Clouds and Rain

She owns the only decent grocery shop in town 4

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    and her better half is Bill Haines, who‟s the only decent vet in the county. She‟s brought us some food so we don‟t starve. I see you‟ve already learned to be nice to the hand that feeds you.”
    “Oh Gabe, you‟re such a charmer.” Calley smiled none too coyly, although Flynn missed the mockery in her face after she turned away from him. “Guess I‟ll have to bring extra food later on in the week.” Flynn noticed it wasn‟t a question, adding to the feeling that Calley and Gable knew each other quite well.
    They walked toward the house and Calley told Flynn where to drop the box of groceries, while Gable plunked himself down on the worn-out couch that was sitting in the corner of the kitchen. He put his leg on a footstool standing in front of it and exhaled deeply. Flynn didn‟t miss the look of concern Calley threw him, however fleeting it was, before she started unpacking the box and putting things away as if she lived there. Although if she did, Flynn was sure the house would actually look like it saw a woman‟s touch from time to time. As it stood now, the dishes were piled high in the sink and the refrigerator was only filled with the things Calley had just put inside it. Although she was discreet about it, Flynn saw her throw out some stuff that almost walked out of there by itself. When Gable started protesting, she was clear though. “I don‟t care if you poison yourself, Gable, but this young man deserves to be fed well. He‟s here to help you, so you‟d better take care of him!”
    Gable grunted something under his breath and Flynn watched the exchange with some amusement. He didn‟t really know what to make of it. Was Calley Gable‟s ex? Was that why she knew her way around the house and why she felt free to admonish him in front of a virtual stranger? He wasn‟t about to question any of it, fearing that Gable was not in the mood for any sort of small talk. Maybe one day his curiosity would be satisfied, but if not, well, to be honest, it really wasn‟t any of his business.
    “Well, Flynn, I hope you can cook?” Calley gave him a concerned look and Flynn smiled it away.
    “Sure I can,” he acknowledged. “Grew up in a house full of boys.
    It was that or eat stale bread!”

    5

    Zahra Owens

    “Then I‟m sure you‟ll feel right at home here,” Calley replied with a wink before picking up the now-empty box and heading out again.
    After she left, the silence grew uncomfortable.
    “I can make us an omelet?” Flynn suggested.
    “Had eggs for breakfast, so I‟ll skip it,” Gable answered, his eyes closed and head relaxed against the back of the couch. “Thanks,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
    Flynn doubted Gable had eaten anything, judging from the state of his kitchen, so he wasn‟t going to leave it at that. He‟d seen Calley unpack all sorts of things and was sure he could whip up some sort of tasty lunch, so he opened the fridge and took out a head of lettuce, a tomato, and a cucumber. Together with the ham and cheese she‟d also brought, he made sandwiches. He had to open a few cupboards, but in the end decided to wash some of the plates and knives so he had somewhere other than the cutting board to put them. The dog stayed diligently next to his owner. He was licking his lips, but had clearly been taught not to beg.
    “Here, boy,” Flynn called the dog.
    “She‟s a girl and her name is Bridget,” Gable corrected him.
    “And she doesn‟t get scraps from the table. She has a bowl in the mudroom.”
    Flynn held the piece of ham in midair as he saw the dog torn between accepting it and loyalty to her owner, so Flynn dropped it back to the chopping board and the dog relaxed. He divided the sandwiches between two plates and handed one to Gable, who opened his eyes when he smelled the food.
    With some distrust, Gable took the plate from Flynn and looked at its contents. “Thanks,” he muttered as he inspected what was between the two slices of rye bread, a rather forced smile appearing on his face.
    Flynn had a hard time not laughing. He rarely felt uneasy around strangers, especially now he‟d been on the road for more than three years, but this man was something different. He hoped the uncomfortable silences would go away after a while, or at least that the 6

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    man would let him work by himself, so they wouldn‟t bother him too much. In any case, he couldn‟t