Free Finding Orion by Erin Lark

were left in my line before clocking out.
    Farrin tried to get
me to fix an isle before I left, but I was off the clock. Whatever it was could
wait. Or he could just ask one of the
stockers to clean it up. I was registers. The extra work I did in the store
when we were super slow was just my way of passing the time.
    Seeing as I
wasn't terribly hungry, I grabbed a sandwich from the deli and stepped into
Karie's line.
    She smiled at
me, finished with her last customer, and then leaned over the counter. "So,
did you mean tired as in later now, or later later ?"
    I handed her
my lunch and spoke as she hit a few buttons on her monitor. "Later as in I
don't know yet."
    She passed
the sandwich back to me and waited for me to pay before asking, "It is
about that dream guy of yours?"
    "Sort
of. It's hard to explain." I glanced back at a customer making a run for her
line. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later."
    Karie called at me
as I made my way to the front of the store. "Have a good lunch."
      After waving in her direction, I passed
through the front doors and stepped outside. The breeze whipped my hair, and
for once, I was glad I didn't have to worry about it slapping me in the face. I
never was one for high maintenance, so trimming my hair where it barely fell
past my ears had been a good move on my part. Not to mention the money I saved
on shampoo and conditioner.
    I decided to
sit at the bench beside the one good tree we had in the entire strip mall. The
leaves hadn't turned yet, but it was only a matter of time. It was getting
colder out, and pretty soon I'd be stuck going outside in a sweater instead of
a tank top or a thin tee.
    Frowning at
my lunch, I dug in my pocket for the letter Simon had given me. I hadn't
noticed it earlier, but it was written on a napkin, probably from the bar. He could've left his message with Simon. I
shuddered. A napkin was fine.
    I was thankful
for not bringing my cell out with me. The time away from Karie ,
work, and an actual phone gave me time to think over Jace's note. I opened it and read the two lines he'd managed to write down before
leaving the bar for the evening.
    I'm sorry if I offended you. Can we take things
slow?
    On the
bottom, he'd written down his phone number. My stomach twisted as I looked over
the ten digits. It was local. He couldn't have lived more than ten blocks away
from me. Or it could be a cell. Or that. It was probably just his cell, and everyone knows a
cell number could have a different area code compared to where someone lives.
    I pushed Jace and his note to the back of my mind, shoving the
napkin in my pocket so I could throw it out at home. Away
from work and prying eyes. You
should call him. What for? I didn't want to lead him on, and I didn't even
know if this was something I wanted yet. How
are you going to know if you don't give him a shot?
    I groaned and
leaned back to stare up at the clouds. Everything used to be so simple when I
was little. The clouds never turned into fun shapes anymore. They were just
clouds, passing me by as I sat in the same place. Worked in
the same boring ass job. Ate the same foods. I
had to get out.
    I thought
Orion had changed my life enough not to feel that sense of dread, the one you
get when you feel as though every day for the rest of your life is going to be
exactly the same. Turns out, Orion didn't change a damned thing. Not while I
was awake anyway.
    I decided to
keep Jace's note and make up my mind about calling
him later, after I'd had time to relax. And so help me, if he showed up at the
bar before I did, he'd never get the chance. All I needed was one day. One fucking day. Twenty-four hours to myself ,
without anyone else trying to intervene. Was that too much to ask?
    You better hope for your sake it's not. I was almost
thirty, and the slump I was in now was probably going to get worse before it
got any better.
    Twenty-four
hours. Starting...now.
     
     

 
    Chapter Eight
     
    The next
morning, I couldn't remember if I'd