Chapter 7
7
MARCUS
I ’m way late when arriving to the cookout, thanks to a tow call following an accident, but if I know Logan, there’s still plenty of food available for the latecomers. He’s a whiz on the grill and always makes a variety of delicious food. Buddy and I, that’s what I named the dog I’m now caring for, hit up the small bakery on Main Street for their selection of cookies. I got lucky there was anything left at this point in the day, especially since she was closing, so I grabbed all four varieties she had available.
I slow the tow truck down and park along the roadway. There’s enough grass between the trees and the road to comfortably park, which is what a lot of people do during the busy summer months. Logan’s cabin is across from the lake with lots of trees, paths, and access to everything the Bluff has to offer.
Climbing from my truck, I slip the leash onto Buddy’s collar and help him from the truck. He instantly starts to sniff around but doesn’t venture too far away from me. Grabbing the bag of cookies, I follow the sound of laughter to Logan’s property. The guys are standing off to the side, throwing bags, but as I walk past the line of vehicles filling the driveway, I stop beside the one on the outside. I know this SUV, but what I can’t understand is why it’s here.
My eyes immediately scan the small crowd, looking for the driver of said SUV. It only takes me a second to spot her, sitting over by the fire with the group of women. They’re animatedly chatting, about what, I’m not sure. As far as I know, Ryan didn’t know anyone in town, so why is she sitting with the women like they’ve been friends forever?
“Hey, Marcus, quit gawking and come play. You and Gabe got winner,” TD hollers.
I turn my attention to the guys, who are all standing there, watching me and smiling. I move in their direction, Buddy happily trotting beside me, and refuse to acknowledge their smirks. “I see you noticed our guest,” Logan says, a cat that ate the canary grin on his smug face. “Holy shit, is that a dog?”
“No, it’s an elephant,” I tease as they all turn their attention to the animal at my side. “Meet Buddy.”
“Cool, can I pet him?” Brody asks, dropping to his knees in front of me.
“Sure. He’s a little skittish though, so don’t be offended if he keeps back a little bit.”
I watch as Buddy sniffs the air around Brody, who holds his hand up. “I won’t hurt you, Buddy. Come ’ere,” Brody says gently, coaxing the dog toward him. As soon as Buddy reaches him, Brody starts petting his head and scratching behind his ears.
“Good boy,” I tell the dog, trying to make sure I give him plenty of accolades to keep his spirits up.
“So…the special guest. Want me to introduce you?” Gavin asks, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“She’s my renter,” I mutter, holding up the bag. “I brought cookies. Figured I’d miss the main course, so I brought dessert.”
“I think Ellie just put out a cake and some of that strawberry fluff dessert she likes to make,” Gabe chimes in.
“And there’s plenty of food left. The fridge stuff is in the cooler, but the roaster on the table has chicken wings, brats, and burgers left,” Logan tells me.
“Great. I’ll run and make a plate and be back. Brody, you okay to watch Buddy for me?”
“Of course,” he replies, taking the leash.
“Drinks are in the cooler by the porch,” Logan hollers as I start to walk away.
I walk straight to the food table and place the plastic containers of cookies beside the cake. A moment later, Hallie is there, holding her and Logan’s sleeping daughter in her arms. “Hey, I’m so glad you could come. Let me get out the cold stuff,” she says, carefully reaching down and opening the cooler.
“I’ll get it, Hal. Don’t you disrupt that sleeping princess,” I whisper, bending down and placing a kiss on the top of Makenzie’s little head.
“Are those cookies?” she asks, leaning over toward the four containers.
“They are. Picked ’em up just as Jillian was closing. Chocolate chunk, snickerdoodle, peanut butter chocolate, and lemon blueberry.”
Hallie gasps. “G’me,” she insists, reaching for the first container.
I help open all four so she can grab one of each before shoving the top one into her mouth. “Do you need my help?” she mumbles with her mouth full.
I can’t help but chuckle. “I’m good, Hal. Go sit and visit with your friends.”
“Thanks,” she replies, still chewing, and heads over to where the ladies sit around the fire. My eyes connect with Ryan’s brown ones, and it feels…charged. She’s watching me warily, but I can’t deny the intensity I feel, like I’m trapped in her gaze.
I force myself to return my attention to the food. I’m a meat guy, so I load my plate up with a few wings, a brat, and a burger. I squirt a healthy blob of mustard on the two buns and grab a handful of barbecue potato chips. Heading over to the cooler, I retrieve a bottle of water. Since I could be called out for a tow, I don’t want to drink.
Waving at all the women sitting around the fire, I return to the area where the guys are throwing bags. “So, what made you decide to get a dog?” Gabe asks, taking a drink from his beer bottle.
