Page 56 of Highball Rush
She raised an eyebrow. “Fine? That’s it?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll take that for now,” she said. “It’s good to see you, honey. We should have coffee again sometime. That was nice.”
I was a little surprised to realize she was right. Ithadbeen nice. I’d been a mess of confused feelings at the time—still was, really—but Jenny had a way about her. She’d made me feel better. I could tell why Jonah was such a steady guy.
“Yeah, that’d be all right.”
“Good. I’ll see you around.”
I nodded to her and left, feeling a bit off-balance. I liked Jenny. Nothing wrong with liking your half-brother’s mom.
But I didn’t really like many people, and it surprised me a bit that she was one of them.
I needed to get my head together. I stopped outside the store to text Callie—she wasMayain my contacts—to see where she was.
Me:You about done? Where are you?
Maya:Little change of plans. Ran into Shelby. Going to get our nails done. Do you mind?
A flash of irritation made me growl. I didn’t mind that she was with Shelby, or that she was getting her nails done. Girls were weird about that stuff, it wasn’t anything to me. But I couldn’t exactly park myself in the little nail salon and watch them get manicures. The desire to be with her—just to make sure she was safe, of course—was making my back prickle.
Me:Let me know when you’re done.
I pocketed my phone. I’d just have to kill some time while I waited. And if that meant I happened to wander around by the nail salon, who could blame me? Made sense to stay close.
People meandered up and down the street. Summertimers wandered with shopping bags and ice cream cones. Locals waved to each other or stopped for a chat. Trent McCulty lumbered by on a big green tractor. He had to stop for Mona Lisa McNugget. She bobbed her way out onto the road, then stopped right in front of the huge tire to peck at something on the concrete.
Scarlett came around a corner, dressed in a dark blue tank top and jean shorts. A dog tugged on a leash in her hands. She gripped it tight and leaned backward, like she was having a hard time hanging on.
“Who the hell’s dog is that?” I asked.
“Oh, hey Gibs,” she said, breathing hard. She shoved the leash toward me. “Take him for a minute, will you?”
I grabbed the nylon leash just as it went taut, the dog pulling hard. Wrapping it around my hand twice for a better grip, I gave it a solid tug. I pursed my lips and let out a shrill whistle. “Hold up, there.”
The dog stopped, turning to look at me. He had tan fur with a white patch on his face. He looked like a pit bull, but on the small side, with a turned-up snout and only one eye. He regarded me for a moment, like he was deciding whether to listen to me. I stared him down.
His tongue lolled out of his mouth and he plopped down onto the sidewalk.
“How’d you do that?” Scarlett asked. “He won’t listen to a word I say.”
I tilted my head at the dog. “I guess he knows what’s good for him. But Scar, please tell me you didn’t get a dog. Between you and Dev and that demon you call a cat, your house is cramped as it is.”
“I didn’t get a dog.”
“Then where’d he come from? You dog-walking on the side now?”
“You’re not going to believe this.” There was heat in her voice. “Some asshole summertimers left him. Abandoned him at one of my rentals.”
“Are you sure he’s not lost?”
“I’m sure all right. I’ve been trying to get a hold of them to tell them he’s still here. Finally did, and the guy claimed they’d never had a dog. I called him on his bullshit and got him to admit they’d left him on purpose. Said they thought they were doing him a kindness, since they weren’t cut out to be dog owners.”
A flash of anger hit me. “The fuck?”
“I know, it’s horrible. They’re blacklisted from this town for life. But now I gotta figure out what to do with him.”
