Page 68 of Watch Me Burn
“Perfect. Thank you.” I hang up, relieved but anxious.
After a shower, feeding the babies, and some toast because that’s all I can stomach, I head next door.
Maren’s in the treatment room, bathing one of our small ferrets. They’re not old enough to adopt out yet, but she’s already found and vetted families for most of them. Her brown eyes lift to meet mine as I enter.
“Hey, I was just about to come over and make sure you were alive.” She doesn’t miss a beat as she lathers soap down the ferret’s back. “Mr. Whiskers here had a little accident in his cage. Didn’t you, buddy?” She scratches behind his ears, earning a contented chitter. “I think trying that solid food yesterday was too soon.”
“I was worried it might be. And sorry for being late. Long night.”
One perfectly sculpted eyebrow arches, and a knowing smirk plays across her lips. “You have a lot of those these days.”
I ignore her and lean against the doorframe. “I need to run some errands this morning. How are the roads?”
“Fine. Snow’s all melted. Are you going down to Estes?”
“Yeah, do you need something?”
She grabs a towel from the warming rack by the oversized sink and wraps up the ferret.
“No, but if you wanted to stop by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and grab me some of their chocolate-dipped Bavarian pretzels, I wouldn’t argue with you.”
She wraps Mr. Whiskers in the heated towel like a burrito, leaving only his pointed face visible.
“I can probably do that.” I chuckle, then wince as another cramp rolls through me.
Maren misses nothing. Her hands pause mid-wrap, and her brown eyes sharpen as they sweep my face. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little pale.”
“Yeah. Just tired.”
I’m not ready to tell her about the blood or my doctor’s appointment until I know what’s going on with my body.
She rubs Mr. Whiskers’ fur, and he wiggles, chittering his approval. But Maren’s attention stays split between him and me, concern etched across her features.
“Grab some of those fancy dog treats they have while you’re there. Shadow loves those.”
“Shadow’s a wolf, not a dog.”
“He still likes them. And so does Ghost, and he’s half dog.” She cradles the bundled ferret against her chest. “Don’t be a mean, stingy mommy and not get your babies the fancy treats.”
I push off the doorframe without answering her because we both know I’d forgo eating myself to give my animals treats, especially Shadow.
“Grab some money out of my wallet if you need—”
“I got it. Thanks for holding down the fort.”
“No worries. Ethan will be here by ten, and Tate’s coming in after class. We’ll be fine.”
“Thanks, Maren. Really.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re the best, Maren. What would I do without you, Maren?” she says in a playful imitation of my voice. “Save the praise for my Christmas bonus, which I will want in chocolate-covered Bavarian pretzels.”
“Duly noted.” I back toward the door before she notices the rigid way I’m holding myself together. “You really are an angel, Mar.”
“Tell that to Estella. She showed up last night when JT and I were in the middle of one of our role-plays. If she thought I was going to hell for my behavior before, I reinforced it when she caught me wearing a strap-on.”
Somehow, Maren’s words don’t shock me. I guess she and JT patched things up. I’ll have to remember to ask her about it later, when my body isn’t staging some kind of revolt.
“That’s what you get for giving your grandmother a key to your apartment.”
