Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

few minutes later a stranger stopped me on the sidewalk and asked if I was all right.
    It took a moment for my exhaustion-addled brain to respond and before I could get a word out, a kind looking older man was leading me into the front of an adobe style building with some sort with blue painted wood trim. A tan face lined with wrinkles and laugh lines swam in and out of my vision as I collapsed into a chair in what looked like the lobby of a small hotel or inn. A few moments later a steaming cup of tea was pressed into my hands and I drank it without thought.
    It was too hot, especially for the summer in the desert, but after just a few minutes, I felt the caffeine working its magic-like fire in my veins. It burned away the worst of the fog in my brain and I shook myself the rest of the way alert.
    "Thanks," I said with a chagrined smile on my face.
    "You look rode hard and put away wet, kid." I rankled at that for a moment but then I figured compared to him, I was a kid. He kept talking, "My name's Air."
    "Jason." I said and held out my hand for him shake. Then, "Air?"
    "Yup. My Luann always said I was full of hot air. Somehow it became my name and forty years later I'm still stuck with it." He sounded like he was complaining, but he said the whole thing with a grin on his face. It made my heart ache just a little. I wasn't really broken up about Shea in particular. Just lonely in general. Really damn lonely.
    "Hey, kid. Jason!" Air snapped his fingers in front of my face and I jerked out of my reverie. "Let's get you settled into a room for the night, ok?"
    Without waiting for an answer he grabbed my bag from the floor beside and a keycard from the desk and herded me out a side door. I had enough presence of mind to mumble something about paying him but he brushed me off and said to come and see him when I woke up in the morning.
    The sun was shining down from almost directly overhead when I finally woke up the next day. Despite being cool from an intense air conditioning unit in the room, I almost broke into a sweat just looking at the bright hot heat that baked Albuquerque in the summer. My shower damp hair dried completely in the arid heat during the short walk from my room to the front lobby.
    Air looked up from the desk as the bell over the door rattled, announcing my entrance. "Well hey there sleepy head. You're looking much better today." He grinned at me in welcome.
    I returned his smile and said, "Thanks." Now, normally I am not all that shy but there were very few topics of general chit chat that I could honestly engage in now that I was on the run for my life. Also, I am a terrible liar. I wracked my brain trying to find something to say to Air and probably appeared slightly slow as I opened and closed my mouth.
    Air took the reins by interjecting, "You want some lunch?" into my pregnant silence. Thankful to be let off the conversational hook, even if it was just for a few seconds, I said, "Sure." He tossed me a sandwich in a ziploc baggie. After investigation, I learned it was turkey and swiss on rye with some sort of sauce or dressing I didn't recognize on it.
    I took a bite and I don't know if it was because I was so hungry or because that sandwich was just that delicious but I groaned out loud in pure pleasure. "God, that's delicious." I managed to get out around a huge bite.
    Air chuckled and nodded. When I finished he threw me another and then a bottle of water. I was just guzzling down the last of the water when I heard a stream of muttering rising in volume coming from behind the desk.
    As I walked closer I was able to make out what Air was saying and it was a string of such ridiculous made up curse words that I would not have believed he was actually cursing if it wasn't for the pissed off glare he had leveled at the computer.
    Trying to lighten the mood a bit I put my hands out in front of me with exaggerated slowness and said, "Take a deep breath and step away from the computer." He spun his glare on me but it didn't last long before he huffed and pushed his chair back. I walked around so I could see his screen.
    "What's wrong?"
    "The frillarkin thing doesn't make any sense."
    I ignored his made up curse word and smiled because the screen was full of numbers in a spreadsheet. And that was something I could definitely do. I felt a little warmth fill my chest that I could do something to pay back Air's kindness from the night before.
    "Move over," I said. "This is what I do. Give me a few