Page 14 of The Chad Next Door
Oh, he smells. Just not after I’ve given him a bath, like I did today after he decided to roll around in the mud that came from the snowfall. I would have been over to light the furnace sooner if I wasn’t afraid of Duke sneaking under my covers like he likes to do when it gets cold. I’ve found mud in my sheets more than once.
“Uh.” Apparently I’ve forgotten how words work now, though I can’t decide if it’s because I’m thinking about dog smell or because she looks cute bundled up in her blanket like that. And I shouldn’t think about how she’s cute because I’ve already given myself too much liberty when it comes to Hope tonight. Right, I was going to tell her she can borrow Duke. Which sounds weird. I shouldn’t say it that way. “If the kids are ever playing outside, they should come grab Duke if I’m around. It would be safer.”
She stiffens. “Safer? How so?”
“There might be mountain lions.”
“Mountain lions?” She jumps back a step, which startles Duke and makes him bark and lick her hand to make sure she’s okay. “Are you serious?”
I could tell her that they probably won’t come this close to the house, but I can’t say that for sure. We’re in a pretty remote area, and I know Hank down the road said he’s seen one or two in the few years that he’s lived on this lane. It’s better if I give it to her straight, especially when she has a badger climbing in and out of her window.
“It’s possible, yeah. I think Duke would scare one off if it ever came close, but you should tell the kids to keep an eye out if they’re ever out here on their own.”
A shiver runs through her, and I don’t think it’s from the cold. Did she really not do any research before buying the house?
“Did you figure out your badger problem?” I ask.
“Wolverine,” she replies.
“Right,” I say, even though I did a little digging and learned there hasn’t been a wolverine sighting in Colorado for over a century, so it’s probably a badger. This is not the hill I need to die on.
“No,” she says after waiting to see if I’ll argue about the species any more. “I haven’t even had a chance to fix the window yet.”
“You’ll want to get a new—”
“New window, yeah. I know. I’ve put it on the list.”
She has a list? I wonder how many of those things on her list are things I could help her with. Save her some money. Then I wonder if she would even let me help. Probably not. Next time she goes into town, I’m going to walk around her house and make sure it’s structurally sound and only the one window needs fixing.
“Is the ba—wolverine back in the house?”
Her lips twist up in a little smile, though it’s almost too dark to see it now. “I have no idea. I’ve been too afraid to look, but it’s okay. I don’t have a bed in that room yet, so I’ve been sleeping on the couch anyway.”
My thoughts turn to the three guest rooms I have in my house, all of them fully furnished in case my siblings ever want to come stay for a few days. I keep those thoughts to myself.
“I’m sure Duke would love to scare it out,” I tell her, and I swear the dog knows exactly what I say because he turns to look at Hope’s house, suddenly tense. I know dogs are smart, but sometimes I think he’stoosmart. But then he’ll go and roll himself in roadkill, so that intelligence only goes so far. “You’ll want to make sure it isn’t inside before you patch up the window until you can get a—”
“Iknow, Grizz.”
That name is so stupid. I should just tell her my actual name, but I don’t want to. “I’m just trying to help,” I say, keeping my voice from shifting into frustration.
Hope, on the other hand, lets her own frustration color her words with enough acid that it’s like she’s trying to hit me with it and melt me into a gooey mess. “If I need your help, I’ll ask for it.”
“I won’t hold my breath.”
“I’m going inside now.”
“Do what you want.”
She groans and stomps back to the house with the same temper Zelda seemed to show earlier.
“Inside, Duke.”
But the dog stays put, his eyes locked on the door that Hope disappeared through as he whines. It’s like he has already decided she is his new favorite person.
That’s going to be a problem.
Chapter Eight
