Chapter 8 #2
Three puppies would turn her life upside down, and from her tense demeanor and threatening tone, I understood that she wasn’t open to that idea.
Not one bit.
I reached for my mug to give myself some time, but Mom wasn’t having it. She took my mug before she mouthed, “Fix. It.”
“So, Dad, . . . um . . . I was just kidding. They’re not really for you.” Dad stopped smiling and looked heartbroken, as if I’d done something horrific. I hurried to explain, “Griff and I rescued them yesterday, and . . .”
“Oh, the boy’s got his heart set on keeping them,” Dad said, suddenly okay with the thought of not getting to keep them himself. “That makes sense.”
I looked over at my mom to see if she’d stepped back from that homicidal ledge and found her sipping my coffee with that soft smile she always got when she watched Dad.
Luckily, I’d managed to save myself, something I’d had to do often over the years after getting into so much shit with my brothers.
Mom got up and walked around the island to refill my coffee, then slid it across to me with a smile before she got closer to Dad and inspected the puppies.
“Have you named them yet?”
“Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.”
Mom and Dad laughed together before Mom finally said, “You guys loved that cartoon when you were kids.”
“He’s got Griff watching it now. Last time I dropped by, they were singing that song about the states and their capitals,” Dad said as he handed Dot to Mom.
“That’s how we learned them,” I reminded them.
“Hell, son, that’s how I learned them!”
“Where is Griff today?” Mom asked.
“He’s hanging out at Lark’s with Tristan and Koda. She’s going to take them to the zoo.”
“She knows that no matter how much she begs, the zoo won’t keep them, right?” Dad asked with a grin.
“If she doesn’t already, she’ll find out soon. When I asked if I could leave them there, the employees started going on about bullshit like laws and responsibility. I lost interest after they told me no.”
“My grandchildren are unique and wonderful individuals who express themselves in ways that some people just can’t understand.”
“She’s been saying that over and over since she found out that Koda and Griffin were planning to take over the warehouse,” Dad explained. “I think she’s trying to get her face straight and her words memorized for the news cameras.”
“And the jury,” Mom added. “It’s always good to have a plan.”
“That’s a new one. Why do they want to take over a warehouse?” I asked.
“Who wouldn’t? has everything!” Mom exclaimed.
“No, they don’t have everything, Sunshine. Half their shit is already in our house.”
◆◆◆
It took a few minutes to find parking outside of Darcy’s store, and when I walked up, I saw that there were dogs in the window looking out onto the street. They were separated into small groups in fenced enclosures, and almost everyone who walked past stopped to watch them.
I recognized Ursula, my Aunt Jewel’s demonic chihuahua, and wasn’t surprised that she was in an enclosure by herself. The second she spotted me, she bared her teeth, and I found myself doing the same right back to her.
“Don’t tease that poor animal!” a woman sitting on a nearby wrought-iron bench ordered.
“That dog has been trying to steal my soul for years, ma’am.
Don’t make eye contact, or she’ll go after you next,” I warned her as I pulled the door open and held it for a woman pushing a stroller.
Tansy, Darcy’s sister, was following close behind her, carrying a bag that was almost as big as she was. “Do you need me to get that?”
“It’s freeze-dried, so it really doesn’t weigh much,” she assured me. She glanced over her shoulder before she asked, “But since you’re offering your services, can you go help Darcy with the dog she’s working on in the back?”
“Sure,” I replied as I walked into the store. I was surprised to see Stevie, one of my younger cousins, working the cash register. I waved before I opened the gate and walked through to the next one and then the next one that took me into the big playroom.
I was barely inside when I heard Darcy say, “Let’s think about this rationally, sweetheart. You used the steps to go up into the sink, so they’re not going to hurt you if you use them to get out, right?”
I tapped on the doorframe to warn her that I was there before I walked in and asked, “Has one of them ever answered you?”
“No, but that would be nice,” Darcy grumbled. “It sure would make them easier to understand.”
“That dog is huge!” I exclaimed as I set the warming box down on the counter. “Your sister said you need some help.”
“I do. There’s no way I can lift him over the side and put him down on the ground,” Darcy explained.
“Is he nice?” I asked hesitantly before I volunteered.
“He’s the sweetest,” Darcy assured me.
“Says the woman who babysits Ursula every day.”
“Ursula’s not that bad once you get to know her.”
