You, he thought. I came to find you. "It seems like a nice town, and I figured I'd give it a try."
"No family here?"
"None."
"Oh," she said. Handsome or not, his story didn't sit right, and she heard mental alarm bells starting to go off. There was something else, too, something gnawing at the back of her mind, and it took her a few seconds to realize what it was. When she did, she took a small step back from the counter, creating a bit more space between them. "If you just got to town, how did you know the kennel was hiring? I didn't run an ad in the paper this week."
"I saw the sign."
"When?" She squinted at him. "I saw you walking up, and there was no way you could have seen the sign until you got to the front of the office."
"I saw it earlier today. We were walking along the road, and Zeus heard dogs barking. He took off this way, and when I went to find him, I noticed the sign. No one was around, so I figured I'd come back later to see if that had changed."
The story was plausible, but she sensed that he was either lying or leaving something out. And if he had been here before, what did that mean? That he'd been scoping out the place?
He seemed to notice her unease and set the pen aside. From inside his pocket he pulled out his passport and flipped it open. When he slid it toward her, she glanced at the photo, then up at him. His name, she saw, was legitimate, though it didn't silence the alarm bells. No one passed through Hampton and decided to stay here on a whim. Charlotte, yes. Raleigh, of course. Greensboro, absolutely. But Hampton? Not a chance.
"I see," she said, suddenly wanting to end this conversation. "Just go ahead and put your mailing address on it. And your work experience. After that, all I need is a number where I can reach you and I'll be in touch."
His gaze was steady on hers. "But you're not going to call."
He was sharp, she thought. And direct. Which meant she would be, too. "No."
He nodded. "Okay. I probably wouldn't call me based on what you've heard so far, either. But before you jump to conclusions, can I add something else?"
"Go ahead."
Her tone made it plain that she didn't believe anything he said would matter.
"Yes, I'm temporarily staying at the motel, but I do intend to find a place to live around here. I will also find a job here." His gaze did not waver. "Now about me. I graduated from the University of Colorado in 2002 with a degree in anthropology. After that, I joined the marines, and I received an honorable discharge two years ago. I've never been arrested or charged with any crime, I've never taken drugs, and I've never been fired for incompetence. I'm willing to take a drug test, and if you think it necessary, you can have a background check run to confirm everything I said. Or if it's easiest, you can call my former commanding officer, and he'll verify everything I've said. And even though the law doesn't require me to answer a question of this type, I'm not on medication of any kind. In other words, I'm not schizophrenic or bipolar or manic. I'm just a guy who needs a job. And I did see the sign earlier."
She hadn't known what she'd expected him to say, but he'd certainly caught her off guard.
"I see," she said again, focusing on the fact that he'd been in the military.
"Is it still a waste of time for me to fill out the application"
"J haven't decided yet." She felt intuitively that he was telling the truth this time, but she was equally certain there was more to the story than he was revealing. She gnawed the inside of her cheek. She needed to hire someone. Which was more important- knowing what he was hiding or finding a new employee?
He stood before her erect and calm, and his posture spoke of easy confidence. Military bearing, she observed with a frown.
"Why do you want to work here?" The words sounded suspicious even to her. "With a degree, you could probably get a better job somewhere else in town." He motioned toward Zeus. "I like dogs."
"It doesn't pay much."
"I don't need much."
"The days can be long." "I figured they would be."
"Have you ever worked in a kennel before?"
"No."
"I see."
He smiled. "You say that a lot."
"Yes, I do," she said. Note to self: Stop saying it. "And you're sure you don't know anyone in town?"
"No."
"You just arrived in Hampton and decided to stay."
"Yes."
'Where's your car?"
"I don't have one."
"How did you get here?"
"I walked."
She blinked, uncomprehending. "Are you telling me that you walked all the way from Colorado?"
"Yes."
"You don't think that's odd?"
"I suppose it depends on the reason."
"What's your reason?"
"I like to walk."
"I see." She couldn't think of anything else-to say. She reached for the pen, stalling. "I take it you're not married," she said. "No."
"Kids?"
"None. It's just me and Zeus. But my mom still lives in Colorado"
She pushed a sweaty lock of hair back from her forehead, equal parts flustered and bemused. "I still don't get it. You walk across the country, you get to Hampton, you say you like the place, and now you want to work here?"
"Yes."
"There's nothing else you want to add?"
"No."
She opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind. "Excuse me for a minute. I have to talk to someone."
Beth could handle a lot of things, but this was beyond her. As much as she tried, she couldn't quite grasp everything he'd told her. On some level, it made sense, but on the whole, it just seemed… off. If the guy was telling the truth, he was strange; if he was lying, he picked strange lies. Either way, it was weird. Which was why, of course, she wanted to talk to Nana. If anyone could figure him out, Nana could.
Unfortunately, as she approached the house, she realized the game wasn't over yet. She could hear the announcers debating whether it was right for the Mets to bring in a relief pitcher or something along those lines. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Nana's seat empty.
"Nana?"
Nana poked her head out from the kitchen. "In here. I was just getting ready to pour myself a glass of lemonade. Would you like some? I can do it one-handed."
"Actually, I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute? I know the game is still on…"
She waved the thought away. "Oh, I'm done with that. Go ahead and turn it off. The Braves can't win, and the last thing I want to do is listen to their excuses. I hate excuses. There's no reason they should have lost, and they know it. What's going on?"
Beth walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter as Nana poured the lemonade from the pitcher. "Are you hungry?" Nana inquired. "I can make you a quick sandwich."
"I just had a banana."
"That's not enough. You're as skinny as a golf club."
From your mouth to God's ears, Beth thought. "Maybe later. Someone came in to apply for the job. He's here now."
"You mean the cute one with the German shepherd? I figured that's what he was doing. How is he? Tell me that it's always been his dream to clean cages."
"You saw him?"
"Of course."
"How did you know he was applying for the job?"
"Why else would you want to talk to me?"
Beth shook her head. Nana was always a step ahead of her. "Anyway, I think you should talk to him. I don't quite know what to make of him."
"Does his hair have anything to do with it?"
'"What?"
"His hair. It kind of makes him look like Tarzan, don't you think?"
"I really didn't notice."
"Sure you did, sweetie. You can't lie to me. What's the problem?"
Quickly, Beth gave her a rundown of the interview. When she was finished, Nana sat in silence. "He walked from Colorado?"
"That's what he says."
"And you believe him?"
"That part?" She hesitated. "Yeah, I think he's telling the truth about that."
"That's a long walk."
"I know."
"How many miles is that?"
"I don't know. A lot."
"That's kind of strange, don't you think?"