Dirty Lying Wolves

1. A Complicated Walk

Juniper

Seattle, USA

Smack. Smack. Smack.

I let my feet hit the trail hard as I walked, a sound that reminded me of my running days. The crisp morning air was filling my lungs and I kept my hands shoved into the pockets of my jacket as I walked. With summer nearly upon the pacific northwest, I couldn't expect too many more days like this one. And there was no better way to spend a late spring morning than at the Washington Park Arboretum. The beautiful foliage surrounding me, bringing me peace and good memories.

I took a deep breath and sighed it out slowly. The trees around me rustled, unsettling dew from last night's rain and showering the ground below with rainbow specs of water as sunlight filtered through them. The tried and trusted sneakers on my feet were a comfort. My headphones in my ears, drumming a familiar beat to lift me up and push me forward. The only thing more perfect than this would be getting back to my apartment with a hot latte in my hands and a long list of movies to binge on a day I had no plans.

A planned couch potato day was not my usual weekend, but I was tired to the bone. The kind of tired that a draining job and the stress of no money puts on a person. The kind of tired that a nap wasn't going to fix. Tired. Stagnating. The kind of tired that made you ignore the buzzing phone in your pocket as your roommate called you. Again.

I sighed through my nose, debating on letting it go to voicemail. Kat had already called me twice, so something must really be up if she was awake before noon and calling instead of texting. I yanked my phone free of my pocket and answered, taking out one of my earbuds to hear her.

"What's up, Kat?"

"My job blew up!" she squealed, and I had to move the phone a few inches from my face.

"Do you want to try that again without the dramatics?" I asked. "What really happened?"

"No for real, June!" Kat snapped. "You know all those sirens we heard last night? It was some kind of gas leak in the plaza. Apparently several of the buildings are badly damaged from an explosion or something. My work is blown to pieces!"

I stopped walking. "Are you serious?"

An older couple stared as they walked past me, the lady giving me a snooty look for blocking the trail. Not that it wasn't plenty wide for all of us, but I moved aside all the same.

"So serious," Kat groaned. "I'm helping Mrs. Pataki collect some of the surviving stock today, but after that I think I'm out of a job."

"She's not going to relocate or reopen? What about insurance? You can't tell me the deli doesn't have enough insurance to fix the damage."

"I don't know," Kat said. "Even if she does, I won't have any shifts for months until it's fixed. Even if she relocates it will be a while. I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"Stop. First, take a deep breath." I paused, listening to her breathing on the phone. "Good. Now, I don't want you to worry about your share of the rent this month. I have a lot of savings and I've been in a pinch before when I got the help I needed. I know karma when I see it."

"But-"

"Then, we find a new part-time job to take you until we know for sure what Mrs. Pataki is doing," I said.

"Juniper," Kat sounded as though she had begun crying. "Girl, I don't know what I would do without you."

I sighed, smiling. "You'll be fine. I'm gonna let you go and finish my walk. I'll pick us up some tight month groceries on the way home, okay?"