The Hollow Page 0,74

was another piece of the whole. It needed to be shaken out and studied.

Instead he sat where he was, took another swallow of Coke. And said what was on his mind.

"I'm going into the doctor's tomorrow with Sage and Paula to donate sperm so they can have a kid."

There was a very long stretch of silence into which Cal finally said, "Huh."

"Sage asked me, and I thought about it, and I figured sure, why not? They're good together, Sage and Paula. It's just strange to know that I'm going to try to get somebody pregnant tomorrow, by remote."

"You're giving your sister a shot at a family," Cal pointed out. "Not so strange."

Just that one remark made Fox feel considerably better. "I'm going to bunk here tonight. If I go home, I'm going to be tempted to go by and see Layla. If I see Layla, I'm going to want to get her naked."

"And you want to go in tomorrow fully loaded," Gage concluded.

"Yeah. Stupid and superstitious probably, but yeah."

"You've got the couch," Cal told him. "Especially since I know you won't be jacking off on it."

Yes, Fox thought, there were times a man just needed to be around other guys.

THE LATE MARCH SNOWSTORM WAS ANNOYING. IT would've been less so if he'd bothered to listen to the weather before leaving the house that morning. Then he'd have had his winter coat, since winter decided to make the return trip. A thin, chilly white coated the early yellow haze of forsythia. Wouldn't hurt them, Fox thought as he drove back toward the Hollow. Those heralding spring bloomers were hardy, and used to the caprices, even the downright nastiness, of nature.

He was sick of winter. Even though spring was the gateway to summer, and this summer the portal to the Seven, he wished the door would hit winter in the ass on its way out. The problem was there'd been a couple of nice days before this season-straddling storm blew in. Nature held those warm, sunny days like a bright carrot on a frozen stick, teasing.

The snow would melt, he reminded himself. It was better to remember he'd had a pretty good day. He'd done his duty by his sister, and by his client. Now he was going home, getting out of the suit, having a nice cold beer. He was going to see Layla. And after tonight's session, he would do his best to talk himself into her bed, or talk her into his.

As he turned onto Main, Fox spotted Jim Hawkins outside the gift shop. He stood, hands on his hips, studying the building. Fox pulled over to the curb, hit the button to lower the window. "Hey!"

Jim turned. He was a tall man with thoughtful eyes, a steady hand. He walked to the truck, leaned on the open window. "How you doing, Fox?"

"Doing good. It's cold out there. Do you want a ride?"

"No, just taking a walk around." He looked back toward the shop. "I'm sorry Lorrie and John are closing down, leaving town." When he looked back at Fox, his eyes were somber, and another layer of worry weighed in his voice. "I'm sorry the town has to lose anyone."

"I know. They took a hard hit."

"I heard you did, too. I heard what happened with Block."

"I'm all right."

"At times like this, when I see the signs. All the signs, Fox, I wish there was more I could do than call your father and have him fix broken windows."

"We're going to do more than get through this time, Mr. Hawkins. We're going to stop it this time."

"Cal believes that, too. I'm trying to believe it. Well." He let out a sigh. "I'll be calling your father shortly, have him take a look at this place. He'll fix it up, spruce it here and there. And I'll look for somebody who wants to start a business on Main Street."

Fox frowned at the building. "I might have an idea on that."

"Oh?"

"I have to think about it, see if... See. Maybe you could let me know before you start looking, or before you decide on a new tenant."

"I'm happy to do that. The Hollow needs ideas. It needs businesses on Main Street."

"And people who care enough to fix what's broken," Fox said, thinking of Layla's words. "I'll get back to you on it."

Fox drove on. He had something new to turn over in his mind now, something interesting. And something, for him, that symbolized hope.

He parked in front of his office, stepped