Chapter 5 Havoc
Havoc
The dog shows up again.
At this point, I’m starting to think Buddy has a better social calendar than most people.
It’s late afternoon when he trots into the gravel lot like he owns the place.
Tail wagging.
Tongue hanging out.
And right behind him—
The kid.
Dylan.
He’s carrying a grocery bag that looks heavier than it should be for someone his size.
Wolf notices him first.
“Your intern is back,” he says.
“He is not my intern.”
Dylan walks up the steps like he’s trying not to bother anyone.
Buddy runs straight to me.
The dog drops a stick at my feet and looks up expectantly.
I stare at it.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The tail thumps harder.
Dylan smiles.
“He likes playing fetch.”
“I don’t.”
Buddy nudges the stick closer.
Wolf laughs under his breath.
I sigh, pick it up, and throw it across the lot.
Buddy launches after it like a missile.
Dylan grins like I just performed a magic trick.
“You’re good with him,” the kid says.
“I threw a stick.”
“That’s still good.”
I glance at the grocery bag.
“You walking home with that?”
He shrugs.
“Mom’s with Grandpa,” he says quietly.
“He doesn’t sleep much anymore.”
He hesitates, then adds—
“She stays up with him.”
That lands harder than it should.
“Even when she’s tired,” Dylan continues. “She says it’s okay.”
He shrugs.
“But I know she’s really tired.”
Something in his voice says that’s not the whole story.
Wolf steps inside, leaving us alone on the porch.
Smart man.
I take the bag from Dylan before he can protest.
“It’s not heavy,” he says quickly.
“Didn’t say it was.”
He hesitates, then says quietly, “Grandpa forgot where the bathroom was today.”
That lands harder than anything else he’s said.
“Is your mom handling it okay?” I ask.
He shrugs again.
“She doesn’t sleep much. Grandpa stays awake a lot.”
Buddy returns and drops the stick again.
I throw it automatically.
The kid watches me.
“You’re nice,” he says.
“I’m really not.”
Buddy returns and leans against my leg like he disagrees.
Dylan grins.
“Buddy says you are.”
I shake my head.
“Buddy has terrible judgment.”
But for the first time in a long time…
The quiet afternoon doesn’t feel so empty.