“I’ve known her since Jewel dragged her up from the pits of hell and turned her into a housepet.” When Darcy scoffed, I said, “That’s the only other being on earth who is almost as unpleasant as Jewel when she’s irritated.”
“How do you know Dr. Parker?”
“She’s my aunt.”
“That makes sense. She and Phoenix were insulting each other yesterday, and Griffin said that was their love language.”
“He’s right. Jewel talking shit is expected.
You shouldn’t really get concerned unless she gets quiet.
Most of the women in my family are like that.
” I stepped up next to Darcy and slowly extended my hand toward the giant dog that was pressed against the back of the metal sink.
I started murmuring gibberish to him, like I couldn’t seem to stop myself from doing when I met a new animal, and he relaxed a little before he licked my finger.
“You’re a natural.”
“I like animals.”
“But you don’t have any.”
“Depending on what time of day it is and who he’s been around, some would say that Griff is a wild animal. I know they say that about my cousin’s kid. Koda is feral on the best of days, but we’re all fond of him, so we let him stick around.”
Darcy laughed before she asked, “Where is the little genius?”
“He’s with my sister today. She took them to the zoo.”
“That sounds fun.”
“It is until the employees get all uptight when you ask if you can leave the kids there,” I joked.
Darcy laughed and then reached into her pocket before she extended her hand and encouraged the nervous dog. “Come on, Gar. You can do it, buddy. Just walk down the steps.”
“It’s not happening,” I told her before I put my hand out for the treats. Once she gave them to me, I held them at the end of the sink farthest from the steps, hoping to draw the dog closer to me.
As he inched closer to me, she said, “He’s very food-motivated.”
“Aren’t we all?” I asked as I scratched behind his ears. “Where do you want him?”
“Just stand him on the floor. I need to take him to the dryer, but that table has a lift, so it should be fine.”
I took another minute or two to get the dog more comfortable with me and then picked him up and lifted him over the edge of the sink before I set him down on the floor.
By the time I put him down, his tail was wagging back and forth, so I gave him some more attention and then stood up to look at Darcy.
“Oh, wow. I’m so sorry. Your shirt is soaked.”
“That’s okay,” I assured her. “I’m going home after this.”
Darcy blushed and said, “I thought that you probably wouldn’t talk to me again after this morning.”
I ignored the fact that she’d seen my cock this morning and assured her, “A fear of spiders isn’t foreign to me. You react better than my mom when she sees one.”
“I just can’t . . .” Darcy shivered before she said, “Nope! Not even gonna think about it.”
“Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts!”
“I’ve got to start drying this beast,” Darcy said, much more cheerful now. “Thank you for your help. Do you need something? Are the puppies okay?”
“They’re great, but they’ll need to be weighed and all of that this evening, right?”
“Yes.”
“Since I evicted my unwanted houseguest, will you come over and do that?”
“Of course! I’d be happy to. I’ll go home and clean up and then come over, okay?”
“Once they’re settled, can I take you out to dinner?”
“You want to take me out?”
“Yes.”
“Like on a date?”
I wondered if it had been so long that I was completely off my game, but then I remembered how I’d caught her watching me last night at dinner and then off and on while we were watching television. But maybe I was wrong, considering her reaction this morning before she saw the spider.
“Yes. I am asking you out on a date.”
“I can’t do it! You’re the temptation that I can’t . . . No. I’m sorry, but I’m not dating right now.”
“Anyone, or just me?”
“Anyone. If I were open to dating, I would love to go to dinner with you, but I’m on a sabbatical.”
“From dating.” When she nodded, I asked, “How long will you be on this sabbatical?”
“A year,” she said firmly. Under her breath, she emphasized, “One whole year.”
“That’s . . . interesting.”
“Yep. That’s me. I’m interesting. Probably unhinged too, but that’s an entirely different story.”
“That you could tell me all about over dinner.”
“But I —”
“You set a boundary, and I’m going to respect it. No dating. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to eat, though. So, come over to my place and help with the puppies, and I’ll buy you dinner as payment.”
“Well . . .”
“It’s not a date; it’s just dinner between friends.” She didn’t look convinced, but I guessed that had more to do with her declaration than my agreement to it. “We can hang out just like we did last night, right? That’s not against the rules, is it?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay then. It’s not a date. Just dinner with a friend.”
“Sure. That sounds great.”
“I’ll see you later then?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect. And before you get there, I’ll do a sweep of the house and make sure it’s just us inside.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s what friends are for, right?”