Chapter 13 #2
“Are you in the market for . . . ?“
“Not interested. You should leave.”
“I’m parked on the street, so I think I’m going to cut through this yard,” I said as I walked across the alley.
I pushed open Chewie’s gate that I hadn’t closed all the way and was almost free when the man asked, “What’s your name?”
“Rose.”
“Rose what?”
“Rose Dawson,” I told him with a pageant-winning smile. “Look me up if you’re ever in the market for . . .”
“Fuck off,” the man muttered as he took off back toward his house. I shut the gate and latched it before I sprinted across the yard and ran out the open side gate. Jaimee was waiting for me, and I said, “We’ve gotta hurry.”
“Who the hell is Rose Dawson?”
“She’s the villain in Titanic!” I answered as I hopped into my SUV, and Jaime got into the back seat.
“Did you use your fake name again?” Brinn asked from the cargo area where she was sitting with Samara and the dog.
I wondered how they had all managed to fit back there but didn’t question it. Instead, I sped away from the curb to get out of the neighborhood before the man from the alley happened to walk out front and see my vehicle.
“Samara, do you know the neighbor a few doors down? His father said he’s nineteen, and . . . “
“Oh! Yes! Chevy almost beat him to death when he found him creeping around the house.”
“What?” I asked at the same time as Brinn and Jaimee.
“Yeah. He’s always been a little off, and I don’t mean that in a polite way. I mean that in a ‘there will be bodies found buried in his basement one day’ kind of way.”
“That’s his dog.”
“No!” Samara gasped.
“Well, it’s not anymore!” Brinn announced.
“They won’t let us have a dog in the dorm, and Chevy can’t keep it in his yard since he lives so close to the psycho,” Jaimee pointed out.
I glanced up at the rearview mirror and saw my daughter staring at me. I winced before I said, “We’ll figure something out.” Brinn was still staring at me, so I ordered, “Don’t give me that look, Brinn!”
“We could name him Jack,” Brinn suggested.
“That’s better than what Chevy has been calling him,” Samara grumbled.
“He’s so furry!” Jaimee said as she leaned over the back seat to pet the animal. “And sweet. The poor thing.”
“I know, right? He’s got no one to love him and a horrible home life.
I wonder what’s gonna happen to him,” Brinn said sadly, but when I looked in the mirror, I saw that she wasn’t looking at the dog.
The little shit was watching to see my reaction instead.
When I glared at her, she said, “The little guy has no one he can depend on. What a sad life.”
“You’re wasting your talents in college. You should move to New York and star on Broadway.”
“Such a pitiful, mistreated dog,” Brinn said as she looked down at the phone in her hand.
Music suddenly filled the car, and I realized Brinn had connected her phone to my stereo.
When all three girls started singing along with Sarah MacLachlan to her song “Angel,” I sighed in defeat. I’d raised a monster, and I was a complete sucker for her machinations.
“Let’s see what the vet has to say, and then I’ll take him home with me to recover.”
◆◆◆
I felt movement beside me, so I lowered my phone and looked to my right to find Chewie sitting in the chair next to mine. He said something, but I couldn’t hear him, so I took my earbud out and smiled before I said, “Hey, babe.”
He leaned over and gave me a kiss before he said, “What’s a hot woman like you doing in a place like this?”
I sighed before I said, “Apparently, this is the place to hang out when you want to be bored out of your mind.”
“Samara didn’t tell me much other than that you’d decided to keep him.”
“I tentatively agreed against my will, and now that new information has come to light, I’m regretting that decision.”
“New information?” Chewie asked curiously.
The man who was sitting on the other side of Chewie said, “Sam mentioned you met the owner,” as he leaned forward. “Who is it?”
“Taya, this is Donner. Donner, this is my girl, Taya.”
Donner nodded in greeting before he asked again, “Who does the dog belong to?”
I bit my lip before I looked at Chewie and said, “Remember the guy you caught peeking in the windows?”
Chewie’s nostrils flared, and he clenched his jaw before he hissed, “You’re kidding.”
“You caught some fucker looking through your daughter’s window, and he’s not dead?” Donner asked in shock.
“There were witnesses,” Chewie mumbled.
“Well, we can’t have that next time, can we?” Donner asked.
I laughed and asked, “Mr. Donner, will you be my new best friend?”
“I guess I will if I have to,” Donner replied with a smirk.
I laughed again as I looked at Chewie and asked, “Are all of your friends truffles?”
“What?” both men asked in unison.
“You know . . . the things with a crunchy hard shell and a gooey sweet interior that makes it worthwhile.”
“I knew there had to be something wrong with the woman when you said that you were dating, but I didn’t realize it was that bad,” Donner said, staring at me as if I’d just sprouted horns and started reciting the alphabet. “The woman is comparing us to pig food.”
“Pig food?” I asked.
“Pigs hunt for truffles, woman.”
“I’m talking about Lindor, you big goof!”
“Who the hell is that? I’m not into that hobbit shit with the rings and the precious guy.”
“Lindor truffles!”
“Is that his name?”
“Did he just crawl out of his cave for the holiday season or what?” I asked Chewie.
“I’ve been on an extended vacation,” Donner explained.
“There’s no place on earth that doesn’t sell truffles of one kind or another. I can almost guarantee it.”
“Prison, babe,” Chewie said quietly.
“Oh! Well, now that he’s home, I know what I’m getting him for Christmas.” I leaned forward so I could make eye contact with Donner and ordered, “You’ll come for Christmas too.”
“I will?”
I nodded and then looked at Chewie before I said, “I’m going to make a list of things he needs, but I may need your input.” I leaned forward again and asked Donner, “How long were you on vacation?”
“Which time?”
I leaned back and nodded before I said, “So, he’s not a quick learner. It happens.”
Donner hooted with laughter, and Chewie grinned at me before he put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. “You’re pretty fucking awesome, Taya.”
“Remember that when I give you the big news.”
“What news?”
“We were going to name your dog Jack Dawson after Leo’s character from Titanic,” I explained to Chewie before I looked around him and told Donner, “That was a ship that sank, and a few years ago, they made a movie about it.”
“How long do you think I was in fucking prison?”
“Hopefully not since the Titanic hit the iceberg, or you’re gonna have a lot to catch up on.” I leaned back again and gave Chewie a fake smile before I said, “But Jack is now Rose, and she’s the proud mother of six puppies. Congratulations, Gramps.”
“What? That’s not my dog!”
“She wasn’t before, but she is now because your name is on her file, as is your credit card.”
“Well, shit!”