Page 23 of The Secret We Keep
“Nice,” I remark, seeing the end of the road, indicating I’m almost home.
“You should walk him.”
“What?”
“He liked you,” he says, like that’s enough of an explanation for his suggestion.
“How do you figure that?”
“Come on,” he chuckles with a grin. “You must have seen how he hated every second of my mother smothering him? He didn’t do that with you. He let you carry him.”
“I only did that because he was cold.”
“Still. You’re the first person he’s let hold him without complaining.”
“I didn’t want him to feel lonely.”
“He’s a puppy,” he says matter-of-factly.
“Who you think likes me…”
A grin tugs at his lips as he shrugs with amused indifference. “I think you should walk him.”
My eyes scrunch. “Why?”
“Because I think it would be good for you.”
“And how could you possibly know what’s good for me, Paddy?” I ask incredulously, wondering how he, of all people, would know. The answer is, he doesn’t. He’s been gone too long. People change.I’vechanged.
After a beat, he says, “What’s wrong with dog walking?”
“No, nothing, I—”
“Plenty of folk around here have dogs they can’t walk. They just have gardens large enough to let them shit in.”
I don’t get why he’s pushing this.
“It’s worth a shot, isn’t it? I mean, you know everyone around here. I don’t see a problem.”
“And you don’t see the way they look at me.” My snapped response renders Paddy silent. “It’s like they think I have something wrong with me.”
I think perhaps he’ll apologise or stay quiet. Instead, he looks me up and down. “Well, do you?”
My eyes dart up in a flash, and his widen. “I don’t think so.”
Paddy suppresses a chuckle.
I fold my arms, annoyed with him. “You think that’s funny?”
“No.” He wipes a hand over his mouth. “I think you’ve changed.”
“What?” A car drives past, the lights blinding. I lift my hand, half closing my eyes to block it out.
“Since when does what other people think bother you?”
“It doesn’t.” I lift my shoulders to my ears, turning on my heels. My ability to disguise the truth that hurts like hell is a pathetic attempt.
“I think it does.”