I can’t help but notice how Buddy is sitting directly in front of me now, watching my plate of food. “Well, he found me, I think. I went for a walk last night in the timber and heard a whimper. Buddy was cowering behind a tree.”
“He’s awfully skinny,” Gabe notices. He may not be a vet, but you can’t take the doctor out of the man.
“He definitely is. We went to one of those big chain pet supply stores in Hudson, and they tried to scan him. He’s not chipped. Since I can’t get in to a vet until Tuesday, I figured I’d go ahead and look after him.”
TD kneels down and pets him on the back. “He looks to be in decent shape, despite a little malnourished.”
“That’s what the guys said at the pet store. They were doing a vaccine clinic, and the vet there checked him over. Went ahead and gave him a rabies, distemper, and parvo shot, saying it won’t hurt him if he’s already had them at some point in his life. She thinks he’s about a year, year and a half old and is well-behaved. She helped me pick out some food and other supplies for the time being.”
“You gonna keep him? I haven’t seen a lost dog poster around town,” Logan says.
“I don’t know. My schedule is crazy busy. Not really fair for a dog, you know?” I look down and find Buddy’s sad eyes on me. It’s as if he knows I’m considering not keeping him.
“He’s so well-behaved though. How’d he do riding in the truck?” TD asks.
“Surprisingly well. It’s as if he’s been trained and ridden in one many times before.”
“He was probably someone’s pet, and for whatever reason, they let him go. But as skinny as he is, he’s been on his own a while. The only lost pet posters I’ve seen in the store are for cats,” Logan states.
“Where’d he sleep?” Gavin asks while I take a bite of my brat.
I can feel my face blush, and I don’t want to answer, but since all eyes are on me, waiting, I know I need to give them something. “I put an old comforter in the utility room for him to sleep on.” I pray they drop it, but luck is definitely not on my side.
“He stay?” Gabe asks, now rubbing Buddy’s belly. I can’t help but notice his touch has a bit of an exam look to it, as if he’s checking him over for injuries or issues.
“Uhh, he did whimper quite a bit when I closed the door,” I confess, recalling how I lay there in bed for about ten minutes listening to the dog cry.
Logan stares at me and smiles. “You went and got him, didn’t you?”
I sigh before nodding. “Yeah, I went and got the blanket and put it in the corner of my bedroom. He did much better when he could see me.” I leave out the part about waking up with him snuggled against my side in bed later in the night.
“Oh my goodness, is that a puppy?” Gavin’s daughter, Annabelle, hollers. She comes running straight for us.
Buddy moves, jumping behind my legs as if to hide from the excited young girl.
“Hold up, Annabelle, he’s pretty shy. You gotta go easy with him, okay?” Gavin says, helping slow his eleven-year-old daughter down before she reaches the dog.
“Can I pet him?” she asks with hopeful, love-filled eyes.
“Sure, you just gotta make slow movements. He’s a good boy,” I tell the girl, glancing over at Gavin to make sure he’s okay with it. I’m still a bit hesitant. Even though he seems to be a pretty mellow, easygoing dog, I don’t know him well enough yet, and the last thing I’d want is for him to hurt Annabelle.
But the moment she drops down into the grass, Buddy gives her his nose to pet. The next thing I know, he’s licking her face and giving her all kinds of love, which makes her giggle. “He’s so cute. What’s his name?”
“Buddy.”
“Is he yours, Marcus?”
I open my mouth to say no, but to be honest, I kinda like him. A lot. And the thought of keeping him doesn’t bother me as much as it should. I wasn’t joking when I said my work schedule isn’t exactly pet-friendly, but as good as Buddy is, it may not be so bad. He may make a great shop dog too, going with me to work every day. And as long as he keeps up his good behavior in the truck, he can ride along with me for tow and plow jobs.
Of course, I’m putting the cart before the horse. Just because the vet at the pet store didn’t find a chip doesn’t mean Buddy doesn’t belong to someone. Though, the fact he has been on his own for a bit now doesn’t sit well with me either. If someone did lose him, they sure as shit aren’t too concerned with getting him back. I just need to take it day by day and do what I can until the vet gives me a little more information.
“For now,” I finally answer the young girl as she continues to shower Buddy with love and attention. “Can I take him for a walk?”
“Sure, but hold on to his leash.”
“And stay where we can see you,” Gavin adds.
Annabelle takes the leash and starts to walk around the property with the dog, who stops to sniff different sections of the yard. The women must notice the addition, because someone squeals, and the next thing I know, Annabelle is leading the dog toward where they all sit.
I finish eating my food, while keeping an eye on Buddy and the women. Gabe walks over and takes his baby daughter from Blair, who gets up and fills a plate with desserts. Gabe makes his way back over to where I stand, the tiny girl nestled in his arm. “How’s she doing? Sleeping at night yet?” I ask, gently running my finger against Wrenlee’s cheek.
