Chapter 21 #2
“That’s not the point, Olivia, and you know it. That bastard has been at your house, and you said nothing.”
She shook her head.
“I’m not certain he has.”
“What?”
“He can’t cross the protection lines if he intends me harm. I don’t know how he’s doing it,” she answered. “Besides, he hasn’t actually hurt me.”
“Don’t fool yourself, Olivia.” Theo held up the doll. “You can’t tell me this doesn’t hurt you.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She frowned. “I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of breaking me, no matter how many cruel gifts he sends me.”
“Jesus,” he breathed out heavily as his eyes fell on the dog curled contentedly in her arms. “What are you going to do about the dog?”
He needn’t have bothered asking, given the expression on her face as she gazed down at the sleeping ball of fur in her arms. Anyone with eyes could tell it was love at first sight.
“I’m keeping him,” she murmured. “It’s not his fault my father’s a sadistic asshole.”
Dropping the doll back into the drawer, he turned back to Olivia. “Let’s go back to bed. It’s late and you should really try to sleep.”
Nodding absently and cradling the puppy like a child, she headed back up the stairs while the fire banked behind them.
* * *
When the first pale rays of dawn began to filter through the window, Olivia woke to soft paws pressing on her chest and her face being bathed by a rough, wet tongue.
“Urgh.” She pushed the puppy down, but he simply rolled over happily and began to chew on the bedding. “No!” She picked him up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“Oh, for God’s sake,” she sighed, as her bare feet landed in a puddle. Glancing across her bedroom floor, she noticed several more puddles on the hardwood floor.
The puppy wriggled out of her grasp, jumping back onto the bed and trotting over to lick Theo’s ear.
“Jesus.” He jolted awake and wiped his ear. “Does he have to share a bed with us?” he asked grumpily.
“He’s only a baby. He needs reassurance and a lot of attention right now.”
She stood up, surveying the carnage of her room. Not only had he been marking his territory, but he seemed to have amused himself while they slept by chewing his way through one of her favorite sneakers.
“You can take him outside and let him run for a bit.”
“Why do I have to?” Theo frowned.
“Do you want to clean this up?”
He leaned over the bed and peered at the wet floor. “Ah, why don’t I take him outside for a while?”
“I thought you might say that,” she murmured as she hobbled to the bathroom.
By the time Theo wandered back into the kitchen, holding the squirming fur ball, who was busy trying to chew his fingers, Olivia had cleaned both herself and the bedroom and was dressed and making him a coffee.
“He’ll be hungry by now.” She laid a bowl of water on the floor for the puppy. “I’ll have to run to the store and get some supplies.”
Theo nodded as he placed the puppy on the floor, watching in amusement as he ambled over to the bowl and stuck his face clumsily in the water, sloshing it over the floor.
“I’ll go take a shower and get dressed.”
“You don’t need to come too.” Olivia handed him a coffee. “I won’t be long. Why don’t you stay and paint? You didn’t really get a chance to yesterday.”
“I can paint anytime.” He took the mug gratefully and sipped. “Besides, you’re not going out on your own until we’ve figured out what’s going on.”
“Really? You’re being ridiculous,” she muttered sourly. “I don’t need a babysitter. Erica said the mayor is dealing with the chief, and my father, while he may or may not be a psycho, hasn’t actually harmed me.”
“Have you forgotten there’s a murderer on the loose?”
“One with a specific victim pool,” she countered. “I’m not his type.”
“Regardless,” he answered stubbornly, “I could do with some fresh air anyway.”
“Between you and Jake, I’m starting to feel a little suffocated.”
“I can’t help that, Olivia,” Theo said softly. “I’m worried about you.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “Just hurry up before the puppy starts chewing through anything else.”
He disappeared back up the stairs, and Olivia stubbornly contemplated, just for a moment, grabbing her keys and going anyway. But the truth was, it wasn’t actually such a hardship having Theo with her. She enjoyed his company, and he really needed to practice getting used to using modern currency.
Figuring now was as good a time as any, she decided she’d take him by the bank and teach him how to use the ATM.
After all, Sam had given him an account, so he might as well learn how to use it.
After, maybe, they could stop by the coffee shop, and he could try his first espresso.
Although, she thought to herself in amusement, given his love of coffee it probably wasn’t a good idea to introduce him to coffee in shot form.
He was already halfway to being a caffeine junkie.
Wandering into the library with the puppy enthusiastically trailing along behind her, she stopped when she noticed the red leather collar on the sofa from the night before.
