If any man had said that to him, they would be in the ER. Even Jackal tensed at the snide comment.
“I take good care of that dog, and you know how he repays me? By pissing on my ex-girlfriend’s purse and running away to leave me searching for him in the pouring rain.”
“Male dogs mark; that’s what they do.” She didn’t bat an eyelash at repeating the same excuse he just gave Ice.
“Yeah? Well, he marked a three-thousand-dollar Louis Vuitton purse that I’m now expected to pay for. There’s a big difference on taking a wiz on a bar stool and me having to fork out cold hard cash for something that I think is ugly as fuck anyway.”
“Tilda bought a three-thousand-dollar purse?” KC spoke out from the other end of the bar. “Give her a couple of hundreds. It was probably a knock-off. Last month, she was bugging me for three hundred to help with her rent.”
“Why did Tilda ask you for money?” Stump narrowed his eyes at the brother who went pale at his question, burying his face in his beer.
“Ask her.”
Stump was about to climb over the bar when Penni asking Ice to see a picture of his dog distracted him.
“Have you seen him?” he asked hopefully when Ice pulled the picture up to show her.
“That dog doesn’t look like a Hannibal.”
“Looks are deceiving. Try to pet that fucker, and he’ll take your hand off. And I have three pairs of boots in my closet to prove it. The only other name I could come up with was Sir Pissalot.”
“If you don’t want the dog, why don’t you give it back to Grace?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want him, just that he’s a pain in the ass sometimes. Did you happen to see him on your way here?”
Penni took another look at his dog’s picture then innocently stared up at him. “No, I’ve never seen this dog before.”
3
MOM,
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!
Xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxooxxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo.
LOVE,
Zoey
Zoey stretched out on her bed, basking in the morning sunshine coming through her window. Grinning, she ruffled the fur on the dog that had woken her up.
“You need to go out?” she asked him, sliding out of bed and moving to her dresser for a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and a loose, red tank top.
After putting on her tennis shoes, she teased Buster with the fake dinosaur bone she bought him at the pet store the day before.
“You ready to get some exercise?” she asked as if he could answer while hooking a leash to the collar that she had also purchased. “The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm today. Much better than yesterday, isn’t it, boy?”
When the dog barked, she ruffled his head in approval.
“Felix texted me last night that he wants to look for a house so he can have a dog just like you. He even said he would take you if I didn’t want you.”
Limited pools of blue stared back at her.
“You’re such a handsome boy. Everyone wants you.” Slipping on her purple, plastic wrist coil with her house key attached, she opened her door, waiting for Hannibal to go first. “Ready, boy? I’ll take it easy on you. I don’t want to tire you out.”
Locking the door behind her, she took off on a slow jog so Buster would be able to run alongside her.
Zoey waved at one of her neighbors as she jogged past but didn’t stop, not wanting to be drawn into a lengthy conversation with him. At the end of the block, she extended the leash to allow Buster to relieve himself. Then she almost groaned out loud at the sight of the man who was about to jog past the grassy dog park.
“Morning, Zoey. New dog?”
“Good morning, Kent. Settled in yet?”
“Still trying to get unpacked. If you have any time, I would appreciate a woman’s advice on how to place my pictures.”
Kent had moved directly beside her two months ago, and she’d been avoiding his interest in her since the day he moved in. She tried to keep a neutral distance from the good-looking man since he joined the small community, other than waving and short greetings. Kent, on the other hand, kept trying to broach the remoteness she used to keep him at bay.
“I have a friend whom I recommend to my clients. I’ll leave the business card in your mailbox. That’ll be more helpful than I will be.” She couldn’t bring herself to coldly snub him, but neither did she want to further her acquaintance.
The vibes he gave off scared her. She didn’t know why, but she had learned to follow her instincts, and they were screaming at her to keep her distance.
“Okay… I appreciate it. Thanks.”
“No problem. I wish I could help more. I stopped trying my hand at decorating when I thought blue and yellow would be stylish. It looked like a smurf had thrown up in my living room.”