Page 94 of Call it Reckless

We arranged for Zach to drop Sterling off at my house in the next hour. It must be pretty bad for Em to move him out that fast. She was one of the most patient people I knew.

Sure enough, forty minutes later, Zach pulled into my driveway. He and Reid set up Sterling’s large cage in my living room and brought the feathered mayor inside in his travel cage.

As soon as I opened his door, he stepped out and looked around. “Bristol. Where the hell have you been?”

“Hi, Sterling. Got some sugar for me?”

“Sure, babe.” He flew to my shoulder and gently nibbled my cheek with his beak, making kissing noises as he did.

Zach laughed. “I think I’ve been replaced as his favorite. He definitely likes you better.”

“Let’s just hope he likes Buddy.” I knelt down to where Buddy was sitting at my feet. “Sterling, this is my friend, Buddy.”

I felt Sterling’s feet shift on my shoulder as he leaned a little forward. “Snickers?”

I looked at Zach, confused. He told me how Sterling had been depressed when Rich’s dog, Snickers, had died. “No, this is Buddy,” I corrected him.

“Buddy.Woof.”

Buddy’s tail wagged as he looked curiously at the bird, then he lay down.

Sterling barked some more, but Buddy just cocked his head and stared as if to say,“I’m not falling for that.”

After a short staring contest, Sterling flew from my shoulder to the floor next to Buddy. He stretched out a leg and touched Buddy’s fur. I watched carefully, ready to intervene if needed, but Buddy didn’t react. And then Sterling flew up to Buddy’s back and nestled at the back of his head. “Buddy. Where the hell have you been?”

The three of us laughed. “Well, hopefully, this is a good omen that things will go well here.”

“Just don’t teach him any bad habits,” Zach warned.

“Again, why does everyone think I’m a bad influence on him?” I asked, shaking my head but laughing along with them.

* * *

Only one girlcanceled on Lexi’s party, and that was because her grandmother died, and they had to go out of town. All the moms were friendly as I welcomed them at the door and gave each girl a personalized bag that had a few spa-themed party favors in them, including their own pair of personalized slippers that Cam and Em helped me make. We’d turned the iron-on project into a girls’ night party, and Lexi had been thrilled with the results.

Paige had gotten a couple of her girls to come in on a Sunday afternoon for an extra couple of hours to give mani-pedis to the eight girls plus Lexi. Reid hung out in the corner with me, a little overwhelmed by all the squeals and excited chatter that surrounded us.

“I really owe you big time for this idea,” he said. “I not only wouldn’t have thought of it, but there’s no way I could handle this much girly stuff on my own. I’m going to need to go home and watch some football or go hunting or something after this to make sure my balls haven’t curled back inside of me.”

I laughed, pausing from pouring a sparkling grape juice into a plastic champagne flute. “It’s not that bad. Look at them. They’re having a great time, especially Lex.”

“You made this happen.”

“It was really Paige.”

“No, it was you who took the time to make sure she had something memorable for her tenth birthday. She’s never going to forget this. If it had been left to me, I’d have just bought cake and ice cream and called it a day. You made it special.”

“Well, she’s a special girl. I love her.”

They were such natural words to say that I hadn’t even realized I’d said them until they were out of my mouth.

Reid’s blue eyes practically glowed. “And she loves you.”

I had a feeling he might want to say more, but like me, he held them back. For now.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

Reid

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