a closed condominium complex. Even if Hunter would know I lived there, it wasn’t like he knew what number. I turned to look at him and something about the way he was looking down at the dog softened me just enough to realize that being dropped off at home wasn’t as a big deal as I was making it out to be. Sometimes my mind worked in over analytical and worrisome ways.

“Thanks for being so cool about the dog situation,” he told the driver.

“Oh, no problem,” the driver said. “How’s the little guy doing?”

“Not too bad. He’ll be in some pain, but they prescribed painkillers and there were no major injuries. So, it’s not bad.”

“Oh, that’s good,” he replied.

“I’m Hunter, by the way. And this is Cassie.”

“Yeah, I know who you are,” the driver replied with a friendly smile, “I’m John. Well, that’s actually not my full name, but it’s what I stick to. Way better than the alternative.”

Hunter laughed, “Why? What’s the alternative?”

John shook his head and chuckled, “It’s Johnson. Can you believe my parents actually named their son that? What were they thinking?”

The two of them laughed, but I remained silent. It took a moment for me to even understand what they found funny about that. When the joke finally clicked, I had to keep from rolling my eyes. It was so immature. The driver was obviously quite young so maybe I could give him a pass, but to find that funny in the first place was just silly.

Still, I couldn’t ignore my surprise at the way Hunter was talking to John. He was so friendly and forward. I could see that others found him easy to talk to and the doubts from earlier threatened to come back. If others talked to Hunter so easily, but I was constantly annoyed and judgmental, was I the one with the problem? Did it really all come down to me being too serious?

“I know you’re not joking. You wouldn’t just make that up,” Hunter finally said.

“Unfortunately, it’s 100% true. See, my mom’s family name is Johnson and this was their way of having both my parents’ surnames or something but… Yeah, it’s rough. So I always just go by John now.”

“Can’t say I blame you. So what got you started as a driver?”

“Just lookin’ to make some cash, you know? I came to Vail to snowboard, but I gotta live off somethin’ so I got this job.”

“You look young,” I said, unsure of why I even said it. I cursed myself inside my head for being so awkward.

John chuckled, “Guess I am. 19 years old and just out here tryin’ to support my hobby.”

“How’s it working out for you?” Hunter asked.

John looked at Hunter through the rearview mirror and shrugged, “Honestly, not all that great. It isn’t exactly payin’ all the bills.”

Hunter reached into his coat and pulled out a business card. He reached forward and handed it to John, “Well, I’ll say this– you seem like a good guy. You give me a call and I’m sure we can work something out for you.”

“Oh, wow, dude. Seriously? That’s too generous.”

“Not at all,” Hunter assured him with a genuine smile.

I glanced sideways at Hunter in surprise. He wasn’t just being incredibly friendly with the young driver, but he was being thoughtful and kind. He wanted to help John even though he barely knew him. I wondered how good of a judge of character Hunter was to feel so confident in practically hiring a stranger. I couldn’t imagine doing something like that no matter how kind I wanted to be.

If I were to hire someone, I would have to know all the skills they had, if they had a degree, where they went to school, the names of their grade school teachers, and anything else my over analytical mind would come up with. Hunter, on the other hand, just decided from a brief conversation in the car that this guy would be good for business.

“Are you okay?” Hunter asked.

I turned to look at him, “Yes. Yes, I’m fine.”

It was coming together now. Either Hunter was a higher-up in a company or he had his own. Either one of those options were impressive, but neither fell in line with the slacker I had made him out to be. Furthermore, he wasn’t just the immature guy from the coffee shop making up ridiculous names. He was good-natured, grateful, and kind. The entire time I had thought he was just an arrogant, rich kid, but now I was catching glimpses of him that made me think there might be more to him than I had previously thought.

“I’ll make sure to reimburse this ride, you guys.” John said as we pulled up to the apartment complex.

“What? No, no. No need for that. Thanks for everything,” Hunter said as he shoved a folded up $100 bill in his hand.

John resisted at first, but Hunter wouldn’t take no for an answer. I quickly followed him and NotCat out of the car, still semi-shocked at what had just happened. Hunter and I walked up to the gate in silence, but with each step, I wondered if he expected me to invite him inside.

“Well,” he said, “Thanks again for everything. Really, I…thank you.”

