CHAPTER 66
DAKOTA
While Rabbit’s hair is deep conditioning and covered in a plastic bag, she puts on a bathrobe and takes charge of Aggie. “I can give you a nice wash, but how do you feel about some curlers?” she asks. “I bet we can give you some lift even without a blow dry.”
Aggie holds up a wispy tuft of gray hair. “I don’t think you can do anything with this.”
Undeterred, Rabbit holds up a yellow plastic curler. “I can try, and if it looks terrible, we can throw a wig over it.”
“Fair enough. Do your worst.” Aggie scoots her chair closer to the pool. “Where do you want me?”
I gesture at the door. “I’m going to check on Dottie and Murr and see if they need anything. I’ll be right back.”
Rabbit nods, already pulling her fingers through Aggie’s balding fluff to see what she can do with it.
There’s a smile on Aggie’s face, and she takes off her glasses, closing her eyes.
She looks as if she’s going to enjoy being pampered, and I feel a little guilty, thinking of my grandmother and how she’d go to the salon every week to get her hair set.
The After is unfair for so many reasons, not just beauty, but at Aggie’s age, I wish the biggest thing she had to worry about was getting her hair curled.
Exiting the bathroom, I head back into the store, skirting around shelves and stacks of books.
Sunlight streams in through the dirty, broken windows at the front of the store, so I’m able to get around without a candle.
I’m tempted to go outside and just gulp in some of the crisp air, but I want to find Dottie first.
I head to the sectioned-off area that Dottie and Aggie have claimed as theirs.
There’s a second, hard plastic kiddie pool in here for Stella and the puppies.
It’s filled with blankets, and Stella is in it, her tail thumping and knocking some of her babies around the moment I appear.
With a grimace, I give her pets and gently maneuver newborn puppies out of the tail danger-zone.
Stella is an incredibly sweet dog, but Aggie likes to say she’s as dumb as a stump, and well, she’s not wrong.
“Stay here, good girl,” I whisper, and glance over to the far side of the “room.” Sure enough, Dottie is in bed, a small form curled under a pile of blankets.
That worries me. Aggie is so loud and overbearing that sometimes I forget that Dottie’s much quieter and will go under the radar.
Moving to Dottie’s side, I kneel down next to the bed. The mom in me can’t help but press the backs of my fingers to her brow, checking for a fever.
“I’m not sick,” Dottie protests, cracking one eye open and glowering at me. “Can’t a woman take a midday nap without everyone fussing?”
Anything out of the ordinary automatically gets on my radar. And normally Dottie and Aggie are not big nappers. “As long as you promise there’s nothing wrong. If there is, I can go look for a pharmacy.”
“Nothing’s wrong.” She sits up on one elbow and glares at me. “Quit hovering. Go flirt with your dragon.”
I tilt my head, studying her. Does she look drawn or am I seeing things?
Is this a bad time to head out with Murr for a night alone?
I can’t tell if this is stubbornness or just me being hyper-vigilant.
After a long moment, I decide to trust what she’s telling me.
“We’re heading out later tonight, actually, for an overnight.
For some quiet time, just him and me. Can you guys keep an eye on Rabbit for me? ”
I don’t tell her that I already asked Rabbit to keep an eye on these two. Everyone can keep eyes on each other.
“Of course. She’s no problem at all. Good kid.” Dottie gets up, tossing the blankets back. “This is the perfect time for my gift.”
“You don’t have to, really—”
She pulls out her bag and hands me an economy-size box of Extra-Large Ribbed For Her Pleasure. “It’s condoms.”
How did I not guess? “So thoughtful,” I choke out, and flip over the box. Expired in 2016. “Thank you, but I don’t know if they’re any good. They’re long expired.”
“Tell him to wear them anyhow. Some protection is better than none, and you don’t want any unexpected surprises.” She looks pointedly over at the dog and her many, many babies.
She’s…not wrong. “I appreciate it, Dottie. I’m not sure if he can make me pregnant, though. He’s a different species.”
“Until you’re sure, take precautions.” She nudges the box again. “Everything is good right now, but babies complicate everything.”
I hold the box close.