Page 51 of Love is Blind

“Well, what were you doing back in Charlotte?”

Running drugs for my loser ex-boyfriend doesn’t seem like an appropriate response, so I simply shrug my shoulders.

“A little of this and a little of that.”

“Birdie…” Her voice trails. “What the fuck?”

I lift my head at her outburst. If she’s that bent out of shape over my vague response, imagine her reaction if I told her the truth.

“What? I bore easily,” I defend.

Just then I hear a dog bark and my eyebrows shoot up. Emmy doesn’t say anything else so I’m not really sure what’s going on. I spin around in my chair, and a moment later the dog’s paws are tackling my calves.

“Why is there a dog on me?” I ask, lowering my hand to pet it. The dog must smell the sauce on my fingers because it starts to lick me.

“Ink,” Emmy hisses. “What the hell is going on?”

“Special delivery,” Ink deadpans.

His voice strikes a chord and I recall him introducing himself at the clubhouse. Wondering if Ghost is with him, I tear my attention away from the dog. After he left last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It turns out sparks don’t only appear when two people touch, they can ignite through conversation too.

“I didn’t order a dog,” Emmy replies evenly.

“Lucy isn’t for you,” he volleys. His boots pad across the floor and his shadow looms over me. “Hey, Birdie, it’s Ink, we met the other night.”

“Yes, before all hell imploded, I remember.” I smile, giving the dog another pat on the head. “Good to not see you again.”

He laughs.

“Hawk is here too.”

“Hey, Birdie,” Hawk greets.

I wave and offer a smile. “Is Ghost here too?”

“No,” Ink says.

It’s probably just as well. A man like Ghost should come with a warning label…or a horn, you know for us folks who can’t read labels. I don’t know what would’ve happened if he stayed any longer than he did last night. All I know is that I felt compelled to ease some of the grief he was experiencing and in doing that, I got to know him better. He wasn’t simply another bad decision or even some guy I slept with just for one night. He was a complex man who was just as intriguing as he was flawed. There was a story there and I wanted to know from cover to cover.

“Lucy, sit,” Hawk commands, and the dog instantly stops licking me. Thankful that’s over with, I straighten up and turn back to my wings. I’m quite the animal lover, but that was getting a little out of hand.

“Is this why you asked me where Birdie was?” Emmy queries.

I drop the wing I was just about to sink my teeth into and lift my chin. What is she talking about?

“I’m sorry, what?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. Why didn’t she mention that Ink had asked for me? More importantly why was Ghost’s biker buddy asking for little ol’ me in the first place?

“Yes,” Ink answers.

“Lucy is a trained guide dog,” Hawk says.

At the risk of getting whiplash, I spin back to them but before I can ask anyone what the hell is going on, my phone rings and Siri announces the caller to the whole room.

Incoming call from Do Not Fucking Answer.

Ah, fuck. I quickly reach into my pocket for my phone.

“A friend of yours?” Emmy probes as I feel for the button on the side of the phone. Silencing it, I plaster a fake smile to my face.

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