“I’m glad I could help somehow and that he’s going to be okay.” I gave the dog a little head scratch.

Hunter smiled and looked down at him snoozing in his arms, “Yeah, me too. Anyway, I have to get going. See you around.”

He started to walk away before pausing and turning to look at me. It looked like he was going to say something else, but then he just turned back around and walked away.

I pushed the gate open and headed inside without looking back.

 

________________________

The following day my mind was a complete mess. It was completely unlike me and I couldn’t pin down the exact reason. All I knew was that it had something to do with Hunter. That already didn’t sit well with me, but when I started to ask customers two or three times what their drink order was, I started resenting him. Everything about this was out of character for me and it was driving me nuts.

“You have to get it together,” I kept mumbling under my breath.

Unfortunately, it didn’t change anything. It was so bad that even Alice noticed how I was acting. Alice always joked that me taking the job way too seriously made her look bad.

“I’ve been here longer. I trained you, but you make it look like you need to train me,” she always joked.

But today, there was none of that. Today, I felt like an unfocused trainee. When there was a lull in customers and Alice approached me, my stomach dropped. I hated being like this. There wasn’t even a legitimate reason to explain it. In my eyes, I was being completely unprofessional and that’s not who I wanted to be.

 

“It really might do you some good to get out,” Alice whispered, “And I mean it. Not just for you, but for the sake of the job. Are you losing it?”

“I’m not losing it. I’m fine. It’s just....a weird morning, okay?”

Alice gave me a strange look, “Okay. Well, if you need to talk about anything...”

Before I had a chance to shoot her down, she walked away and started wiping down the countertop. I stared out the window, lost in my daydreams. I found myself, once again, doubting just how content I was to live as much of an adult life as I could for my year in Vail. I wondered if maybe my definition of ‘adult life’ was skewed. I didn’t even know what I wanted to do as a career for my ‘adult life’. All these doubts stressed me more than anything. If something was really making me ‘lose it’, it was the pressure of constantly being told I was doing everything wrong. I was getting tired of being called uptight, but it was hard for me to accept that I needed to change.

“Hey, how did you know Hunter?” I asked Alice.

“What?”

“That guy, Hunter, how do you know him?”

“I don’t actually know him,” she said flatly, “I just know of him. Why?”

“Oh,” I said rather disappointed, “I just thought… Well, since you made such a big deal about him being in here…”

Alice eyed me suspiciously, “You really don’t know who he is?”

“Am I supposed to?”

“Maybe you should try to get to know him and find out for yourself,” she suggested cheekily.

I shook my head and muttered, “I don’t really think he’s the kind of guy…”

My voice trailed off. I was already regretting asking her about him. There was no point in finishing the conversation. But now Alice was looking at me with curiosity and I was sure she was putting together some sort of crazy idea in her mind.

“How do you know what kind of guy he even is?”

I shrugged, “I suppose you have a point. But, sometimes, you just know.”

Alice smirked, “You mean sometimes you are just too sure of what you think you know.”

“What? What are you—"

“I don’t know what sort of guy you think he is, but I doubt it’s accurate. Look, that guy is a self-made multi-millionaire. Do you know how rare that is? But he made it happen. He runs a tech company or something, that part I’m not sure about.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she responded a bit too loudly. She covered her mouth and smiled sheepishly, “He even owns one of the best houses in Vail!”

I shook my head in disbelief. “That can’t be right.”

“Why?”

“Oh, Alice, come on. You have seen him. I know you think he is really ‘hot’ or whatever word you want to use to describe him, but he looks like a stoner—like a slacker. I just cannot believe he’s the businessman you’re describing.”

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to judge a book by its cover?”

I kept my mouth shut just as the bell on the door rang out. I walked over to the cash register and waited. The customer was a well-dressed middle-aged woman who looked flustered. That was the type of customer I saw a million times in Vail. She looked rather unfriendly and uppity. A smile broke out across my face when I realized Alice had just told me not to judge a book by its cover. Maybe this woman was just having a bad day.

Alice walked up to the other cash register and from the way she looked at the woman I sensed she knew who she was. 

“Hello, Mrs. Christianson. How are you doing today?”  The woman heaved a loud, dramatic sigh and pressed her hand to her forehead. I had the inkling that my original opinion of her was entirely correct. So much for judging a book by its cover. Of course, that would never stop me from being perfectly professional.

