Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
When the bikini pics start flooding my newsfeed, I have to remind myself that I have a great personality.
—Constance’s secret thoughts
Constance
Today had been weird.
And great.
I hadn’t laughed this much in a long time.
Especially when we wound through the throng of elementary children to find our way to Wendy, Peanut baying the entire way.
Peanut was a big hit, and the kids loved him.
The pup had done awesome, too.
Getting straight to Wendy without an ounce of issue.
“You did good, buddy.” I worked my fingers through Peanut’s loose jowls.
“He did.” Wendy laughed. “Where are we going next? I think he needs a pup cup from Starbucks!”
“The closest Starbucks is two hours away, goober.” I poked her nose. “What about going home and making s’mores?”
“Boring.” She looked up at Odin. “Odin, we should go to get ice cream, shouldn’t we?”
Odin looked at me helplessly.
I sighed. “It’s fine if you want to say yes.”
Odin’s eyes crinkled at the edges, and that little dimple in his cheek went deeper.
It was too bad those weren’t genetic. I’d love to have a dimpled little baby.
“How about we eat dinner first, then ice cream?” Odin suggested. “And we go to my house and drop Peanut off?”
“Your house?” Wendy breathed. “And why do we need to take Peanut home? He can come everywhere with us.”
She had a point.
“If you take Peanut home, that means you’ll have to return.”
I didn’t miss the look he gave me.
One that clearly said, “You’d want that?”
I nodded.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, then said, “How about we go to the store to get stuff to cook for dinner, then we grab some ice cream sundae stuff. Then we go back to your place and cook? But we’ll need to drop me off at my place so I can get Peanut some food for dinner. He doesn’t do well with people food.”
“Can I ride with you?”
Odin again looked at me for confirmation.
I surreptitiously gave him a nod.
I liked that he was asking for permission.
But I found that I trusted him implicitly.
“Of course,” Odin said. “As long as you don’t mind Peanut sitting in your lap. He prefers the middle.”
“Of course!” Wendy’s high-pitched voice sounded. “I love dog butts in my lap!”
Odin looked to me. “Why don’t you go to your place. Get showered? I’ll run by my place with Wendy, get a change of clothes, Peanut’s food, and dinner.”
I leaned forward and caught his hand, not giving him a kiss quite yet because I still needed to have a conversation with Wendy first.
“I’ll see you at my place,” I said softly.
Peanut pranced off between two of my favorite people, and I waited until I couldn’t see them anymore to get into my SUV and head to my place.
When I got there, it was to pass my parents’ empty house.
I passed the rehab facility and still didn’t spot their car.
When I got to my place, I realized that someone was there. But it wasn’t my parents.
I got out of my SUV and rounded the hood, keeping it between the visitor and me.
“What are you doing here, Eustace?”
He looked properly chagrined.
“I just wanted to make sure that you were really okay.”
I gritted my teeth. “How did you get in here?”
We had a gate.
“I passed your parents on the road,” he said. “They were leaving as I came in.”
My hands clenched. “We have a gate for a reason, Eustace. You’re not allowed to come in here unannounced.”
“Why?”
I shouldn’t have to explain myself to him.
But again, he was still a child.
“This is a wildlife rehab facility,” I said. “Where wildlife is prevalent. We can’t just be letting anybody in here for liability reasons.”
“Oh,” he said. “Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “Now, I’d like you to leave.”
He walked to his truck, which was much fancier than I would’ve expected.
But also…he was fifteen.
How was he driving?
I waited until he’d driven off before snatching my purse off the passenger seat and marching up to the house.
I input the code, disarmed the alarm, then locked it behind me just in case.
I’d just pulled my phone out to call Odin when the crunching of gravel sounded.
Angry that the ass had come back, I went to the door ready to raise hell when I stopped short.
“Black,” I said when I opened the door wide. “This is the second time you’ve shown up unannounced.”
“Odin told me to come here.” He paused. “Was that Eustace that I just saw leaving?”
I nodded once.
“He’s fifteen and has no license.” He sighed. “That’ll be another thing I talk to his father about when I finally see him.”
I gestured for him to come inside and said, “You didn’t see him earlier?”
He followed me inside to the kitchen.
I held up a beer bottle to him and he nodded. “Thanks.”
I grabbed two out of the fridge and took a seat. “Tell me.”