Page 75 of Dozer

“Hey, we all need to make a change every once in a while. Helping people make those changes so they have no regrets is what I do.”

“I hope to someday be able to do that with tattoos. I’ll be there at nine tomorrow morning.”

I wanted to go to a few of the places the saleswoman had told me I could buy curtains, but I was suddenly starving, and I realized it was six o’clock and I hadn’t eaten anything yet. Or drank anything, for that matter.

There’s this frou-frou teahouse place I’d never dared ask Dozer to take me to, and I called to see if I could come then, or whether I needed reservations to come in about an hour. They said they had a small table I could reserve, so I did. I ran home and let Champ out again, fed him again, got him resettled, and went to the teahouse.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, eating tiny sandwiches and sipping tea from delicate teacups. I finished my little meal withscones and jam, and the super-rich butter was so good, I asked for more of it and loaded it onto my scones.

It was too late to shop for curtains when I left, so I went to a bookstore, browsed the shelves for something I wanted to read, went home and downloaded it onto my e-reader, and then got into the tub with a bottle of wine and read.

And on this night, once I got out of the tub and had dealt with Champ again, I slept in the damned bed.

Chapter 57

Dozer

I was miserable without my little flower, but she didn’t turn the tracking feature off on her phone, so at least I knew where she was.

Brain told me she had a furniture delivery coming the following week, and I was debating whether it would be over-the-top to ask him to hack into the furniture company and find out what she’d bought when a text came through from him with a list of things.You’re on your own to look them up and find the pictures, but this is what she bought.

Thanks, brother.

Don’t give her too much time.

She’s buying furniture. Would she do that if she wasn’t planning to keep living in the house?

I’m not sure I’d take that logic to the bank. We’re picking up the old stuff. Anything you want to keep?

As long as she isn’t getting rid of anything in the kitchen or game room, send it to someone who needs it.

A few hours later, Bubbles texted me that Daisy had made an appointment with Lexi, and his girl had worked her in early the next morning before the shop officially opened.

My heart fell into my feet at the idea she might cut her beautiful hair, but I’d given her time away from me, so it wasn’t like I could call her and tell her she didn’t have permission to cut it.

Fuck. Whatever she had to do to figure her shit out, we’d deal with. Hair grows back.

I texted Brain.Are we short-staffed anywhere? I’m free to work, if we are.

Brain called me on the app. “I think it’s time to see how Shaggy does on patrol, so grab him and show him the ropes. We’re going to vote on three of the prospects Sunday, but I’m of a mind to make it four, based on a few things I’ve seen from Shag in the past days.”

Shaggy is a skinny guy. Tall with wiry muscles. He’s a great horned owl, which means he’ll bring us someone else who can work during the full moon. He’s also black, and wears his hair in braids most of the time, which means he doesn’t actually go to owl all that often.

Why do we call him Shaggy? Motherfucker has a Great Dane named Scooby Doo.

“I’ll sign up for the first week in the cabin, if we vote the humans in and they agree to bechanged.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. She wants time alone, I’ll let her know she has it.”

“Careful with that. You don’t want to get her too used to not having you around.”

“She’s keeping herself busy. Eventually, she’ll realize it’s lonely in the house, but I’m not a dog who comes when called. I’ll tell her when I’ll be back. She doesn’t get to invite me back home.”

Shaggy was helping Brain man the gate, and I directed another prospect to follow me out, and then put him with Brain and took Shaggy with me.

Prospects are sent to buy shit, or sent to mow everyone’s yards, at first. Bullshit jobs that won’t be the end of the world if they fuck up. If they do okay, we bring it up for a vote to give them a little more responsibility. Eventually, we take them with us for important shit, and let them work the whore hotel to see how they handle it there.

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