“Well! If you just knew what I’ve been through,” the woman huffed, “It’s been a nightmare!”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Alice mumbled, but the woman was determined to go on a tirade.

“A nightmare! There’s no ‘sorry’ that can fix it. If you can believe it, I am stunned– stunned– about my Range Rover having to be in the shop after some damn animal ran out in front of it! You wouldn’t think these sorts of things happen in a place like Vail, but I suppose trouble can infect any part of the world when you have hoodlums living here.”

I tried to hold back laughter. I couldn’t believe she actually used the word ‘hoodlums’.

I pressed my lips together in a thin line. I knew it must have been an inconvenience, but I didn’t understand why she was acting like the world was falling apart. It wasn’t as if the animal conspired to put her car in the shop. The accident probably ended a lot worse for the ‘damn animal’ than it had for the huffy woman.

“Oh no, are you okay?” Alice asked.

The woman waved away the question and pulled a kerchief out of her designer handbag. She dabbed at the temples of her head and then neatly folded it back into her purse. Not only was she far from agreeable, she had a knack for theater. She was clearly putting on a pity performance.

"I am just fine if you don't count having to give up my customized Range Rover until it’s done in the shop,” she said sounding miffed, “But I cannot say the same for the animal.” 

Both Alice and I grimaced. We looked at each other. I was incredibly grateful that Alice was helping her instead of me. Just then, Mrs. Christianson’s cell phone rang. She immediately took the call, but that didn’t stop her from walking up to the counter to place her order anyway.

“Yes, Amanda, the car will have to be in the shop for several days! Can you believe it?” There was a pause after which she laughed, “Oh, please, as if that would make a dent.” then she cackled, “Oh, you know the cost isn’t the issue here! It’s the inconvenience of it all. It’s just so annoying, but the money is never an issue. They said they were backed up with several cars ahead of mine so they wouldn’t get to if for a few days. I asked them if they knew who I was! But they didn’t seem to care. The nerve of some people.” I forced a smile through my pursed lips. The woman was being overly obnoxious in more ways than one. I was just thankful there were no other customers waiting.

Mrs. Christianson placed a manicured finger over the mouthpiece of her cellphone and snappily told Alice, “Extra hot soy latte.”

Then she looked away and told whoever was on the phone, "Well, it was actually a trash can I hit that caused the damage, but that would never have happened if it weren't for that damn dog!" There was another pause, during which she practically threw the money in Alice's direction before she let out another cackle. “Well, it’s not like I was trying to hit it, my dear Amanda. What kind of monster do you think I am?”

More cackling laughter.

She snatched the change out of Alice’s hand and threw it in her purse as she continued to listen to whatever the other person was saying on the phone. Alice got straight to work on the latte as she gave me a sideways glance of frustration. It wasn’t until Mrs. Christianson neared the counter that I heard another snippet of her conversation.

A snippet that actually mattered. 

“Like I said, I wasn’t trying to hit it, I just didn’t exactly stop for it either. It’s not my fault that stupid Terrier dog is never on a leash.” I held my breath, watching the woman step out the door and get into a black sedan with tinted windows. Could she really have been the person who hit NotCat? It was too much of a coincidence, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, least of all about something like this. My heart started to race as I let out a long breath.

“You know,” Alice interrupted my frantic thoughts, “I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘that damn animal’ actually turned out to be Mrs. Christianson’s husband that threw himself in front of her car just to get away from her awful, nasally voice.”

I tried to play off a fake laugh, but I couldn’t push away my worried thoughts. It was like I knew deep down that I had inadvertently solved a crime. But if I accepted that as the truth, then I’d feel the responsibility to tell Hunter and Cal. I sighed and ran my fingers through the ringlets of my deep brown hair. Just then, matters were made worse. The bell tinkled and in walked both Hunter and Cal.

“I do not need this,” I whined under my breath.

Alice heard what I said and turned to look at me with narrowed eyes, “What is going on?”

“Nothing. Just… forget it, okay?” I said as Alice continued looking at me with raised eyebrows. “Please, just drop it.”

“Fine,” she said somewhat snappily.

