She didn’t listen to him, but then again, shenever did. Matt managed to swat her away and hurried to the kitchento deposit the papers in the bin. There he fed her some kibble—twocups, as he did every morning, though Vic always said she onlyneeded one—and brewed a pot of coffee while she ate at his feet.From where he leaned against the counter, waiting for the java tobrew, he could look down into the recycle bin and read the pages onthe bottom of the newspaper stack. He saw the funnies, an ad for agrocery store, a page of coupons Vic hadn’t bothered cutting out, apage of jewelry…
Matt plucked that last advertisement out ofthe bin. Since he’d proposed to Vic a few months back, he’d beensearching for the perfect set of rings for them to exchange. Notnecessarily wedding bands—this was Virginia, after all, notMassachusetts—but matching rings to show their love for each other.He’d looked through so many jewelry catalogs both online and offthat he was beginning to think the standard gold band would have tosuffice. Nothing seemed quite right. Jewelry catering to gay menwas too gaudy, and anything in a catalog was too expensive. Heneeded to start looking around at the local shops if he wanted tofind something he liked.
Quickly he flipped through the ad. Nothingstood out to him—wedding bands came paired in his and hersvarieties, which simply wouldn’t work. Matt started to roll up thead, intent on shoving it back into the recycling bin, when a couponon the back caught his attention. Monday only! it read and,under that, Buy any ring in the store and present this ad forHALF OFF your second purchase!
Matt glanced at the front of the ad again butdidn’t recognize the name of the store, but a list of locations inthe fine print on the back showed an address close to the gym wherehe worked. Half off a second ring made buying a matched setsuddenly very affordable. Maybe he could swing by on his lunchbreak, see what they had in stock, find something he liked…
Something cold and wet pressed into the heelof his foot. With a yelp, Matt dropped the ad and stumbled back,only to find Sadie nosing around the floor where he stood. Some ofher food had pushed out of her bowl and she was chasing it down,pushing him aside in the process. “You spoiled pooch,” Matt saidaffectionately, tapping her on the head with the ad.
She glanced up at him with a softwoof!, then returned to her meal. Carefully Matt tore offthe store’s coupon, then dropped the rest of the ad in with theother recycles. He’d run over at lunch and take a look around thestore. Who knew? Maybe he’d finally find something he liked.
At half off the second ring, he suspected hemight.
* * * *
When Matt pulled into the gym’s parking lot,he grinned at the empty spot where Roxie’s car usually sat. Ha!Got here first. Boo-yah! He could just imagine the pissy lookon her face when she finally rolled in and found him at her deskwaiting, a self-satisfied smirk in place. “Late night?” he wouldask. She always picked on him when he was late. God, how he lovedit when the tables were turned.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance totease her—as he was letting himself in the front door of the gym, astrange minivan pulled up behind him. The door opened and Roxiestepped out, flipping her black-dyed ponytail over her shoulder.“I’m down on the return list! Call me!” she shouted to someoneinside the van before pulling the door shut. Then she hiked herpurse strap up her arm and jogged over to where Matt waited. “Holdthe door, will you? I don’t have my key.”
Matt leaned back against the door, keeping itopen for her. “That your new boyfriend?” he asked. “Sweetride.”
One small fist caught him in the side asRoxie passed by. “That’s the body shop’s shuttle, smart ass. My carwouldn’t start this morning. The alternator died.”
Following Roxie into the gym’s lobby, Mattasked, “So what, you left all your keys with the mechanic?Why didn’t you just take the one for your car off yourkeychain?”
Roxie threw him a withering look. “Because Iforgot. Now are you going to open up, or what?”
She waited at the locked inner door that ledto the administrative area of the gym. Matt was tempted to tell herhe didn’t have his key, either, just to rile her up, but she’d knowhe was lying—the keycard that opened the door was already in Matt’shand. As he swiped it through the reader, he muttered, “Did you atleast remember the one for your desk? Or are you just going to sithere all morning playing on the computer instead of actuallygetting any work done? Oh, wait. That’s what you normally doalready, isn’t it?”
His remark earned him another punch, this onejust above his right kidney. “Don’t be mean,” Roxie said as shepushed him out of the way. “Do you know how much that piece ofshit’s going to cost me to get fixed?”
“Get a new car,” Matt offered.
“On my salary?” Roxie stopped at the doorleading to the reception area and watched Matt hurry past. He onlygot a few yards down the hall before she cleared her throat.“Hello? No keys, remember?”
Matt shook his head. “Not my problem,”he said with a laugh.
Roxie’s voice hardened. “It will be if I haveto answer phones from the pool office all morning.”
Without breaking stride, Matt pivoted inmidstep and returned to her side, already shuffling through hiskeys to find the one to open her office door. “That’s cruel andunusual punishment. Do you think I’d get worker’s comp if I had toshare a room with you?”
“I think you’d get
