Chapter 13
CHEWIE
“I didn’t realize that when I agreed to be a guest for the holiday that it was really for free labor,” Donner grumbled as he slid another crate into the bed of my truck. “You got my ass up at the crack of dawn . . .”
“It was almost nine o’clock,” I corrected.
“Forced me to eat . . .”
“You scarfed down half a dozen donuts and drank the last of the coffee,” I reminded him.
“And then you ordered me around. Tape this, fold that, put this here, put that in there, give me that marker. I’m not your employee, you know.”
“Maybe if you were, you wouldn’t complain so much.”
“And now I’m out here moving around precious cargo that is probably worth more than my bike.”
I smiled to myself at the compliment but didn’t say anything because he would just brush off my thanks.
Instead, I rolled with his grumpy tirade and explained, “And now I’m going to make you venture forth into the great outdoors and deal with .
. .” I gasped for dramatic effect and rested the back of my hand against my forehead as I closed my eyes. “People!”
“Fuck you and the people,” Donner muttered as he turned around to go inside. “I’ve gotta piss.”
Just to be a dick, I called out, “Will you grab the mail bins on your way back out?”
His only reply was to flip me the bird over his shoulder.
I had the good grace not to laugh until the door shut behind him.
I was still chuckling as I looked down at my list and made sure I had all the crates I’d need, which included a few crates of new items I’d created so I could gauge my local customers' interest before I made more.
“Are you single-handedly trying to keep the post office in business?” Donner asked as he walked out carrying two of the bins I used to take in packages I needed to ship.
“Don’t bitch, my friend. All of that keeps my bike running and my stomach full.
” I walked into the house and brought out two more that I set next to the ones Donner had carried before I started loading them into the cargo area.
By the time I had those four loaded, Donner had brought out the last four, so I packed those in, and then we set out to make my deliveries. “Let’s grab a coffee first.”
Donner and I talked about the upcoming holidays and what was going on with his family as we waited in the drive-thru. When I asked him for his order, he stunned me with his response.
“Do you really think I’m gonna remember all of that, princess?”
“I like what I like. What I don’t like is when people give me shit about it,” he retorted.
I sighed and then leaned out the window so the garbled voice on the intercom could hear me clearly before I gave my simple coffee order and then tried to recite Donner’s.
I got it wrong, of course, and had to lean back so he could yell across me to correct it before he griped about how it was going to be my fault if they fucked it up.
“You’re the kind of customer baristas complain about to each other,” I teased. “That poor girl who took our order is probably in there wondering why Barbie has such a deep voice.”
“Fuck you.”
My phone rang and interrupted the music that had been playing, and I smiled when I saw that it was Samara calling.
“What’s up, kid?” I asked in greeting.
“Chevy, something happened to No Name.”
Donner looked at me in confusion, and I asked, “Who is that?”
“Your dog.”
“I don’t have a dog, Samara.”
“Yes, you do, and he’s injured.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s limping.”
“Well, go outside and tell him to limp home so his owner can take him to the vet.”
Samara sighed before she said, “I’m going to find a vet who can see him today and use your debit card to pay for it.”
“Good luck with that, kiddo.”
“I don’t need luck. I’m holding your wallet right now.”
I looked over at Donner in alarm as I lifted my ass and felt my pocket. It hit me that I had left my wallet on the kitchen counter after I looked through it to find the business card of a potential customer.
“Well, shit!”
“Oh! So, you make my ass work all fucking morning, and now I have to pay for your coffee?” Donner asked.
“I just wanted you to know that I’m using it so you don’t report it as stolen when you get a text that someone just charged a bajillion dollars at the vet’s office.”
“Are you sure the dog really needs to go to the vet?” I heard Jaimee’s alarmed voice in the background and asked, “What did she just say?”
“Someone shot a fucking dog with an arrow?” Donner asked in shock. “Sam, be careful. If he’s in pain, he might bite you.”
“Fuck!” I hissed as I glanced at the boxes in the back seat. “Babe, I’ve got appointments I can’t put off. Can you take care of it?”
“Yeah. Mary’s here, and Winifred’s mom is going to drop her off in just a few minutes.”
“Someone named their kid Winifred?” Donner whispered with a horrified look.
“They’ve got pet names for each other just to confuse the shit out of everyone,” I explained in exasperation. “When Taya and Brinn get there, ask if she can stick around for a few minutes to make sure no one gets hurt.”
