For the next couple of days, I got up early every morning before the heat of the day and drove around handing out résumés, Captain riding shotgun. I was nervous about leaving him alone in case Shauna tried anything. So far I didn’t have any leads for a job, but I talked to one of the women at the shelter who said she knew someone who might dog-sit Captain during the day once I found something. Stephanie, the shelter manager, and I had coffee one day after I walked the dogs. She said the shelter might be hiring in a few months, but that wouldn’t help me at the moment. She was cool, though, and I enjoyed the visit. It was nice being with someone who wasn’t freaked out about my past.
I came home and spent some more time online checking for new postings, but still no luck. Exhausted by defeat, I went to bed and pulled out my book. I’d developed a taste for Steinbeck in prison and was reading East of Eden for the third time. I drifted off and woke hours later to someone knocking on my door. It was Nate, the guy who’d rented me the boat.
“Hey, Nate. What’s up?”
“Sorry, Toni, but you can’t live here anymore. You need to leave right away.”
“You can’t just kick me out. There are tenancy laws and stuff.”
“We never had a real rental agreement—it was just verbal. And I got a report that Captain’s been harassing people.”
“Who would—” I stopped. It had to be Shauna. “That’s not true. He’s a good dog—ask any of the people down here. Someone’s just out to get me.”
“I also heard what happened at the restaurant. Some of the other people living at the marina, they’ve got expensive equipment on the boats. They don’t want to take a chance, and I don’t want my customers leaving.”
So that’s what it was really about. He didn’t give a shit about my dog. No one wanted a thief living near them.
“I’ll be out in the morning.”
*
I packed my few belongings and left that night, while it was dark. I didn’t want to face everyone going down to their boat in the morning, didn’t want to see the judgment in their eyes. I now had no job, no home, and barely any money. What the hell was I going to do? A hotel would eat up my savings in no time.
Then I remembered that there was a campsite down in Miracle Beach, fifteen minutes south of town, with older cabins for rent. It wasn’t the best time of year—heading into peak season—but they might have something and it was cheaper than a hotel. I pulled up at the campsite, relieved to see that it didn’t look too busy. Tourist season had been slow this year, and this wasn’t exactly a top-rated campground. The pool was drained, the bottom covered by dirt and leaves, and the playground had seen better days, half of the swings missing. A lot of the RVs were also in rough shape. They probably belonged to people who lived there year-round—pad fees were cheaper than apartment rents.
The man in the office didn’t ask many questions, just eyed my dog and asked if he was friendly, then told me one of the older cabins in the back was empty. I could have it for cheap. I knew that probably meant it was a piece of shit, and I was right. The bed sagged in the middle, everything smelled old and musty, including the orange curtains on the windows and matching bedspread. But it was stocked with pots, pans, dishes, and I could get new bedding the next day. Captain and I snuggled on the bed that night, both of us waking up at every sound.
In the morning I called Suzanne and told her where I was staying, and that I was still looking for work. I plugged in my laptop and searched my e-mails, hoping I might have heard back about a job, but nothing yet. I left Captain in the cabin and headed out to print off more copies of my résumé and buy towels—the ones in the cabin were so threadbare and small they couldn’t dry a frog.
I dropped off a few more résumés, stopping at the shelter to tell Stephanie what had happened in case she got a false report about Captain, then took a couple of dogs for a walk. Next I hit Walmart, buying a foam mattress, some bedding, towels, and cleaning supplies. I wasn’t hungry but I made myself eat a salad for dinner while Captain inhaled a bowl of kibble, then I took him for a long walk along the ocean. I already missed living on the water, feeling the gentle rock of the waves.
I remembered how Ryan and I would send each other thoughts when we’d had a bad day or fought with our parents. I sat on a log and closed my eyes, mentally telling him about losing my job, the boat, and now living at a shitty campsite. I imagined myself saying, It’s going to get better, right? And him saying back in his teenage voice, Of course, babe. We’ve still got each other. I opened my eyes, sad now, thinking how innocent we were back then. We thought that our relationship was all that mattered, all we needed, and that it meant we could survive anything. We didn’t know they’d take that from us too.
*
I was getting ready for bed, brushing my teeth, when I heard a soft rap at the door. Captain jumped up and ran to the door, gave a warning bark.
“Who’s there?” I said.
“Ryan.”
How the hell had he found me? I opened the door, holding Captain back and forgetting for a moment that I was in shorts and a tank top.
“What are you doing here?” I glanced around, made sure no one was in sight.
“I heard you lost your job and your boat. We need to talk.”