THEA
Mr. Wedge was determined to fuck with me. I was certain he would find a way to get over a twelve-foot fence made of razor wire. The man was bitter and an asshole.
“Sit here,” I said and gestured to the kitchen table.
“What the hell is that guy’s problem?” Reese asked. “What paper is he talking about?”
“He’s been trying to get my dogs out of the neighborhood for a while,” I explained. “He’s been going to all the neighbors trying to convince them to sign a petition for the dogs to be removed.”
“Why?” he asked. “I didn’t see them do anything wrong.”
“Because he’s an asshole. He hates animals. I had a couple of fosters and had to take them back to the shelter because he pitched a fit. He says Kona is dangerous.”
“The dog that was just drooling on my foot?” he joked. “Yeah, she seems like she’s out for blood.”
“He’s afraid of her size. When I brought Bryce home, I had to go through a bunch of bullshit with him. If only they knew Peppy was the vicious one.”
“So, what now?” he asked. “Do those petitions go anywhere?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I pay extra insurance to have them here. My backyard is secured. The gate is always locked. I have cameras to keep an eye on things. He just really hates me and the animals. He wants to make us all miserable.”
“Because of Kona?” he asked again.
“Yes.”
“She’s a big dog and she is definitely intimidating, but I would think a single woman living alone should have a dog like that,” he said.
“Exactly!”
“Anything I can do?” he asked.
“Thank you, but I’m sure it’s all bark once again,” I said. “This isn’t the first time he’s tried to make me get rid of them. The dogs have done nothing wrong. Every time he pulls this shit, I have to go defend them. I’ll figure it out.”
“What an asshole,” he said.
“I agree. But he’s the one that’s destined to live a lonely, miserable life. I fully believe in karma. One of these days, it’s going to come back to bite him in the ass. I hope he thinks of Kona when it does happen.”
“Do your dad and Rich know this guy is hassling you?”
I shrugged and sipped my tea. “Rich kind of knows and my dad wouldn’t know or care. He’s got his own problems to deal with.”
“Like what?” he asked. “Rich told me he’d been doing pretty well with his illness.”
“My dad has a girlfriend that makes Mr. Wedge look like a prince,” I said. “Stacey. Stacey fucking Cleaver. The woman is awful. She’s ruining my dad and he can’t see it. I know they say karma will get these evildoers, but how long are we supposed to wait? It’s not like my dad has an eternity on this planet. She’s going to run him straight into the ground and laugh her ass all the way to the bank.”
“Rich mentioned your dad had a girlfriend, but I thought you just didn’t like her.”
My lip curled with disgust. “That’s a very mild way to put it. Stacey is a gold digger. Unfortunately, my dad isn’t exactly wealthy. She’s draining him, like a vampire sucking the lifeblood out of a victim. It’s not even that she’s taking all his money, she’s taking him. His life. She’s doing everything she can to keep him away from us. She doesn’t want witnesses to her actions. I know she’s done this before. I wish I could find out who else she’s used like this.”
“Have you talked to your dad?”
“Yep,” I said. “Several times, but she never leaves his side. Rich and I try to sneak him away to get some time alone with him. She has some kind of sixth sense and comes running every damn time. She’s making him move to Calgary. I know she’s only doing it to get him away from us. Once he’s out of our reach, she’ll completely cut him off. She’ll probably change his cell and block our calls. She hates that we might have some influence over him. She can’t control him if he’s listening to us.”
“Wow,” he said. “That’s bad. I had no idea. Rich never let on it was that bad.”
“Oh, it’s bad,” I said. “We went there last weekend to try and talk to him while she was out blowing his money. That woman came blazing in with her usual nasty cigarette hanging from her fingers. She implied she was part of our family. I let her know that was never going to happen. She would never be a member of our family. Ever. My dad took her side. He does that now. They think I’m some bitter, jealous kid worried about getting a new mommy. That could not be farther from the truth. I would welcome a new mommy. I don’t want my dad to be alone, but that woman is not it. She is not worthy of him. She’s not worthy of the dirt on my shoe.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” he said. “What are you going to do about it?”