“If he snaps at one of them, how is your girlfriend going to protect them?”
“She’s got that mama bear thing going on, so she can handle it,” I assured him before I told Samara, “Call me if you need me. I’ll get in touch and find out where you are as soon as I’m done.”
“Thanks, Chevy.”
Just as Samara disconnected the call, it was our turn to pull up to the window. Donner growled as he thrust his debit card at me. I grinned as I looked at him and said, “Thanks for buying my coffee, sweetheart.”
“Fuck. You.”
I handed the card to the barista and laughed under my breath as she repeated Donner’s order as she held the cups out for me.
“This is your pumpkin cream chai with oat milk, brown sugar syrup, blonde espresso and cinnamon topping. And here is your cold brew with two pumps of vanilla.”
“Thank you,” I said as I took the drinks from her. As I passed Donner’s to him, I said, “Here you go, princess.”
“Get off my ass. I like what I like.”
As we drove off, Donner took a loud sip and sighed as if he’d just tasted heaven. I had to wonder what that concoction had in it to make such a grumpy man sound so happy. It didn’t matter. I wouldn’t be able to get that order right if I tried.
“So, tell me about this dog.”
“It was hanging around in the alley and followed me into the yard one night after I took the trash out. Instead of making it go away, I just left the gate open, hoping it would get the hint, but I guess he took that to mean he was welcome.”
“What the fuck do you have against dogs?”
“I’m pretty sure the damn thing is part horse. It’s too healthy to be a stray.”
“Stray or not, someone needs their ass kicked for fucking with it like that.”
“Samara will nurse him back to health, and I’m gonna end up with a fucking dog after all.”
“Sounds like it,” Donner said with a grin before he took another sip of his overly-complicated drink. “I hope he bites you in the ass at least once a day for the next year.”
“Be nice, or I’ll tell Samara that you volunteered to take him home with you.”
“Nope. A dog is way too much responsibility.”
“You better get used to the idea, buddy, because you’re about to become a dog owner.”
“No, you are.”
◆◆◆
TAYA
Taking a stray dog to the vet had not been on my agenda for the day, but the poor thing needed help, and the girls were beside themselves with worry. When I saw the arrow sticking out of the dog’s side, my worry was replaced with rage.
That rage found an outlet when I heard a man in the alley yelling someone’s name, and the dog whined and pressed against my leg as it maneuvered itself backwards as if trying to hide behind me.
“Pick him up, take him out the side gate to the front, and settle him down on the blanket in the back. One of you will have to sit back there to make sure he stays calm and doesn’t hurt himself.”
“Do you want me to . . . ?”
The man’s voice was getting closer, so I interrupted Samara and hissed, “Hurry up! Go now!”
Samara glanced at the open gate and nodded as Brinn, instantly recognizing that tone, rushed to follow my instructions. Jaimee, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes and started walking toward the gate but stopped when I grabbed her arm.
“Follow them out the side gate but stay close enough that you can hear me if I call out for help, okay?” Jaimee nodded and took off after her friends. Before she got too far away, I said, “Stay out of sight unless I call for help.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I rushed out the back gate and looked to my left, where the voice was coming from, and saw a large man peeking through the slats of a fence a few houses down.
I hurried to close the gate behind me before I rushed across the alley and rested my hand on the gate across from Chewie’s and called out, “Are you looking for a dog?”
“Yes! My son’s dog can’t learn to stay in the damn yard.”
“Oh, it’s your boy’s dog?”
“Yeah,” the man said as he walked closer. He put his hand out to demonstrate before he said, “It’s a white dog, about this tall.”
“Does your son play with it?”
The man shrugged before he said, “He was out with it earlier before it took off. I was in the garage and heard the damn thing making noise, but by the time I got outside to see what was going on, it was gone, and my son was back in the house.”
“How old is your son?”
“He’s nineteen. Why?”
“Just curious,” I said with a fake smile. “I was wondering if I’d seen him around. I’ll keep an eye out. Which house is yours?”
“We’re three doors down,” the man said, motioning behind him as he narrowed his eyes and studied my face as if he knew I was hiding something. “Where do you live?”
I swallowed hard before I said, “I don’t live around here.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“I’m a local realtor and was looking to find property owners who might be in the market to sell.”
The man looked disgusted before he said, “And you’re walking around in the alley?”
“I was driving past and thought I’d . . .”
“I think you should go.”