“Not even close. Still mixing up day and night, but,” he says, shrugging his shoulders, “I don’t care. I’ll take all the sleepless nights, because she won’t be little forever.” He moves his daughter up and bends down, placing a kiss on her forehead.
I’ve never pictured myself in his shoes. I’ve found comfort in my solitude. Not that I don’t seek out female companionship every now and again. I’m not a monk. It’s actually pretty easy. There are a few different bars I can hit in Hudson that are always full of eager, willing ladies looking for a little no-strings fun. We go back to her place, spend a few hours together, and then I’m back home and sleeping in my own bed. It works.
I’m not saying I haven’t had relationships in the past, but they never seem to go much further than a few months. And that’s fine. Happily ever after and together forever isn’t a life goal for me. I’ve witnessed both sides of marriage. My parents, whose relationship was more out of duty than that forever kind of love, weren’t exactly the best example for me. I was too young to even remember them together, but my grandparents were very forthcoming with information when they felt I was old enough to handle it. They told me all about my father’s death in the military and my mother’s decision to drop me off to be raised by my grandparents.
And, yes, before you ask, my grandparents had a great relationship. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but they made it work and, at the end of the day, were completely in love and devoted to each other. So that brings me to the other side of relationships. I watched my grandma wither away to nothing from cancer and the devastation it caused my grandpa after she was gone. Why would I want to willingly go through that kind of pain?
“So, Jade is staying at your cabin, huh?”
I’m pulled out of my own head by his question, but I don’t know how to answer.
Who the fuck is Jade?
I’m about to ask when Annabelle gets up and starts running with Buddy. He barks and jumps, but not at her. It’s as if someone tapped the zoomie button, and she’s right there for the ride. Watching how happy he is makes me briefly forget about the fact Gabe referred to Ryan as Jade.
The guys all head to where the ladies sit. I stop by and grab a cookie after tossing my plate in the trash and walk over to the side, out of the way. Annabelle and Buddy are still playing, and everyone is oohing and aahing over the two babies. I glance toward TD and Ellie, who are watching their friends with longing in their eyes. He doesn’t talk about it much, but they’ve been trying for a baby for a bit now, unsuccessfully. They’re both great people, and she’d done such a great job with Brody. I couldn’t imagine having one in college and one on the way or a new baby, but something tells me Ellie and TD will handle it like pros.
If it happens for them.
“So, a puppy?”
I startle, having not heard Ryan walk up to me. “Apparently,” I reply after I clear my throat.
She grins widely, watching the dog jump and play. “He’s adorable.”
“He’s been a pretty good boy so far,” I confirm. Taking a few moments while she’s sidetracked, I observe.
She’s standing beside me, her profile in full view. She’s wearing those little cutoff shorts she had on yesterday and a red-and-white striped tank top. But what really catches my attention is the hat on her head. It’s one of the two I left for her yesterday with my business logo on it. I’ve seen them on top of a few heads over the years—hell, I wear one every single day—but I’ll admit, I’m not sure I’ve seen it look so cute. Her long, blond hair is pulled through the back of it and cascades down the middle of her back in big waves. It makes me want to run my hands through the strands as I pull her against my body and claim her mouth with my own.
She’s fucking sexy as hell.
“Jade, do you want a cookie? These are from Jillian at the bakery, and they’re they best,” Ava hollers, catching my attention.
Jade.
My eyes remain locked where they are, on the woman people keep calling by a different name. “Jade?” I find myself asking, the name like something nasty on my tongue. “Why do they keep calling you that?”
Her eyes flash with something that looks like guilt, but it’s quickly replaced with defiance. “I sometimes go by Jade, my middle name.”
My eyebrows shoot toward my hairline. “Why would you do that?”
She clears her throat and diverts her gaze, even for just a moment. “Sometimes it’s necessary.”
“Necessary? Lying to people is necessary?”
Anger fills her brown eyes as they narrow. “I’m not lying,” she insists, her hands on her hips.
“ Okay , Jade. Or Ryan. Or whatever the hell your name is.” I head over to where Annabelle is playing with Buddy. “Hey, kiddo, I’m gonna take Buddy home now. Thank you so much for playing with him. He’ll sleep well tonight,” I tell her, taking the leash from her hand.
“He’s the bestest boy,” she sings, reaching over and giving him one last scratch behind the ear. “See you later, Buddy.”
He licks her cheek in response, making her laugh.
“Come on, Buddy. Time to go home.”
I wave at my friends, ignoring their confused faces. Clearly they know something’s up, since most of them heard me call her Ryan. I wasn’t trying to make a scene, but I don’t deal with bullshit, and this whole thing feels like one big, steaming pile of it.
Definitely time to put some distance between myself and the lying princess.
Whoever in the hell she is.