At last, Austin has a problem I can solve. This week when he meets me at my register, I notice he's limping, barely putting any weight on his right foot. He's obviously in pain. I can tell by the way he's clenching his jaw and white knuckling the basket.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I dropped some concrete on my foot at a job yesterday. Think I broke it," he says, crossing his arms on the little tray next to the card scanner.

"Oh, ouch. That must kill," I say.

He sighs and lowers his head onto his arms. He's very close to me now, and I have this sudden urge to run my fingers through his dark hair.

Before I can humiliate myself I snap out of it and call Ryan over to watch my register.

"I'll be back," I tell Austin. 

In the pharmacy section I grab whatever I can to soothe an injured foot, something I've done countless times for myself. If his foot is really broken it'll suck, but at least he'll get some relief.

"How much do I owe you for all this?" Austin asks me once I'm back at my register.

Ryan starts to ring everything up, but I shake my head and look down at the items so I can mentally do the math. He owes me about sixty bucks.

"Twenty should cover it," I say.

Austin looks at me, raising an eyebrow while Ryan rolls his eyes.

"Employee discount!" I exclaim defensively.

"Yeah and I'm straight," Ryan mumbles.

I smack his shoulder. He chuckles and looks up at Austin. "You're the guy who panhandles around here right?" he asks.

Austin looks panicked, and I'm pleading to Ryan with my eyes to shut up.

"Yeah," Austin says.

"So what do you make in a day doing that? Just curious."

Austin relaxes a little as he realizes that Ryan's not going to call for a manager or security guard.

"Depends. Twenty to sixty bucks, maybe," Austin says.

"I thought people could make hundreds doing that!" Ryan exclaims. "Shit I was about to make that my second job!"

Austin starts laughing. "Some people do. Junkies. They say anything to get cash. I don't tell bullshit stories unless I'm really desperate. I wanna do this on my own."

"What do you mean by 'this'?" Ryan asks.

"This... trip? No, that's not right..." Austin pauses to think and then says, "This life, I guess. The life I'm gonna make here. I'm superstitious about blood money. I think it's cursed."

"Blood money?" I ask curiously as I start bagging up the supplies.

"Yeah, like money you get the wrong way. By stealing it. Or trapping. Or ripping people off. If I build my life with blood money, I know shit just won't work out."

"How do you know that?" Ryan asks.

"I spent my life with criminals. Even though there was plenty of money, life was always shit. So I say blood money is cursed."

"That's really cool of you," Ryan says genuinely.

Austin shrugs. "I have to be different from them."

After I finish bagging everything I tell Austin to wait for me in the van so I can help doctor his foot. Ryan starts swooning like a middle school girl as soon as he's out of sight.

"Oh Rory, that sweet beautiful boy! I think I love him!" he exclaims dreamily, grabbing my shoulder and shaking it.

I laugh. "Fuck you! He's my crush."

"Seriously, he's so pure. Much cuter than that other idiot you were with."

"I know. And you've never even seen him with his sister. It's adorable," I say.

"What's their story? He's got lots of baggage."

"I'm not sure about all of it. He's pretty guarded. I doubt he'll ever tell me."

"Well if you don't go after him, I'm next in line."

"He's not gay!"

"Oh, I can turn him gay in one night. I love getting hold of the innocent ones." Ryan licks a finger and puts it to his chest with a sizzling sound.

"You're so ridiculous," I chuckle, grabbing my bag of supplies.

Outside, Austin's sitting in the driver's seat reading one of several hand-written notebook pages. He folds the papers and puts them in his pocket as I climb in on the other side. Pixie immediately throws her arms around my neck, almost choking me.

"Anna!" she cries.

"Hi, E-Elsa," I gasp.

"Pixie, let her go!" Austin exclaims as he realizes my plight.

"Oh. Sorry," Pixie says. She removes her arms but stays behind us, breathing right into my hair. I don't care even though it means I'll probably be sick in a few days. It's worth it.

"Okay, give me your foot," I tell Austin.

"Are you gonna cut it off?" Pixie asks curiously, followed by a loud sniffle. She's back to having a cold so Austin made her wait in the van. 

I look over my shoulder and shake my head. "No, honey. I'm just gonna make it better!" 

Austin removes his sock and shoe and leans against the door so I can examine his foot in my lap. It's bruised dark purple like an eggplant and is swollen to twice its usual size. Just looking at it makes me wince.

"It's not broken," I say.

"How do you know?" Austin asks.

"I can tell."

To make sure I run my thumb up and down the top of his foot, feeling the delicate bones right where they should be, and he doesn't show any signs that a particular section hurts worse than any other.

"How?" Austin asks.

"I'm a ballet dancer. Foot anatomy is something I'm nerdy about. Plus I've done this for a lot of my dancer friends. I've nursed three broken feet and two broken ankles. I'm no doctor, but I've never been wrong," I say.

"That's a relief," Austin says.

"It'll heal in a few weeks. I know it hurts, so I'm gonna put this numbing stuff on it and wrap it up for you. It'll also help the swelling," I say.

"I can do it myself," he mumbles.

"I know, but I don't mind."

When I glance up at him he's blushing, and I probably am too. As a Ginger it can't be avoided even if he didn't drive me crazy, which he does.

"So is that guy your boyfriend?" Austin asks softly as I wrap his foot.

"Who? Ryan? He's gay," I say.

"Oh."

"Why'd you ask?"

Austin has his poker face on so I can't tell what he's really thinking.

"Just wondering," he says.

By now I'm comfortable enough with him to get some things off my chest, so I start talking about Kyle. "My last and only boyfriend broke up with me this summer, right before we found Seth. He cheated on me."

"Sounds like a douche," Austin says.

"What's a douche?" Pixie asks, and I jump as I suddenly remember she's here with us.

We both start laughing.

"What's so funny? What's a douche?" Pixie asks again.

Austin catches his breath and explains, "A douche is a guy who's a bad person."

"A bad person, a bad kisser, a bad dresser, a bad dancer, a bad friend, and even though I don't have any experience to compare it with horrible at-" I stop myself just in time, remembering Pixie. 

"Horrible at what?" she asks.

"Everything," I say. Nice save, me.

 Austin senses my embarrassment and starts talking again. "A douche is also a guy who has the best girlfriend in the world but decides to hurt her anyway. Even though she's smart, nice, real, funny, original, and beautiful. Even though she's the best thing he'll ever have. Even though she's amazing."

I'm biting my lip and trying not to cry as I feel Austin's eyes on me. His gaze feels like a summer thunderstorm as it rolls in over the dry grass, slow but insistent, gentle but dangerous, soft but roaring. My fingers are shaking.

"Do douches like to trick princesses, like Hans did in Frozen?" Pixie asks.

"Yes," Austin says.

"Ooooh, so a douche is like the bad guy!" Pixie exclaims happily.

"Right. But not just in Frozen. In real life too. And don't say douche unless we're by ourselves. It's not a good word," Austin says.

"Okay, done!" I exclaim loudly, and suddenly I can breathe again.

Austin looks at his foot and grins at me. "It actually doesn't hurt now," he says.

I give Pixie a hug and awkwardly nod at Austin before getting out of the van and heading back into the store.

"Hey Rory?" Austin calls as I walk away from the van.

I turn and look back at him leaning out the driver's side window.

"What?" I ask.

"I didn't say thanks. So thanks. And see you next week."