long in following.
Jason leaned forward, leaning his forearms on his knees. “If you’re thinking about hanging around Baytown for a while, are you looking for work?”
He jerked his chin back. “Hell, man, I just got here.” Jason’s question caught him by surprise. He’d only planned on checking in with two old friends. But suddenly, the vision of the long bridge-tunnel over the Chesapeake Bay came to mind. The sunset. The long stretch of road. The tiny town. The friendly pub. He opened his mouth to say that he had no plans on staying but instead blurted, “I know Zac was the Fire Chief and is now the Rescue Captain. I figure I could volunteer when needed since I have some experience from the Navy.”
He blinked, wondering where that idea came from. Before he had a chance to take the words back, Jason nodded.
“He’d be glad to have you, I’m sure.”
The idea of just sitting around waiting to answer a fire call would not be enough. Casting his gaze around the shop again, he said, “I’m going to need to work to keep my sanity. Are you serious about wanting somebody to work here?”
Jason’s grin widened even further. “Hell, yeah! It’s only part-time, but as far as I’m concerned, you can take over most of the tattoos. It won’t take up all your time, so anything you want to do to work part-time in the garage is perfect also.”
Relief moved through him at the idea of not hitting the road immediately again. The thought of staying in Baytown, at least for a little while, held appeal. Damn… I haven’t even seen it in the daylight. But if the Bay at sunset was anything to go by, it’d be a nice place to stop until he figured out his next move.
Jason stood and tossed the empty water bottles into the recycle bin. “Have you got a place to stay?”
“I just fuckin’ decided to stay,” he laughed. Jerking his head toward the street, he said, “I saw a campground a couple miles down the road. I can ask if they have a camper to rent.”
“Well, why don’t you crash at my place? I’ve got an apartment over the shop that needs to be rented.”
Stunned that Jason seemed to have an answer for everything, he asked, “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ll show it to you, and then I’ll head across the street to see Rose.”
He looked across the road and saw an ice cream shop with a sign declaring ‘Sweet Rose’. Grinning, he said, “Rose… pretty name.”
Jason nodded and his face lighted as he nodded with enthusiasm. “Pretty lady.” He flipped off the lights and started walking toward the back of the shop, calling over his shoulder, “Come on up, and I’ll show you around. There are stairs from the back area of the shop. There’s also an entrance from the alley behind, but I rarely use it.”
Following upstairs, he was shocked when he walked into the apartment. The wooden floors had been refinished and the walls were freshly painted. A sofa and two comfortable chairs faced a wide-screened TV mounted on the brick wall. Glancing to the right, he could see a small kitchen with new appliances. “Fuck, man, this is nice.”
Jason grinned and slapped him on the back. “Well, if you decide to call Baytown home and need a place to stay, I’ll rent it to you.”
“I never stay anywhere very long, you know that.”
“Yeah, but eventually, we all have to settle down. And I’m telling you, Baytown is a nice place to settle.”
He grunted his response. Considering he’d never found a place to settle, he doubted Baytown would be any different. But passing some time here while catching up and helping out a couple of old buddies, this apartment made for a nice temporary home. Sure as hell beats a camper.
“I’ll pay rent for the time I’m here, so just let me know what it will be.”
Jason nodded, then pointed out the two bedrooms, both outfitted with queen-size beds and a dresser. The bathroom, like the kitchen, had been completely redone and modernized.
Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, fiddling until he’d worked two off the key ring. Handing them to Joseph, he said, “One is for the shop and one for the apartment. Make yourself at home. I know there’s no food in the refrigerator, but you passed a grocery store as you came into town. Plus, for breakfast, you can’t do better than Jillian’s Coffeehouse or Stuart’s