Page 31 of Long Shot

“Peggy?”

“The poodle we had when I was a kid. She was a great dog, too. Super-loving and affectionate, almost to the point of annoying. She had to be on someone’s lap all the time. Jack is more . . . independent.”

“Jesus.”

“I’m serious!”

I grin. “What else is Jack?”

“He likes to have his space. Unfortunately, that means if you treat him too aggressively, he won’t trust or respect you. Which is what apparently happened with his last owner. He’s had some bad experiences.” She turns and gazes out the side window, falling silent.

He likes to have his space.She could be talking about herself. Which makes me wonder—what bad experiences has she had? Jesus. My imagination makes my gut cramp up.

I cough. “I feel I should get to know Jack better.”

“Why?”

“To see if what you’re telling me is accurate.”

She doesn’t respond right away. “Well, I guess you’ll have to take my word for it, since I won’t be bringing Jack to work.”

“Yeah, probably not a good idea. But maybe I could walk with you one day.” Fuck, why am I saying this shit? “Hey, do you think he knows how to surf?”

She bursts out laughing. “Surf? Geez, I have no idea.”

“There are dogs who surf.”

“Shut up.”

“No, really. I’ve seen them at the beach. Let’s try it. He might like it.”

“I don’t even know if he can swim.”

“All dogs can swim.”

She squints. “I’m not sure of that. He has awfully short legs.”

“Well, we could check that out first.”

“He might need a life jacket.”

I grin. “They do make life jackets for dogs.”

“This is a crazy conversation.”

Yes. Yes, it is. But she’s more at ease and smiling now and . . . I like that.

8

REESE

“We’re going to cook with tequila.”

Sid gapes at me. “What?”

He’s at Conquistadors when Cade and I arrive back with our provisions. As soon as Cade disappeared to his office after helping them unload and put things away, I turned to Sid and hold up the bottle of añejo I liberated from the bar. “It’s going to be amazing! I have so many ideas. But first is a salsa. I bought these dried pasilla chiles. Oh, we need a dark beer, too. Can you grab one?”’

“Like what?”

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