Picking it up and grasping it tightly in her hand, she looked down at the dog.
He couldn’t keep the name; even if he did look exactly the same as her beloved Truman, he needed his own identity.
Dropping the collar in the trash basket, she dropped down onto the couch and let the puppy jump up into her lap.
“What should we call you, huh?” She stroked him gently, and he simply collapsed onto her lap and rolled over. “You’re such a pretty boy, aren’t you?” She laughed lightly as she rubbed his belly, running through different names in her mind.
“How about Beau?” She decided impulsively.
He rolled over and sat up abruptly, licking her face.
“You like that, huh?”
He let loose a little bark and licked her again.
“Well, Beau it is.” She smiled, stroking his beautiful soft ears. “You want to go for a ride in the car?” He let out another bark, and she laughed as she pulled her boots on over her thick socks, watching as the adorable puppy tugged at the laces.
“No, little guy”—she lifted him up—“those aren’t for you.”
She was just zipping her coat up and pulling her hat over her head when Theo came back down the stairs and retrieved his own jacket. She pulled out a beanie and handed it to him.
“Here, you’re going to need this. We’re almost into winter, and it’s getting real cold now.”
Helping him to put it on, she tilted her head as she watched him. Damn it, he looked good enough to eat. He watched her with those dark, inscrutable eyes, his inky-colored hair curling at the ends and poking out from under the woolen hat.
Smiling at him, she hooked her bag over her shoulder and lifted Beau into her arms.
“Have you got your keys?” he asked, and she nodded before heading down the porch steps, leaving him to close the door behind them.
There was a thin layer of frost on her car as she pulled out her keys and unlocked it. Handing Beau to Theo, she climbed into the driver’s side.
“We really need to teach you to drive,” she mused idly as Theo climbed in the other side.
“Really?”
“Really.” She chuckled, turning the key in the ignition, listening as her poor car spluttered reluctantly to life. “Although you might be better off if Jake teaches you. I’m not known for my patience.”
Leaving the heater running, she climbed back out and scraped the thin layer of ice from her windshield. By the time they actually pulled out of her driveway and hit the main road into town, she noticed the tell-tale shadow in her rear-view mirror.
“I guess the mayor hasn’t dealt with Chief Walcott yet.” Theo turned to look behind them and noticed the police car tailing them.
“Fuck them,” Olivia told him, seeing the murderous glare on his face. “I’m not going to let them upset me. After all, at the end of the day, there’s a murderer on the loose and a demon in my woods about to break free that’s a helluva lot scarier than those misguided idiots.”
“I wish I could feel that way.” He scowled. “Right now, I’d love nothing more than to plant my fist in Chief Walcott’s face.”
“And I can’t say I wouldn’t enjoy that,” Olivia laughed. “But instead what we’re going to do is head into town and ignore them. The Baileys’ store should have everything Beau needs.”
“Beau?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
He held the puppy up and studied his adorable face as he tried to lick Theo’s hands. “I think it suits him,” he said after a moment.
“After we’ve got him a leash, we can take a walk down Main St. and stop by the bank. I’ll show you how to use an ATM. We haven’t had a chance to do that yet.”
“What’s an ATM?”
“It’s an automated teller machine,” she told him. “You remember I explained to you about your bank account and card?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“You use your card to get cash from the machine. That amount is then deducted from your bank account.”
“Okay.” Theo stroked Beau’s coat absently. “But why do I need cash? I thought you said I could pay for what I wanted with the card.”
“That’s true, you can, but you need to practice handling modern money. We’re going to go to the coffee shop, and you can have a go.”
“A coffee shop?” He turned to Olivia in interest.
“Yes.” She smiled. “It sells lots of different types of coffee. You can even try an espresso if you like.”
“What’s an espresso?” he asked curiously.
“It’s a tiny cup of really, really strong black coffee.”
“I see… Perhaps we should go there first?” he asked hopefully.
“Nice try.” She smiled. “But Beau is hungry, and he needs a leash.”
She pulled into a parking space along Main St. and stepped out of the car, watching to make sure Theo was out before she locked it. Rounding the car, she took Beau from him, snuggling the puppy into her jacket.
“What are those?” Theo asked, looking up as two workers on ladders strung Christmas decorations between the streetlights.
“They’re Christmas decorations.” She looked back at Theo, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “I forgot that as a Puritan you wouldn’t have celebrated Christmas.”