Page 153 of Will Bark for Pizza
She’d told me about a dream she had. One that caused her to pack her things and drive straight to Bluebell Springs, now more than a month ago, without even warning anyone she was coming.
“The last time I ignored Mom in a dream, it was bad.”
“What happened?”
“She warned me to leave Travis,” Kira said, tracing the outlines of my tattoos as she spoke. “Like, in this crazy, dreamlike way, she showed me how to escape. She showed me the way out. But I thought he’d changed. I thoughtIcould help him change. I didn’t listen to her, and . . .” She took a deep breath, and I waited. “He was drunk. Very drunk. It was his birthday. I never should’ve gotten in the car, but I did. He was in one of those weird moods, like he wanted to push all his limits. Like he wanted to challenge death.”
Anger burned inside my chest. I could already see where this story was headed. I was all too familiar with the disregard someone like that, drunk off his ass, had for other human life. Especially someone he cared about.
“He almost wrecked, right into the back of a big truck. I don’t know how he missed it. I swear, he has this way of cheating death that just seems so unfair.”
“Were you hurt?”
“No. I still don’t understand how we didn’t— But anyway, a cop saw him and he got arrested. I should have left then, when he was in jail. But I wanted so damn badly to tell him off to his face. To let him know how much he hurt me. So, I waited for him to get released—his mom always bailed him out. And then, he was so remorseful. Promised things would be different. Talked about buying me a ring. And I fell for it.”
“My dad was good at manipulating my mom, especially when he was hungover. She called it hissweetphase. But all it ever amounted to was a bunch of empty promises so she wouldn’t yell at him. A few days later, he was back to doing the same thing.”
“Do you still talk to them?
“No, I’ve been no contact for years. But my sister . . .”
“She still has hope?”
“Yeah.” I stroked her shoulder, eager to shift the conversation away from my family. “You know what I think it all means?”
“What?”
“That you’re in the right place.”
“Then, why would my mom lock me out of the apartment?I just wanted to see how the new paint and flooring turned out.”
“Maybe she knew I wasn’t done.” It was a half truth. “So be patient.”
Kira let out a soft giggle. “Maybe.”
“How is everything else coming along?” I asked of the bookstore.
“It would be a whole lot better if the bookshelves weren’t delayed.” She let out a sigh. “But they’re still supposed to show up before the soft opening. Did you know the book club wanted me to ask you to build new ones?”
“I could have.”
“Your grandma already has it out for me. I don’t need to take more of your time than I already have.”
“I like it when you take my time.”
Kira looked up at me, as though searching for the truth. It irritated me that she struggled to take me at my word, but it wasn’t her fault. Her trust had been fractured. I traced her jaw with my thumb, silently vowing in that moment to do everything I could to help her rebuild it. I drew her in for a kiss that lingered. She shimmied up my leg, her wetness smearing my hip.
Blood rushed south, awakening my cock for another round.
“What’s this tattoo about?” she asked of the panther on my chest.
“It’s in honor of a buddy I lost.”
“Lost?”
“To war.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
