After the death of his son and, struggling with his own grief, Colt hits the road. He finds himself in a small town where the wizard, Atticus, protects the magical creatures that live there. Shortly after arriving, Colt begins to see visions of whit...
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By the time the alarm went off on his phone, the room had been pitched into darkness. Colt yawned, stretched and sat up.
Even though night had overcome the city, people were everywhere. In the downtown, the patios were just as full as they had been earlier that day. The noise outside had changed. When he'd passed by a few hours ago, in the late evening, it was the end of dinner. Then, everyone had sat, grabbing a drink or two before they went off to their events for the night. Now, the party had started. There was lots of laughter, heavy bass music spilled from bars and people shouted and cheered in the street as they enjoyed their last bit of summer.
Colt didn't even try to open the front door of the restaurant. Instead, he walked around the building, down the alley and to the back. At this time of night, the door was propped open as the kitchen finished their clean-up. Colt smiled in greeting to their exhausted faces. Now that they'd stopped moving so much and the rush of the kitchen had worn off, they were starting to drop off.
Jason looked bright-eyed enough. Colt could see the weariness in his eyes, but he had the stamina to make it in the industry.
"It's good to see you, Colt," Jason said. They shook hands and he braced himself for the light hit on the side of his arm. Jason hadn't changed in the least.
"You too," Colt said. "Thanks for having me."
"Of course! You made this place long before I got my hands on it. Drink?"
"Sure."
Jason reached into the fridge and produced a couple of beers. It was a peasant brand, cheap and nothing like the restaurant sold. Jason wasn't dipping into the restaurant's stock, a solid place to be. Owners that used their restaurant as their own personal hangout didn't last long.
They went out into the dining area and sat at a small table just outside the kitchen. The rest of the staff were leaving, the new ones he didn't recognize ducking out with a small goodbye, and the ones Colt knew staying for a quick chat before leaving for the night. Eventually, they were left alone.
"So, Colt," Jason said. "What brings you into town? I know you didn't want to just check up on me."
"Personal stuff. I just dropped by on a whim. I'm glad this place is doing well."
"Well, it's not as good as when you owned it. What's your next venture?"
"I'm doing a dinner service at a restaurant in BC."
"Wow." Jason's brows raised. "That's awesome. What restaurant? In Vancouver?"
Colt felt his collar grow warm as he flushed. This was the first time he had been exposed to someone in the industry, someone who might be... less than supportive of Colt's recent decisions. He took a sip of his beer. He wouldn't let himself be ashamed of his choices to someone he'd mentored.
"No, not Vancouver," Colt began. "In this small town in the middle of BC."
Colt could see the change in Jason's expression, moving from eager surprise to something less than approving. Throughout his career, he'd always had those around him blowing up his ego. He'd produced such wonderful food that everyone wondered what he was doing going to do next. Was he going to open up a restaurant in another country? Japan? Overseas? When was he going to aim for a Michelin star? Those words had been dangerous, and what led him here in the first place.
"Oh..." The disapproving tone in Jason's voice made Colt began to rethink his decision. Was this the best move? But he shook himself out of that line of thought. This was the best thing for him right now, and that was all that mattered.
The air around them changed, and pity overcame Jason's gaze. It was that look that made him uneasy because Colt knew what was coming next. The story of an ambitious restaurateur losing everything that meant anything to him and then going AWAL for months had been all over the news. That was one of the reasons that Colt left. It had felt like, to him, that he'd been harassed by too many reporters and hearing whispers behind his back. The reality likely hadn't been that crazy, but that's what it had felt like.
"How're you doing, Colt?" Jason's voice was soft and prodding, leaving no room for misunderstanding. It was obvious what he was asking.
Colt shrugged. What could he say? That his son was dead and he was pretty sure that he wasn't okay? If Colt told Jason, or anyone really, knew that he'd been seeing visions of wolves and children, he was sure the outcomes couldn't be good.
"I don't know," he said after a long moment. "I really don't think that this is a situation where I'll be fine anytime soon, but I want to cook again. I want to cook a different kind of food."
On his way back to the hostel, Colt texted Kate. It was late and he didn't want to disturb her in case she was sleeping, or out. What he hadn't expected, was a response right away. His phone dinged and his steps slowed to a stop.
Kate was asking him over, and his heart ached, a dull pain that spread throughout his chest and grew more intense. The last time they'd talked on the phone had been enough. He wasn't sure he could handle a face-to-face interaction. Images of the dreaded ex-wife popped into his head that made him smile. Kate wasn't anything like what pop culture had drawn up for the woman no longer bound to him. True, they had fought, but in the end, it was the pain of losing their child that had been too much for them both to bear.
[ From Kate: Please, Colt. I just want to see you. ]
The word closure came up. It had come up a lot in therapy, back when he still bothered to go. Closure was something he needed, even though he'd never get it. It was impossible to 'close' the majority of his life, but maybe Kate was seeking something like that.
Colt swallowed his pain and told her that he'd be right over.