I expected her to run and hide in the back like she always did when Hunter showed up, but she didn’t this time. Instead, she walked right up to the register and leaned over it. Her eyes were fixed on Cal, but she was scrutinizing him. I looked at Cal to figure out why she was looking at him like that. That was when I noticed it– a large, moving lump under his puffy jacket.

Alice beckoned him over and, from the smirk on his face, it was clear he thought she was about to hit on him. I wondered if that was all Cal ever thought about. When she reached out and grasped the zipper of his jacket, I was beyond shocked. She yanked it down to reveal NotCat’s nose poking out of it and sniffing the coffee scented air.

“You can’t have your dog in here,” she said.

Cal’s face turned serious as he opened his mouth, but Hunter stepped forward. “Can’t we make an exception, at least this one time?” He was looking directly at me.

Alice turned to look at me too. I gulped and knew I was in for an avalanche of questions from her as soon as they left the coffee shop. I stepped forward to the counter. I wanted to tell him there were no exceptions because I played everything by the rules, but I knew what his leg looked like under the jacket. I just didn’t have it in me to make the poor dog wait out in the cold, much less after what I had heard from Mrs. Christianson’s mouth.

“He was hit by a car. We can’t just leave him alone. Come on. Have a heart. We can’t leave the dog alone until he’s healed. So, what do you say? Can you make an exception?”

Alice looked at the dog’s nose like she was melting and then turned to look at me. I shrugged. I couldn’t help but feel bad for the dog. I even reached out and patted his head. NotCat shifted in Cal’s jacket and tried to poke more of his face out to get a better look at who had just touched him.

“I suppose there is no harm in it as long as you leave once you’ve picked up your drinks,” I told them.

I reached out and patted the dog again, but this time he licked my hand. I smiled and ran my fingers over his fur. I looked up at Hunter, who was watching me as if he were studying my every move.

“He’s not usually so friendly,” Cal said.

“Guess she has a magic touch.” Hunter smirked as he looked at me with a gleam in his eyes. I rolled my own and promptly turned my back. I tried to look busy by organizing items on the back counter. Every time I thought there might be something to Hunter, he turned around and acted exactly the way I expected him to.

By the time Cal and Hunter left, I was wiping down the same spot on the back counter over and over; lost deep in my thoughts. It took me a minute to even realize Alice was talking to me. I turned to look at her when my brain finally tuned in, I realized she was talking enthusiastically about the guys and their dog.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You look so out of it and you’ve been weird all morning. What’s going on with you today?”

“I wonder if yesterday… I wonder if it has anything to do with Mrs. Christianson.” I said, without giving it much thought.

Alice’s eyes grew huge and I immediately knew she was excited at the thought of such a scandal. To her, this was something juicy to get her teeth into. I regretted saying anything.

Alice pulled off her apron in a hurry, “Cover for me!”

Without giving me time to ask any questions, she ran out the door. I fiddled with her apron nervously. This was all going to be a huge mess and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My chance of not being involved in the situation was long gone. I shouldn’t have said anything to her. Then a thought came to mind that horrified me– if Hunter found out that I so much as speculated who hit NotCat, but had not told him, he would make my life hell. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame him for being upset about it. Just then, Alice dashed back inside. The tip of her nose was red from the cold, but she was clearly disappointed.

“I,” she breathed out, “I couldn’t catch them.”

“Oh,” I said, shoving her apron back into her hands.

“And, you know, without a jacket it’s not ideal to go chasing people. Not that it’s my idea of a fun activity anyway.”

I breathed out in relief and shut my eyes for a moment. I didn’t have to worry about this, at least not for today.

“Oh my gosh!”

“What?”

“I just had the best idea!” Alice blurted out.

I turned to look at her. I could feel it in my bones that this ‘best idea’ wouldn’t be something I’d be interested in. I looked at Alice blankly.

“Let’s go to their house after work!”

“What? No!” The thought alone sent a horrified chill up the back of my neck.

I was already hesitant to get involved. Going to their house would be playing with fire and things would certainly get messy. Not to mention it would mean meeting with Hunter outside of my comfort zone. And any meeting with him was already outside that zone. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“It’s for a good cause,” Alice whined, “I even promise to be on my best behavior!”

“Alice-”

“Good cause. Good behavior. No Cassie and Hunter jokes. Come on!”

I sighed and reluctantly gave in, hoping it wouldn’t be as awful as I feared.

But I knew it would be…